Brainstorming

Definition: The Brainstorming is a technique to stimulate creative ideas and solutions through a group discussion. Simply, a process wherein a group attempts to find a solution for the specific problem by aggregating all the spontaneous opinions or suggestions given by each group member individually is called as brainstorming.

In a brainstorming session, a group of 10-15 persons is constituted who are directly or closely related to the problem of discussion irrespective of their fields of disciplines. During this session, the group members are just required to share their ideas or speak out the mind in front of other members and need not worry about how realistic or feasible the solution is.

Generally, the brainstorming is carried on in the following ways:

1. First of all, the group leader/facilitator outlines the problem requiring a decision. The problem is clearly stated such that the members can easily understand it and focus their direct attention on it.
2. Once the problem is defined, the participants are asked to share their opinions through which the problem can be tackled. Here the aim is to get as many ideas as possible; its feasibility is checked later.
3. The participants are required to give away their ideas freely without considering any financial, legal or organizational limitations.
4. The evaluation of ideas is done in the later stage. Therefore, any criticism, judgement, or comment is strictly prohibited during the brainstorming session, and the participants are told not to indulge in these.

Once the brainstorming session is over, all the recorded ideas are analyzed, discussed and criticized during the evaluation session, during which the actual feasibility of an idea is checked.