Have you ever wondered how renowned authors start out? Regardless of the genre in which writers write, creativity is the key to their success. Many people have successful jobs as a result of their unorthodox work methods. Brainstorming is a crucial aspect of the creative process since it allows you to mix different ideas to come up with new ones.
This article offers a variety of approaches and ideas to help you think more creatively. Step-by-step instructions on how to participate in a brainstorming session may be found here. We’ve also included a list of the best free applications to help you succeed.
What Is a Brainstorming Session?
Brainstorming is a technique for coming up with innovative solutions to difficult problems. Identifying the problem is the first stage in the brainstorming process. The following step is to come up with as many solutions as possible, no matter how crazy or bizarre they may seem. Finally, the solutions that give the most innovative solution to the problem are chosen and implemented.
The phrase “brainstorm” was coined in the nineteenth century to describe a mental disorder. A similar phrase was developed for a different purpose a century later, in the 1940s. Alex Osborn, an advertising professional, devised a method to help in idea generation. He referred to it as “brainstorming.” Some corporate leaders thought the phrase had medical implications and might be insulting. Different names were offered, such as “cloud bursting” and “thought shower,” but none of them caught on.
How Can Brainstorming Help Me Write Better?
Our culture has so conditioned our minds that thinking outside the box gets increasingly difficult as we grow older.
If you’re a writer, brainstorming is the most effective approach you can take. It puts a stop to self-criticism and conventional thinking. Keep note of your thoughts with a voice recorder or a pen and paper. Don’t pass judgement on your ideas, whether they’re good or negative. Simply keep track of the flow of thoughts.
Writing is divided into six stages. You begin by brainstorming subject ideas. The next step is to plan your job, construct an outline, and brainstorm content ideas. After this stage, you are likely to have writer’s block. This is the most difficult part, but after you get through it, you’ll be able to compose and finish your project. At each of these stages, brainstorming might be beneficial. You’ll discover 15 strategies to assist you during the writing process below.
“Writing is a creative endeavour, and brainstorming is an excellent tool for honing your abilities,” says Mr Jhonson, who is a professional Assignment Help USA and essay writing service provider.
Individual Idea Generation
Conventional thinking is regarded as the most productive form of thinking for a variety of reasons. However, in the case of creative occupations, this is frequently incorrect. Artists, authors, poets, and musicians are valued for their individuality. Individual brainstorming sessions have been shown to yield more meaningful findings than group brainstorming sessions. One explanation might be that while you work alone, you don’t have to worry about how people will react to your ideas. You are more creative and freer when you are alone.
Brainstorming in a group
With basic issues and broad ideas, the individual approach is more effective. When a complicated problem is at hand, though, group brainstorming is ideal. Complex situations need involvement from a wide range of people. A manager’s viewpoint, for example, is merely a tiny portion of the brainstorming session during audit planning. Each employee should be given the opportunity to suggest alternative solutions.
Techniques for Brainstorming at Every Stage of the Writing Process
Some themes are so tough to write about that you might spend hours attempting to come up with something unique. Complicated philosophical writings might be difficult to write. A topic may present an overwhelming number of options for completing an assignment, yet none of them appears to be acceptable. A solid brainstorming session is generally the first stop on your route to success in all of these instances.
Stage 1: Coming up with Topic Ideas
It would help if you first decided on a topic before you began writing. This choice will limit the scope of your study. Here are five methods to assist you.
Brainstorming groups, this brainstorming game works great. For example, your teacher may give you the assignment to write an essay about internet addiction. Her ideal situation is for no one in the class to have the same topic as her.
The first student writes three subject ideas on a piece of paper and gives them to the next student.
The second person adds three more subjects to the list once the first three have been exhausted.
The procedure is repeated until all of the students in the class have contributed three new subjects to the list.
Allow three to five minutes for each participant. If necessary, make multiple rounds around the group.
Once you’ve finished, cross out any themes that are repeated or don’t apply.
Discuss the remaining topics with the brainstorming group members.
- Do some free writing
This approach is the most effective way to prevent ideas from being censored.
Make sure you have enough paper on hand (freewriting can take up a lot of space). Don’t consider what to write next, and don’t categorize your ideas as excellent or poor. The following are the sole requirements:
ü Use sentences and paragraphs while writing.
ü Continue to write. If you don’t have any fresh ideas, write something along the lines of “I am waiting for an idea, and it will come” as many times as you need until you do.
This exercise takes around 20 minutes, or you can keep going until you’re satisfied with the topic.
- Mindfulness
The overall goal of essay brainstorming is to de-stress and increase your mind’s functioning. What could be a more effective stress reliever than meditation? This method has been shown to improve sleep quality, attention, and even academic achievement.
It also assists authors in locating the information they want. They remove distracting ideas and focus on what is important when meditating.
- The criminal strategy
This approach is ideal for coming up with a title for your piece of writing. Look for around fifteen pieces that are comparable to the one you’re writing. Examine the benefits and drawbacks of their job titles. Then, using the best bits, create your own unique title. Voila!
“Good artists copy. Great artists steal,” said the wise Pablo, a part-time Essay Help and essay writing help service provider.
- The challenge of the worst idea
When all else has failed, try this. Make a list of the worst topic ideas you can come up with. You’ll be shocked to learn that some of them aren’t as awful as you first imagined. Our brains are wired towards a common knowledge and critical thinking, which are the opposite of what you need while attempting to be creative.
Stage 2: Make a Work Plan
Congratulations on coming up with a list of subjects that are just what you need for your project! However, you must now select just one. At this point, you must decide how and where you will gather material for your article. SWOT analysis is an excellent tool for assisting you.
- Conduct a SWOT analysis
This method is commonly used to examine a company’s strengths and weaknesses, but it may also be used to evaluate ideas for creative reasons. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) are acronyms for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Compare and contrast your topic’s strengths and possibilities with its flaws and dangers to determine its viability. Choose a different topic if the latter exceeds the former.
Stage 3: Outlining
Both students and copywriters despise this step of the writing process. Even yet, when it comes time to write, you’ll be glad your outline is so well-organized and thorough. These two methods can make the pill more appealing.
- Idea mapping/clustering
Make a visual representation of all of your thoughts on the specified topic. This method is useful for determining the connections between issues, their sources, and their effects.
• In the middle of the document, write your primary concept or a suitable thesis statement.
• Make a list of similar concerns and draw a line linking them.
• Include any concerns, theories, or facts that are relevant to these topics.
• When you’re finished, you’ll have a thorough diagram to aid in the development of any argument related to your issue.
- Relationship between the topics
As a kid, did you play the word association game? This method will assist you in generating and structuring various ideas.
• Use single words or brief sentences.
• Begin with the central theme term and write sub-topics around it. They should have a general-to-specific relationship, rather than a cause-and-effect relationship, as in idea mapping.
• Create a second row of sub-sub-topics, and so on.
Stage 4: Developing Content Concepts
After you’ve completed your outline, you’ll need to create the small content details that form an engaging paper. Although all of the strategies listed above can aid in creating content ideas, there are a few brainstorming techniques that are particularly useful at this point.
- Brainstorming in reverse
This is a great tool for essays in which a solution to a problem is required. The brainstorming technique is reversed in this situation. Consider what could be causing or exacerbating the issue. It’s best if the repercussions are as bad as possible! Rep this process until you has come up with a total disaster. Then start thinking about ways to solve those issues.
- The Five Whys
This method will help you get to the bottom of any problem. Consider an issue, and then ask yourself why it occurred and put down your response. Then try to figure out what caused the last item you typed down. Rep the sequence five times more (or more, if needed).
• Why did the boat sink, for example? Because the engine failed.
• What went wrong with the engine? Why
• Why did it overheat in the first place? Etc.
- Role reversal
Although the approach is best used in a group, you can brainstorm on your own for writing reasons. Put yourself in the shoes of the individual whose issue is the focus of your paper. Consider the experiences that the afflicted children and their parents may have if the issue is child obesity. Take on the roles of victim, perpetrator, and bystander if it’s domestic violence. Empathy allows us to perceive the same scenario from several perspectives.
- Figure storming (an excellent idea for a historical project)
Select a historical or fictitious character whose life, activities, and perspectives you are familiar with. Assume you’re Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, or Thomas Edison, and someone has asked you for advice on how to solve an issue. What advice would you give as a brilliant thinker? We are frequently lacking in clarity and boldness. Allow these (and many more, owing to our long history) figures to aid you. - Be sceptical of everything.
The technique’s name is self-explanatory; however, the following example will help you understand it better. You’ll come up with new ideas if you question every element of the issue you’re talking about.
Are there any advantages to online education? What is the definition of online education? Who gives a damn about the issues with online education? Is the subject really worth thinking about?
- Advantages and disadvantages (excellent for argumentative and persuasive texts)
You probably don’t realize it, but you utilize this approach on a daily basis. Before making a purchase, you consider its worth and price. When you are given an interesting job before graduation, you ponder whether to continue in college or quit. Make a list of the possibilities (they can be more than two). Make a list of their strong and weak areas after that. It will assist you in deciding which side of an argument to support in an argumentative composition.
Stage 5: Getting Past Writer’s Block
The anxiety of a blank page is universal. It might be tough to start writing even if you have a plan and a list of fresh ideas. Perfectionists have a common problem in that they want everything to be flawless from the start.
Use free storming to get through this stumbling obstacle.
- Unrestricted brainstorming
Free storming is related to freewriting, which was covered in the section on subject generation. The difference is that with free storming, you don’t have to set a time restriction for yourself. Allow yourself as much time as you need to write whatever comes to mind on the topic. You are no longer restricted to subject generation, so you can make the brainstorming process more enjoyable.
Composing
All of the approaches mentioned above are likely to have created so many ideas that you’ll have to pick and select which ones to include in your writing. Another difficulty you may be facing right now is choosing the appropriate phrases. The approach outlined below will be useful in this situation.
- Word banks.
Make a list of five to ten of the most popular terms in your content to prevent repeating yourself. Find synonyms and utilize them throughout your work to provide variety to your writing.
6 Steps: To a Successful Brainstorming Session
The greatest way to find a creative or strategic answer is to brainstorm. It enables a group of individuals to gather a large number of ideas in a short period. However, if the adequate structure is not in place, this potential for collaboration can be used by a few leaders while the others remain silent. To ensure that the game is fair and beneficial to all participants, everyone should be aware of and follow the rules.
Step 1: Demonstrate the Particular Issue
The person in charge of the session should make certain that all of the participants understand the job. A few examples are finding a solution to a problem, developing a new product or campaign, enhancing an existing solution, or establishing new research areas.
The steps below will assist you in avoiding any unpleasant issues:
- Ask for a simple, concise inquiry that encapsulates the entire issue.
- Define the parameters for brainstorming ideas. The session will be more productive as a result of these restrictions.
For instance, when must the research study be completed? What is the highest amount of money that can be put into the new product?
- Try to minimize the constraints to a bare minimum so you may consider a wider variety of options.
Step 2: Define the Context and Define the Terms
When a big group of individuals is working on a commercial initiative or a research endeavour, knowledge distribution is generally unequal, with the leaders knowing more than the others. If this disparity is narrowed, it will benefit everyone. These questions will assist you in balancing the knowledge of all members:
- What are the parties’ understandings of the situation?
- What more do they need to know in order to think productively?
- What are the main phrases that everyone should be familiar with?
Step 3: Select a Moderator
Each member must understand the fundamental rule: criticism and scepticism are not permitted. The players must let their imaginations run wild. They must take up and develop one other’s ideas, adding their insights to the mix. The facilitator is in charge of keeping track of these “formalities”:
- They make certain that everyone contributes.
- They keep the session from being dominated by anyone.
- They maintain the participants’ attention.
- They don’t come up with ideas; instead, they mix them to keep the meeting moving.
Step 4: Gather the Appropriate Individuals
Be advised that the presence of some individuals may jeopardize the session. People who are equally involved in the problem question are required for effective brainstorming. These guidelines can help you avoid a disaster during your session:
- Make a group of three to eight people.
- Ascertain that some of them are specialists. They’ll examine each suggestion for feasibility.
- The rest of the group should be non-experts (i.e., workers or researchers from a neighbouring domain). Experts’ expertise limits them, making it difficult for them to think beyond the box. Non-experts will pose ridiculous questions that need creative thinking.
- Choose members from a variety of backgrounds, ages, and cultures. Your goal is to be diverse!
Step 5: Create a Session Plan
It’s a good idea to create a group hand-out for this stage. The following is a suggested schedule:
• 20 minutes to define the problem, its constraints, context, and definitions;
• 30 minutes to brainstorm possibilities and new ideas.
• 20 minutes to sift and discuss the brainstorming findings; and
• 10 minutes to conclude the session.
Step 6: Finish the Session
For effective brainstorming, there are a variety of activities, games, and strategies. Many of these have already been mentioned. However, if you want it to be quick and easy, follow these steps:
- The facilitator distributes sticky notes to each participant.
- They jot down their thoughts.
- These documents are arranged conveniently for anyone to see (a table or whiteboard).
- The facilitator divides them into different groups.
- Any fresh ideas should be written down on supplementary notes.
- The members vote on which ideas are the best and set them aside.
- the most creative solutions should be given special consideration.
- The facilitator explains the findings and calls the meeting to a close.
Brainstorming is a challenging process in which a group of individuals with varying backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise come together to create something new. We hope that our suggestions and guidance will help you become a more creative writer and team participant. If you’ve ever been a part of or led a brainstorming session, please share your experience in the comments section below.
About Author:
Jake Thomson is a contributing writer to LiveWebTutors. He is a podcaster, style coach and has been a blogger and a professional blogger writing about educational skills, personal development, and motivation since 2010. He has her blogging website and well-established blog. LiveWebTutors operate a team of experts and qualified professionals who will provide high-quality Proofreading Editing Services.
