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Brainstorming: Procedures and Rules of the Game

Brainstorming is an exercise in lateral thinking, or thinking "out of the box". It is resorted to in a situation that demands innovative and creative solutions. It is most successful when conducted with a group of people from different backgrounds, as each mind visualises a different solution, having a differing approach to a problem or situation.

Prior to a scheduled brainstorming session, it is preferable that the problem or scenario are properly described to the proposed participants, so that the problem is already in focus in the back-burner of the brain. At the commencement of the session too, it is necessary to describe the problem in detail, and time should be allotted for focussed individual thought processes to come to the fore. Each and every participant should be asked to come up with as many ideas/concepts as possible for the potential solutions, without dissecting and over-analysing at the outset.

The co-ordinator should ensure that every idea is heard and understood, and noted down, however ridiculous it may initially sound. Many highly creative solutions have been arrived at by studying some of the most ridiculous sounding ideas! After the initial round of listening to and noting down ideas is completed, participants should break for refreshments and chatting in teams/groups should be encouraged for awhile. This is the time when ideas take root and grow into feasible concepts, while being laughed at, analysed and criticised.

When the group re-gathers, each idea should be critically appraised and analysed. Some ideas may find themselves getting further processed by tying up with other ideas thrown up in the discussion, other ideas may call for further study and inputs/analysis, and some may be outright rejected after feasibility studies.

Brainstorming is a serious, yet refreshing exercise for the mind, and is a real churner of innovative and highly creative solutions to various problems ranging from management methods to architectural design, fashion design, and a range of creative and otherwise mundane activity. And all from the regular pack of people who would think themselves incapable of such innovation!