Brainstorming

A subjective method to enhance creativity and elicit ideas from groups. The subject of a brainstorm session can be on essentially any topic, but many are conducted to generate lists of solutions to problems, new products or alternative strategies. The moderator makes the ground rules clear: during the session all ideas are welcome, no such thing as a bad idea. No criticism, no ideas rejected as being too fanciful. Filtering of the brainstorm suggestions occurs after the session Brainstorming sessions generally involve between 6 and 12 people. The benefits of this method are: 1) Potential solutions often can be found rapidly and economically. 2) Results and ways of problem-solving may be new and unexpected. 3) A wider picture of the problem or issue can be obtained. 4) The atmosphere within the team is more open. 5) The team tends to share responsibility for the problem and its outcome. 6) The implementation process is facilitated by the fact that staff shared in the decision-making process.