Brainstorming Tools
A great way to come up with great ideas is to have a brainstorming session. There are a lot of brainstorming tools that can help you. Make sure you follow the basics which include the freedom of any idea and the absence of judgment or insults. But in order for you to get the most out of your session, introduce these following tools to them - they will be learning the best in lateral thinking problem solving.
Overcoming Assumptions
We all have assumptions that something should be the way it is, a problem should be solved a certain way, etc…assumptions seem to control the outcome of a situation before we have ever really put it to the test. One of the greatest brainstorming tools is to Challenge the Assumptions. Have you ever sat down and started wondering about things around you? Maybe you were at a restaurant, sitting at a table, and you start to wonder about things. “What if the table were to hang from the ceiling instead of sitting on the floor?” “Wouldn’t it be easier to mop the floors if all the tables were suspended?”
Kaizen
The next tool is the practice of “Kaizen”. This is what has brought quality and efficiency to the Japanese industry. They believe that most large problems are a bunch of little problems put in one pile. It can be less of a challenge to start with a small problem first. Kaizen is where there is continual innovation and improvement in the smaller ways. These small ways add up to something very big. When you have a big problem, start with all the components and make that your beginning.
Goal
What do you want to accomplish, what is the goal of the brainstorm session? Write it down, then find a different way to look at it and write it down that way as well. Write down every possible solution and idea that is offered.
Different Perspective
Step out of the box, take a look at from a different perspective. Imagine you are a wealthy businessman, or a poor villager from another country, or maybe an alien from another planet. (remember, anything goes!) Albert Einstein would imagine himself riding on a beam of light, and this how he came up with his theory of relativity. So when you want to say something negative, just remember, you will also be judging Einstein.
Now that you have some brainstorming tools, you are ready to go and fly with the ideas and come with some wonderful solutions and building a very creative staff at the same time.
