Personal Brainstorming Method
Brainstorming is an effective method for individuals to generate ideas and enhance their creative thinking ability. It is often used in a group setting, but individuals can benefit greatly from the process by applying the same technique on their own.
Step One: Gather the Materials
To begin your personal brainstorming session, begin by gathering all the supplies you’ll need. You will need a large piece of paper or poster board, scissors, markers and other art supplies, as well as access to outside sources of information, such as the internet or books.
Step Two: Articulate the Problem
Once you have all the necessary materials, go ahead and articulate the problem or challenge you are looking to tackle. Write it down on the large piece of paper or poster board, and be as specific as possible.
Step Three: Generate Possibilities
Now, start brainstorming and writing down as many possibilities or solutions to the challenge as you can think of. Do not censor yourself or try to evaluate the ideas just yet; the goal is to generate as many worthwhile ideas as possible.
Step Four: Evaluate the Ideas
Once you have generated a healthy list of possible solutions, go back and evaluate each of them. Ask yourself questions like “Will this solution fit the challenge?” and “Is this the most efficient way to solve the problem?” This way, you can sift through the ideas and narrow down the ones that look the most promising.
Step Five: Refine Your Solution
Once you have chosen the best idea, start to refine it. Look for weaknesses or places where the solution could be improved, and then set to work on implementing these changes.
Step Six: Test Your Solution
Now it’s time to see if your solution works. You can do this by using an experimental approach, where you prepare a few different versions of your solution and see which one is the most successful. Alternatively, you can simulate a real-world situation and monitor your performance under some pressure.
Step Seven: Evaluate and Reflect
Once you have tested your solution, go back and evaluate the results. This is also a good time to reflect on your entire brainstorming session and consider how you can use this process to tackle different challenges in the future.
Personal brainstorming is a highly effective tool for individuals to hone their creative thinking and problem-solving abilities. By gathering the necessary materials, articulating the problem, generating possibilities, evaluating the ideas, refining the solution, testing the solution and evaluating & reflecting on the results, individuals can make great strides towards mastering the art of brainstorming.
