Brainstorming

1. 1. DECENT GROUP
2. 2. A summary of the introduction to brainstorming Risks from brainstorming and how to
overcome them Benefits of brainstorming What is brainstorming used for? Rules of
Brainstorming Types of Brainstorming: What is Brainstorming?Muhammad Fayyaz
3. 3. Sohaib Furqan How to do Traditional Brainstorming How to brainstorm in a medium-sized
group Rules of Brainstorming A summary of traditional brainstormingMuhammad Bilal
Advanced Brainstorming Creativity and Creative Thinking How do Creative Thinking
techniques work? what creative thinking techniques are available? How to use the Random
Word technique How to use the Random Picture technique How to use the False Rules
technique
4. 4. Hiba Rauf
5. 5. Brainstorming is a process for generating new ideasBrainstorming is "a conference
technique by which agroup attempts to find a solution for a specificproblem by amassing all
the ideas spontaneously by itsmembers" - Alex OsbornTo brainstorm is to use a set of
specific rules andtechniques which encourage and spark off new ideaswhich would never
have happened under normalcircumstances
6. 6. Traditional AdvancedBrainstorming Brainstorming
7. 7. Traditional BrainstormingThe normal view of brainstorming is where a group of people sit
in a room andshout out ideas as they occur to them. They are told to lose their inhibitions
andthat no ideas will be judged so that people are free to shout out any ideas at allwithout
feeling uncomfortable. People should build on the ideas called out by otherparticipants. The
purpose of this is to gain as many ideas as possible for lateranalysis. Out of the many ideas
suggested there will be some of great value.Because of the free-thinking environment, the
session will help promote radicalnew ideas which break free from normal ways of thinking.
8. 8. Advanced BrainstormingThe model we propose is an extension of the traditional
brainstorming scenarioand makes the whole process easier and more effective. Advanced
brainstormingbuilds on the current methods of brainstorming to produce more original ideas
ina more efficient way. Specialized techniques, better processes and betterawareness,
combined with new technologies, make traditional brainstorming aless frustrating process.
Most of the problems associated with traditionalbrainstorming disappear as a more effective
process is used.
9. 9. Primary rules of Brainstorming
10. 10. Processes you want!New and better ... whateverServices Better insurance
policiesNew industriesarticles Written documents and Investment decisionsPhysical
products Patents policyCompany structure andResearch techniques Management
methodsFactoriesDevelopment procedures Research and Consumer
researchGovernment policiesmethods Marketing strategy and Engineering
componentsAdvertising campaigns 
11. 11. What if you could cut down paperwork and bureaucracy?All of these have been done
through brainstorming techniques.If you perform them too then you will benefit directly from
therewards given to you by others. You will also benefit by beinghappier about yourself and
the contribution you are making tosociety. What if you could double your productivity?
What if you developed a new product which became the market leader? What if you
spotted a new opportunity in the market? What if you developed new ways of saving
money?Benefits of brainstorming
12. 12. Even though traditional brainstorming can bring benefits to thewhole group, it can
sometimes reduce individual recognition.But you can still be recognized as (1) being good
atbrainstorming, (2) for being responsible for introducing betterbrainstorming techniques and
(3) you can even use AdvancedBrainstorming by yourself and create new solutions which
areaccredited to you alone.
13. 13. Risks from brainstorming and how to overcome themThe risk of losing your faith in
brainstorming because of a lack of knowledge
14. 14. How to do Traditional Brainstorming
15. 15. How to brainstorm in a medium-sized group
16. 16. Rule 1:
17. 17. Rule 2: Encourage wild and exaggerated ideas
18. 18. Rule 3: Quantity counts at this stage, not quality
19. 19. Rule 4: Build on the ideas put forward by others
20. 20. Summary of standard brainstorming session
21. 21. Advanced BrainstormingAdvanced brainstorming is an improved process which
increases thesuccess rate of brainstorming and involves using creative thinkingtechniques to
increase the number and diversity of new ideas.Advanced brainstorming will make your
 brainstorming sessions runsmoother and more efficiently because you will never be stuck for
anew idea. Modern tools and techniques for idea generation also allowbrainstorming to be
done effectively by an individual person.Brainstorming sessions are followed using the
standard rules but areimproved upon by using specialized techniques and tools.
22. 22. Tools and techniques of advanced brainstorming
23. 23. What is creativity?Creativity is the bringing into being of something which did notexist
before, either as a product, a process or a thought.What is creative thinking?Creative
thinking is the process which we use when we come upwith a new idea.
24. 24. How do Creative Thinking techniques work?Creative thinking techniques work to
stimulate original ideas. Newideas happen when two or more ideas are accidentally or
deliberatelymerged when they have never been merged before. Creative thinkingtechniques
provide the method for deliberately combining ideas inways which you would not normally
come across or think about.This combination generates a truly original idea for you.The
creative thinking process looks like this:
25. 25. The most basic and obviously creative technique where you use a randomword (hence
the name!) to generate new ideas By getting a random wordas a prompt and forcing yourself
to use it to solve your problem you arepractically guaranteed to attack the problem from a
different direction tonormal. You take a word from a random word generator, extract
itsunderlying principles and then apply them to your problem to see howthey can help. The
skill is stopping your mind from (a) thinking this issilly and (b) directly using the actual
principles behind the word to yourproblem without changing them to ones which are easier to
applyThe first thing you need is the random word itself which is classed as theinitial stimulus.
Next, you establish a bridging idea, which is an ideabased on the stimulus. This is used, as
the name implies, as a bridgebetween the stimulus and an idea which you could actually use
on yourproblem. The simplest way to get a random word is using our dedicatedsoftware
(Brainstorming Toolbox) to give you a random word at the touchof a button
26. 26. This method is very similar to the random word technique and many of itsworking
principles are explained in that section, so please read that first if youhavent already. You
should also read the section on methods of using a stimulusfor new ideasThe first thing you
need for this technique is, fairly obviously, a random picture.This is then used as a prompt to
come up with new ideas and solutions. You canget such an image from brainstorming
software or you can select it at randomyourself from a magazine, encyclopedia or picture
book. You can also use apicture from a website (see the Random Website technique).You
should look at the picture, extract a concept or idea from it and use this idea tostimulate a
possible solution to your problem. Try to see anything in the picturewhich reminds you of
your problem and how it might be solved. What activitiesare going on? What situations are
being faced? Why are the people doing whatthey are doing? What principles are being
used?
27. 27. With a picture in front of you, extract an idea from it, or imagine a
similartheme/person/action happening within your own situation.Next think of how you can
use that new situation/object/attitude in your ownsituation. It does not immediately have to be
a positive solution but you maylater be able to move from it to a good solution You must be
careful of deciding that a specific picture is of no use and getting another instead. If you do
this then often you are just trying to choose a random picture which obviously fits into the
problem you are trying to solve and therefore you end up with a picture which is not random.
Again, the skill is to work out HOW the picture can be made to fit.
28. 28. One you have got a false rule, there are many ways of using it, including
29. 29. Using the Random Website technique you look at a random website, gather the
ideaswhich are used there and use them to come up with new ideas and solutions
foryourself. You are looking for ways in which you can use the products, solutions, ideasand
concepts behind the website to reapply in your own field and problem area
30. 30. Things to watch out for when using the techniqueYou must be careful of deciding that a
specific website is of no use andgetting another instead. If you do this then often you are just
trying tochoose a random website which obviously fits into the probortunity youare trying to
investigate, and therefore you end up with a website whichis not random. Again, the skill is to
work out HOW the website can bemade to fit.
31. 31. The SCAMPER technique uses a set of directed questions which youanswer about your
probortunity in order to come up with new ideas. Thestimulus comes from forcing yourself to
answer questions which youwould not normally pose. The questions direct you to thinking
about aprobortunity in ways which typically come up with new ideas.SCAMPER is an
acronym which stands for questions relating to thefollowing
32. 32. CombineAdapt
33. 33. Think about changing part or all of the current situation, or to distort itin an unusual way.
By forcing yourself to come up with new ways ofworking, you are often prompted into an
alternative product/process.Typical questions: What happens if I warp or exaggerate a
 feature orcomponent? What will happen if I modify the process in some way?Think of how
you might be able to put your current solution/product/process to other purposes, or think of
what you could reusefrom somewhere else in order to solve your own probortunity. Youmight
think of another way of solving your own probortunity or findinganother market for your
product.Typical questions: What other market could I use this product in? Whoor what else
might be able to use it?
34. 34. What other industries face the same probortunity and what do they do about it?By
answering these questions you can often come across trains of thought which help to solve
your probortunity What similar problems have been solved, and how? What other
companies might know how to solve this? Where else might this probortunity have been
solved? What else could we use to solve the probortunity? Is there anyone else in the
company who knows how to solve this? What similar area of expertise might have solved
this probortunity? Who else has solved this probortunity?
35. 35. How to use the Role Play techniqueOne of the great ways of changing the way you see
the world is to see it fromsomeone elses point of view. This technique allows you to change
yourperspective by getting you to role play a different person and see how they
wouldapproach the problem. Different people use different bits of information andknowledge
to approach the same problem and its extremely helpful to view atask from different angles.
Have you ever noticed that an artist and amathematician will approach a subject from
different angles and different waysof thinking? Imagine the ideas you will have as you take
the role of bothoccupations and play around with the displacements of thought!First you
need to select an occupation to role play. The easiest way to get this isto use a computer to
select from a list of occupations (eg. using BrainstormingToolbox) but you can always use a
paper version or make one up on the spot. Arandomly selected list is best so that you dont
select easy or less challengingones.
36. 36. How would they solve the problem?See how many different ways you can approach the
problems and itssolutions using your new assumed personality. How would they explain
the problem? What action would they take? How would they see the problem? Where
would they be doing it? What objects and items would they be using? How would they
think?When you have your occupation to role play then try to approach theprobortunity in
the way that this person would do it.
37. 37. How to use the Challenge Facts techniqueHow many facts are really facts and how many
are just the most reasonable, educatedguess based upon the knowledge known at the time?
It is very rare that anything remainsan undeniable fact for too long, especially when you
consider peoples views anddifferently acquired knowledge. We are in a constant state of
change. We thinkdifferently as we gain knowledge and skills in thinking. One generation to
the next havedifferent aims, ambitions and morals. What might be seen as a good thing by
onegeneration could be seen as a bad thing by the next. Political parties change their
views,as do their voters. Due to personal circumstances, individuals can change their
wholephilosophy of life within months. Technology and other inventions now change
theworld faster than most people can keep up with. What seemed impossible one week
canbecome plausible the next, reality within months and an accepted way of life in a year
ortwo. This is not really surprising when you consider the combined, diverse thoughtpower of
billions of people spread across the globe.How do you know that what you considered to be
a fact in the past has now becomeinappropriate due to changes which have happened since
then? Might you now beable to improve your current product because of a change in human
values orlifestyles?
38. 38. With Escapism you can propose the wildest, most outrageous andpreposterous things
you can imagine. You use true escapism wherethere are no morals, rules, etiquette, laws or
standards. You escapethe physical limitations of the world to see what your ultimatesolution
would be. You should not limit yourself by anything exceptyour own imagination, and even
this you should push.Your mission in this technique is to write down the wildest,
mostridiculous, stupid, wacky ideas you can come up with to solve theprobortunity. They do
not have to be practical, possible or evensensible
39. 39. How to use the Analogy techniqueThe greatest thing by far, is to be a master of the
metaphor - Aristotle
40. 40. Selling to our customers is like being a second-hand car salesmanAnother way is to
force an analogy and create something which you will makethe analogy to. Changing a tyre
on a car is like putting your shoes on (PS tyre = tire using US spelling) Running a business
is like managing a theatre production Who does similar things but not in your area of
expertise?Often an analogy will include the words "... is like ..."Examples. What other areas
of life/work experience similar situations? What does your situation or your probortunity
remind you of?