Brainstorming web
One of the greatest ways to organize lateral thinking in your company is to use a brainstorming web. Many people set out to brainstorm without realizing that a web is the best method for the facilitation of creative ideas. If you are leading or participating in brainstorming sessions, you’ll definitely want to implement this technique.
If you try to brainstorm without a method of organization, you’re likely to have trouble doing any problem solving. In fact, in might even lead to more problems if no one is sure of the creative ideas that are out there. There could be a brilliant idea floating around, but if no one can see it for the clutter of ideas it will be lost forever.
A brainstorming web is not a new innovation, just a great way of thinking about and organizing problems and problem solving. Mind mapping usually begins by placing the problem or topic in a center bubble. Then, ideas are placed in bubbles with spokes coming from the center. From there you can also include ideas that are related to those ideas until it looks like a spider web.
There are many different ways that you can create a brainstorming web. One way to is to draw it on a chalkboard. This allows for everyone to see it so that more ideas can be added and fleshed out. However, the chalkboard will need to be erased at some point so that might not be the best option if the web is something you’ll need to refer to at a later date.
Another suggestion is to use a piece of large chart paper. Remember, this must be large enough for everyone to see. This is a nice method because you can keep the brainstorming web for as long as you need to. However, it can be very difficult to draw and write neatly and consistently using this method.
Some like to do their brainstorming webs on an overhead projector. You can print off a template of a web so that everything is even and easy to see. The projector will make it large so you don’t need to worry about the size of that. This method can still be a bit difficult because the transparency sheet is quite small and it might be tough to fit all of your ideas into it.
Many companies settle on getting software that accommodates brainstorming webs. This is a truly great solution because it does part of the work for you and organizes everything in a neat fashion. The web can even be printed out for everyone to have a copy!
No matter which method you choose, you can’t go wrong when you implement a brainstorming web. You’ll be amazed at how much better your brainstorming sessions go overall. Soon, those “out of the box” strategies you come up with will lead you to success in no time at all.
