1

The Birth of Brainstorming

 

Brainstorming, a method introduced by the renowned American creative master, Alex Osborn, in 1939, is nothing short of a game-changer! Osborn, the founder of the prominent advertising agency BBDO (where the 'O' stands for his surname Osborn), found himself at a crossroads in 1938 when the company faced a crisis, losing significant clients and staff.

To rescue the sinking ship, Osborn devised a potent arsenal of "creative thinking." His vision? Harness the collective power of teams, blending business acumen, copywriting finesse, and design prowess to birth stronger, more abundant ideas.

After relentless experimentation within the company, Osborn, in 1942, unveiled the concept of "brainstorming" to the world in his book "Your Creative Power," outlining four fundamental principles for conducting a brainstorming session:

1. No Criticism: Let ideas flow freely without judgment during the meeting. Criticism is a creativity killer!

2. Unique Ideas: Encourage members to speak their minds unabashedly in a relaxed, free-flowing atmosphere. The more novel the idea, the more it sparks unique creativity.

3. Quantity Over Quality: Focus on generating a multitude of ideas rather than fixating on perfection. Cast a wide net during the meeting to reel in a plethora of ideas—more quantity, more quality opportunities.

4. Combine and Improve: The magic lies in synergy. Multiple ideas combined can evolve into brilliant innovations greater than the sum of their parts.

When initiating a brainstorming session, pay heed to these seven steps:

1. Define a Specific Theme: Specificity breeds creativity. If the topic is "Reducing Traffic Accidents" and ideas seem scarce, pivot to "Promoting Helmet Safety for All" to spur fresh ideas.

2. Arrange Tables in a Quadrangle: The tables are arranged in a quadrilateral shape, with members seated in a 'U' formation. The smart whiteboard is placed at the front, and the host records each idea on the screen, syncing them to the cloud. This setup enables easy eye contact among participants when expressing opinions.

3. Energize Discussion: A dynamic facilitator sets the tone, encouraging diverse perspectives and fostering enthusiastic participation.

4. Gather Diverse Talents: Ideal brainstorming teams consist of 5-8 members with less than half being topic experts. Diverse talents fuel idea generation.

5. Free Expression, Detailed Recording: Capture every word without simplification. Even a fragment could be the key to problem-solving.

6. Take Breaks: A breather allows for reflection. A 60-minute break enables members to ponder others' ideas objectively.

7. Evaluation: Assess ideas based on creativity and feasibility. Combining different ideas can enhance their practicality.

Osborn touted the miraculous efficacy of brainstorming. Even the meticulous U.S. Department of Treasury conjured 103 schemes to sell savings bonds in just 40 minutes using this method!

He went on to establish the Creative Education Foundation, dedicated to teaching companies, groups, and individuals how to leverage brainstorming effectively. Many corporate giants like IBM, DuPont, and even U.S. government agencies adopted his method as a cornerstone of their internal meetings.

Brainstorming has since evolved into a ubiquitous term, a go-to method for countless individuals seeking to break free from constraints and ignite their creative sparks!

 

2

Is Brainstorming the Magical Key to Creativity?

 

But wait, is brainstorming really that effective? Researchers at the University of Minnesota in the United States conducted a test to find out. The participants were R&D personnel and advertising executives from 3M. The subjects were split into two groups, one in groups of four and the other working independently.

After analyzing the results, participants were regrouped randomly, again in groups of four. If there were repeated ideas during this process, only the initial instance was counted. Surprisingly, for each problem, individuals generated 30% to 40% more ideas than those in groups, and the quality was higher.

In another study, researchers divided 168 individuals into groups of five, seven, and nine, along with corresponding individuals working alone. The results were consistent: individuals outperformed group brainstorming in generating more ideas of higher quality. Moreover, larger group sizes led to poorer performance.

So, does group brainstorming hinder rather than help creative thinking? What causes brainstorming to fail? Is it the method itself or the individuals implementing it improperly?

To unravel these mysteries, researchers at Indiana University delved into the core tenet of brainstorming: "No Criticism." They conducted an experiment where a group of students was tasked with naming three different products. Half of the students were instructed not to criticize during the discussion, while the other half could freely critique.

The results revealed that the non-critical group indeed produced more ideas, but mostly low-quality ones. Essentially, both sides generated a similar quantity of ideas of comparable quality, rendering no significant difference.

If "No Criticism" doesn't enhance idea quality, where lies the problem? The answer: meetings.

Brainstorming sessions not only fail to yield the anticipated creative output but also result in "Productivity Loss."

Why does this happen? Because meetings tend to homogenize perspectives on problems. Meetings may not always be conducive to generating innovative ideas but are effective in fostering consensus.

Imagine a group of people brainstorming together. When someone pitches an idea, it influences everyone's memory. Our brains, like lazy organs, opt for the path of least resistance. With a proposed idea in play, we tend to orbit around it without exerting extra effort to think divergently.

Conversely, when individuals brainstorm independently, their minds remain uninfluenced, fostering a plethora of diverse ideas.

Hence, meetings tend to homogenize perspectives on problems. Additionally, as social creatures, we crave unanimity. The more aligned opinions, the greater the sense of security.

Consequently, meetings do not breed creative geniuses but rather leaders.

And what defines a leader? A leader shapes minds, guiding others along their path. This doesn't encourage a diversity of ideas but solidifies a singular mode of thinking.

Isn't this starkly contrary to the original purpose of brainstorming? Moreover, leaders typically abhor uncertainty, preferring swift resolutions and urging consensus among all, leading to prompt actions. This means that during meetings, achieving the essence of brainstorming—equal, free expression—becomes unfeasible.

Therefore, meetings render brainstorming ineffective, diminishing its utility.

 

3

Correct Use of Brainstorming

 

Seeing this, you must be wondering: since meetings can render brainstorming useless, even hindering our creativity, how should we properly use brainstorming?

Based on my years of experience, I offer you two suggestions:

First suggestion: Individual and group thinking can be separated and then integrated, meaning let individuals think independently first and then gather for a meeting.

For example:
If there are 6 members in a meeting, each person writes down 3 ideas on the topic and passes them to the next person. Each person adds to the ideas they receive and passes them on to the next person. This process is repeated five times, giving each person the chance to contribute to the ideas of the other five people.

After all ideas are summarized, sit together to discuss and evaluate. This way, we can avoid the drawbacks of meetings and leverage the benefits of brainstorming.

Second suggestion: Always write down your ideas, even draw them out, visualize your thoughts.

During meetings, we generally communicate through speech, write down ideas in text, or record others' ideas. However, in normal text usage, for the sake of efficiency, we tend to compress information.

For example, when taking notes of someone's speech, due to efficiency concerns, you quickly extract a key word from their words to jot it down. This way, information is highly compressed, which is not conducive to creative thinking.

Therefore, during brainstorming, I suggest trying to visualize your thoughts, as this can lead to unexpected insights.

 

4

Summary of This Chapter:

This article discusses the four core principles of brainstorming: no criticism, unique ideas, quantity over quality, and combining and improving ideas.

In order to better record the process and prevent ideas from being forgotten, you can use Evernote, Notion, Smart whiteboard, Zoom, Google Docs.

The premise of brainstorming aiding in creative idea generation lies in its correct usage. It is essential to first think independently before coming together for a focused discussion. Only through this approach can the pitfalls of meetings be avoided, while also harnessing the advantages of brainstorming.