Brainstorming for fun and profit
Alexei Kapterev
Q: What is brainstorming anyway? A: I have no idea… Let’s brainstorm this!
Agenda
➊ What is a brainstorm? ➋ Why brainstorm? ➌ How to brainstorm?
What is a brainstorm?
Brainstorms at INDEX by Jacob Bøtter
How do you get new ideas?
«
The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away.
— Linus Pauling, Nobel Prize winner
Frozen Brainstorm by Steve Jurvetson
brainstorm [breɪnstɔːm]
A spontaneous group discussion to produce ideas and ways of solving problems. Oxford American Dictionaries
Invented by Alex Osborn around 1938
What did he mean?
or
Storm
Storm
Why brainstorm?
Brainstorms at INDEX by Jacob Bøtter
It helps to innovate
➊ Gather the data ➋ Brainstorm ➌ Criticise ➍ Implement
It’s a great way to get new ideas
It makes work more fun
«
Brainstorming is ... what the clients really buy.
— Ethan Rasiel, The McKinsey Way
How to brainstorm?
Brainstorms at INDEX by Jacob Bøtter
➊ The brief ➋ The people ➌ The set ➍ The process ➎ The follow-up
Step 1: The brief
«
The cardinal rule of brainstorming is that you cannot do it successfully in a vacuum.
— Ethan Rasiel, The McKinsey Way
Before starting:
➊ Prepare the fact sheet ➋ Formulate the question
«
Brief is everything.
— Steve Schildwachter, FCB Global
Step 2: The people
Not “experts only”
Invite different people
Remember: you need new ideas
Present them the information
(and better not just in a written form)
The IDEO experiment
Task: design a new toy
3 brainstorming groups:
Written brief
No brief
Went to a toy shop
Which did the best?
3 brainstorming groups:
Written brief
No brief
Went to a toy shop
Of course.
Step 3: The set
Something to write
Something to eat
Something unusual*
* You know, for the atmosphere!
Step 4: The process
«
The problem is never to get new ideas in, the problem is to get the old ideas out.
— Dee Hock, Visa International
«
The point of brainstorming is the generation of new ideas. So start with tabula rasa — a clean slate.
— Ethan Rasiel, The McKinsey Way
Start with a clean slate
Let’s stretch by Raj Taneja
Start with a warmup
There are lots of them
Next, announce:
?
Problem
Target amount of ideas
Time
Rules
The rules are:
➊ Go for the quantity, not quality ➋ Absolutely no criticism ➌ Weird ideas are welcome ➍ Transform others’ ideas
Yes, but... Yes, and...
Avoid moderation!
Moderator by Konstantin Voschanov
Remember: you need new ideas
But be strict with the rules.
Write whatever they say, exactly as they say!
Got a stupid idea? Say it out loud. Just to get rid of it.
Stuck? Use creativity aids.
Go with the flow!
The amount reached?
Time’s up?
Now filter what you’ve got.
Good? Bad?
The criteria should be clear from the brief.
And if you are lucky...
Yes, this is gold.
What’s ahead? Decide on your next steps.
Step 5: The follow-up
Tell the team about the results. This is a great opportunity to say...
And... this is it.
Brainstorms at INDEX by Jacob Bøtter
Recommended books:
The McKinsey Way by Ethan M. Rasiel
The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley
Questions?
Alexei Kapterev ak@realtimestrategy.ru www.realtimestrategy.ru