Brainstorming

Transcript

Over the years I've attended a lot of meetings in which groups of people have tried to generate new ideas. This kind of group activity is called brainstorming. Sometimes it's pretty slow and sometimes its very productive.

I use brainstorming in small classes. Often it's a slow process. Many students hesitate to throw ideas into the group, so I have to ask a lot of questions and encourage people to talk freely.

Last week, for example, I asked a group of students to share ideas for news stories. At first everyone was very quiet. The 90-minute period got off to a slow start, but gradually they became more talkative. Finally one student told us a very dramatic story about a medical emergency that she'd witnessed on a train. That was a slow class, but what a great story!

Some groups become productive immediately. I recently joined a group of professional people who wanted to use computer network services to make their organization more effective. Most of the members were there to listen, but interesting ideas began to emerge immediately. During a 90-minute discussion I recorded at least 15 different ideas, many of which were excellent practical suggestions. Some of the most creative ideas came from people who had come only to listen. Everyone felt encouraged to speak freely, and that meeting was extremely productive from beginning to end.

Brainstorming works well when people are willing to share their ideas and stories without hesitation.