Brainstorming Alternatives: Other Creative Techniques to Generate Ideas
Every creative field requires the use of certain techniques and strategies to generate innovative ideas. There are several different techniques, many of which are already known and widely used. A clear example includes brainstorming.
This strategy consists of generating ideas quickly and almost spontaneously. It’s widely used in groups as it encourages the participation of all team members. In addition, a greater volume of ideas can be collected at the end of the session since all kinds of ideas are generated and accepted.
Without a doubt, brainstorming is an effective and quite traditional technique. But, if this technique doesn’t seem to be giving the expected results, there are also other useful strategies that can be helpful, serving as an alternative to the already popular brainstorming.
Brainwriting
This is an ideal technique for teams where you want to generate more trust among the members. Unlike classic brainstorming, solutions are not communicated verbally but written on paper. This way, people who are timid or reserved can express their ideas freely. Each person receives a paper so that they can explain their ideas textually. Once all the members have finished, the sheets should be rotated so that another participant can write down new suggestions on the same paper. This process is repeated until all the members have written their suggestions.
Upon completion, the person who wrote down their idea first on the paper will have various suggestions on the subject, or even a problem that has been noted. It’s very effective to take the time for everyone to discuss the added suggestions as well as look for potential solutions for the main idea.
Due to the dynamics of this creative technique, it’s preferable that the members feel like they’re forming a circle. This way, it’s easier to maintain the paper exchange order, with a more familiar atmosphere thanks to the power of the team circle.
Brainwalking
This particular technique uses a flipchart, with the main subject/category/idea written as the title. The flipchart should be placed in the office for every member to see. Each member of the team must understand the problem or formulated question on the flipchart, and provide ideas in turn. Since there is enough space, this is an exercise where all ideas are targeted. Participants are free to add completely new ideas or develop them from what other members have already written. In case you’re using several rounds for this technique, team members will also get to provide more ideas.
At the end of this creative process, the team can then discuss the potential each and every idea/solution has in order to find something that suits their purpose the best.
The Disney method
This is another method that can work perfectly when working as a team. Unlike the other techniques, The Disney method uses four different roles: strangers, dreamers, realists, and critics. In some cases, only the last three roles are used.
As the name suggests, every team member has to be assigned a role. Strangers are totally oblivious to the problem presented and must place themselves in that state of mind. Once they become dreamers, they are characterized by their hope and positive vision of the world. It is in this phase where creativity has no limits and all kinds of ideas can be generated and accepted. Afterwards, the problem and the solutions will be analyzed from the point of view of a realist. This stage allows for problem detection as well as solutions to improve certain ideas. Essentially, it’s all about evaluating which idea is the most viable. Finally, the critic has to be skeptical and ask questions about potential failures.
Brainstorming is not the only creative technique available, nor the most effective when it comes to generating ideas. Everything depends on the type of people that are part of the team, as well as the environment they operate in. In some cases, it’s much more comfortable to express your ideas on paper, and there is more opportunity for every member of the team to participate. After all, it’s not rare for only a couple of people to participate actively in traditional brainstorming sessions, while others prefer to listen or just don’t feel comfortable enough to share their own ideas.
