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Brainstorming is a powerful tool used by teams and businesses around the world. Many business teachers and seminar leaders are teaching using brainstorming techniques. The following are some activities that either trainers or teachers can use to help lead their participants in more productive brainstorming sessions.


The concept was first introduced by Alex Osborne in the 1930s. It is a tool for generating ideas. It is an activity in which all members of a group (whether it be a work team, classroom, committee, etc.) contribute to a list of problems to be solved or solutions to a problem. Brainstorming helps get a lot of ideas into discussion in a short amount of time. Brainstorming may look unstructured, but to be effective, there should be some ground rules. These can include:

- Set a time limit on the brainstorming session.

- Don't let participants get sidetracked. Now is not the time to critique ideas that are being suggested.

- Be sure that everyone speaks freely.

- Be sure everyone contributes.

- Let the participants, not the leader, do the talking.

Elaine Beich, in The ASTD Trainer's Sourcebook: Creativity & Innovation suggests these similar rules:
1. Suspend judgement.
2. Encourage freewheeling
3. Quantity is wanted.
4. Piggyback ideas onto other ideas.
5. Post all ideas as you go.
6. Ask for clarification, but avoid questions such as ¡§how¡¨ and ¡§why.¡¨
7. Allow enough time.
8. Encourage playfulness and humor.
9. Assign a facilitator and a recorder.