Recently a reader asked me about successful techniques for brainstorming.

She used brainstorming sessions to develop new products and matching online marketing techniques. But she wasn’t very satisfied with the outcome of these sessions. She felt it could be a big time waster. Hence the question.

Fortunately I found Kaushal Gandhi prepared to write about winning techniques for brainstorming in today’s guest post.

So, if you want to be more productive using brainstorming sessions, read this carefully.
Enjoy!

10 Winning Techniques for Brainstorming

1. Do Your Homework
   Often brainstorming sessions can be spur-of-the-moment 15-minute discussions, where your group will toss up many ideas in a short amount of time.

   However, if you’re going to be involved in more official state of affairs, then you should make it a point to collect relevant information, beforehand. Thus you can use it effectively at the time of the session. Hence, be prepared!

2. Build a protective and an imaginative surrounding
   The environment should be such that people can feel completely at ease speaking out their mind and expressing their opinions.

3. Create an even playground
   Allow people attending the brainstorming sessions to jeep all their pending work and thoughts aside. Mull over starting out with stretching or breathing exercises. Such activity will leave all the people in the room relaxed and make them momentarily forget about whatever is happening in the outside world.

4. Focus
   Brainstorming is not just a method of conjuring up uncanny ideas.
   The group should be focused on the task at hand and not get distracted by the subject of the discussion.
   Any member of the group should not get discouraged by a topic that is not of his interest and hence, not take active part in the discussion. Be it any topic, problem or issue, all the members should totally concentrate on a solution without showing any signs of lethargy or disinterest.

5. Listen to the other members patiently
   While it is important to get your own point across, you should not forget that the other members are also an integral part of the entire process and deserve to be heard out by the panel.

   
   Photo Credit: Jeff Lowe

6. Try remaining objective
   In case you are heading the brainstorming session, do not get too occupied with what the end result will be. The session might not reach a logical end, if you keep your personal agenda on the line.

7. Manage the Group keenly
   Ensure that the members remain present for sessions throughout its duration and not keep on taking breaks, and at the same time remain committed to sustaining the enthusiasm of the group.

8. Suggest creative exercises
   Include a few exercises for stimulating the mind and generative creative ideas. There should be magazines, books and audio-visuals available to not let monotony set into the sessions.

9. Do not forget that there is a job at hand
   The idea of such a session is to generate ideas and offer suggestions/opinions. Successful sessions are those which result in propositions or suggestions which could take shape into concrete decisions. A brainstorming session rarely gives birth to a final idea.

10. Assess the results of the session at a later point of time
    For successful implementation of ideas, they should have a longer shelf life than a single session of brainstorming. One which sounds imaginative one day might sound outdated the other. Hence, it is imperative to keep improvising on the ideas that were brought about in the brainstorming sessions.

There you have it.
Do you use these techniques for brainstorming or any others?
Post your comments below.

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