Brainstorming

A usually informal meeting in which participants try to think of ideas to solve a problem or accomplish a goal. The idea behind brainstorming is to come up with as many suggestions as possible, in hopes that one of them will stand up to scrutiny and become the solution. Criticism is discouraged during brainstorming, and participants are encouraged to discuss unusual proposals and to build upon what others say. This is a common and useful way to solve problems both in business and in other situations.

brainstorming

a technique for generating ideas in which members of a group express ideas as they think of them. The object is to compile a list of ideas which can subsequently be considered and evaluated in greater depth. It is often recommended as a means of stimulating creativity when a group is experiencing difficulties in generating new ideas or solutions to apparently intractable problems. However, it is uncertain whether the ideas so generated are of any greater value than those arising in more conventional discussions. See DELPHI TECHNIQUE, NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE.

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References in periodicals archive

In fact, implementation of Osborn's (1963) brainstorming guidelines lead to both idea generation and idea refinement.

A Revival of Osborn's Original Propositions: The Role of Inspirational Facilitation in Divergent Thinking Effectiveness

Eberhard Koch, Chairman, CEO and Partner, Oesterreichischer Lloyd Shipping Group welcomed the Cyprus Marine Club's first brainstorming event and said the Club lives from the extraordinary 107 members so far.

SHIPPING: Maravilhosa launches 'brainstorming series' hosted by Cyprus Marine Club

A second brainstorming session after students define constraints and criteria is also helpful to allow students to converge on appropriate design solutions without fixating on existing ideas.

design fixation: As technology educators, how can we help students resist design fixation?

They say brainstorming produces something more like a sprinkle than a deluge of ideas.

The case for brainstorming: decried by critics as producing only a sprinkle of ideas, rather than a deluge, brainstorming's proponents say there's no substitute if it's done creatively

As with brainstorming and each step in this process, some type of moderator/ facilitator is often helpful to keep meeting ground rules in place so the group focus against results is maintained.

Finding treasures hidden in plain sight

I have seen some brilliant videos on YouTube on how to conduct successful brainstorms, and I urge readers interested in this method to tap into these resources, but I do want to share a couple of pointers on how to run a successful brainstorming exercise: 1).

Generating great ideas--Part II

In May, we had another brainstorming session, facilitated by an advisor from MLS.

Your opinion counts at the library

Some have suggested a hybrid approach to overcome brainstorming's weaknesses.

Beyond brainstorming

-- 200+ Prompts for Brainstorming Career-Job-Work-Life Accomplishments

Quintessential Careers Spotlights Importance of Job-Seeker and Worker Accomplishments with New Content Section

Researchers have long held that there are steps that can be taken to make brainstorming sessions more productive.

Study finds brainstorming rules can lead to real-world success in business settings

This standard requires auditors to conduct brainstorming sessions to increase their ability to identity potential sources of financial statement fraud.

Problems to avoid when brainstorming fraud risks