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Brainstorming: 10 Examples, Techniques,

and Benefits
Written by Chris Drew (PhD)
| May 29, 2024

Brainstorming is the divergent thinking process of gathering a large number of

ideas in a short amount of time, which you will parse and improve upon in future
steps.

Commonly, it takes place on a piece of paper or large board where you can visually dump
your ideas. However, it can also occur in your mind. It may also be either done
individually or in groups (Al-Samarraie & Hurmuzan, 2018).

Contents show
Definition of Brainstorming

The word brainstorming was first coined in the 1940s by advertising executive Alex
F. Osbornn (Paulus & Kenworthy, 2019).

Osborn defined it as a way to generate a large number of ideas in a short amount of time
without any criticism or judgement.

Importantly, brainstorming is about generating as many ideas as possible in order to help

push through a plateau or brain block. Ideally, it will help bring out creativity and out-of-
the-box thinking in order to generate fresh and innovative ideas (Litchfield, 2008).

One of the key benefits of brainstorming is that it allows an individual or group to think
freely and suspend judgement of ideas.

This can lead to the creation and consideration of ideas that may not have been
considered otherwise. Even a seemingly useless idea may lead to a fruitful breakthrough.

History of Brainstorming

While the act of brainstorming has likely been used for thousands of years, the term
itself has its roots in the 1930s when Osborn, along with his colleagues at an
advertising agency, began using group creativity sessions to generate ideas for their
clients (Putman & Paulus, 2009).

With a new term coined, the concept became refined and made more explicit. Today, it
has become a popular tool used in both organizations and people’s personal lives to
generate new ideas and solve problems.

Popular ideas behind brainstorming have evolved over the years and brainstorming
strategies have been adapted to suit different situations, industries, and needs (Paulus &
Kenworthy, 2019).
For example, it can be used for anything from coming up with vacation ideas with your
family to coming up with new product lines for large multinational corporations.

Stages of Brainstorming
The brainstorming process typically involves three stages: preparation, ideation, and
evaluation (Paulus & Kenworthy, 2019).

 Preparation: The focus of the preparation stage should be on setting the rules,
structure, and culture around the session. It may, for example, encourage team
members to come to the team with sufficient background knowledge, and ensure
all people in the group know the importance of creating a non-judgemental
environment.
 Ideation: The ideation stage involves sharing ideas which will be added to the
brainstorming notes, such as on a flipboard or shared screen during a group video
call (Litchfield, 2008). This is where the actual idea generation takes place.
Participants are encouraged to share their ideas knowing that there is ‘no silly
idea’ at this point in time.
 Evaluation: With a wide range of ideas collected, the group needs to categorize,
review, and select the most promising ideas. This may involve drawing
connections between ideas, merging ideas together, and finding identifying
problems with certain ideas. At this stage, it’s important to ensure the chosen ideas
have alignment with the objective.
10 Examples of Brainstorming
Below are some possible situations in which brainstorming can be highly effective.

Example 1: Product Development

Brainstorming can be used to generate new product ideas or improve upon existing ones.
For example, a team of designers, engineers, and marketers could brainstorm ideas for a
new smartphone that incorporates cutting-edge technology and features. Importantly, the
team should be composed of product market experts and, ideally, people with prior
knowledge about issues with the current product iteration, consumer feedback, and gaps
in the marketplace.

Example 2: Marketing Campaigns

Brainstorming is common in marketing and advertising, and in fact, the term was coined
by a marketing professional.
Generally, this session would involve bringing together a team of creatives with good
knowledge of the market as well as cutting-edge marketing techniques in order to come
up with a campaign idea. For example, a team of marketers could brainstorm ideas for a
new social media campaign that leverages the power of influencers to reach the audience.

Example 3: Brainstorming for a Novel

Brainstorming can be an excellent approach to improve writing techniques,

especially when writing a novel.

In this situation, I would gather some fellow writers or personal tutors who have
experience developing plots, characters and themes and go over the things that could
work better in your novel.

By analyzing my plot structure and understanding my character’s traits based on their

backstory, I could get valuable insight into how to make the story more engaging.

Example 4: Brainstorming for Business Strategic Plans

Brainstorming is an excellent way to devise strategic plans for higher-level business

development.

It helps you visualize how your business may look like in the future while allowing
feedback from team members involved in the development process to obtain insights
from all departments.

A team of executives may get together around a single table with reports and data sheets
explaining different growth areas of the company.

Example 5: Brainstorming New Classroom Ideas

Brainstorming is one of the best ways for teachers to develop new ideas for
curriculum building and lesson planning.

Teachers should consider mingling with colleagues who have years teaching experience
engaging students around different scenarios shaping them towards positive cognitive
outcomes.

Example 6: Brainstorming Home Decor Projects

When renovating a home, brainstorming can help skyrocket creativity while
considering factors like budget, style, and functionality.

Collaborating with an interior designer or friends who have taste in home decor and DIY
projects can be useful in generating interesting ideas that match the requirements of the
homeowner.

Example 7: Brainstorming for Event Planning

Brainstorming is an essential tool when it comes to event planning as it helps to

identify key themes, vendors, catering, and decoration ideas.

The best part of brainstorming is involving event planners together with their clients in a
room or a virtual hangout session to discuss their vision for the occasion and generate
ideas in real-time.

Example 8: Brainstorming Personal Life Goals

Brainstorming can help you set achievable personal goals while shedding light on
your desires.

At times like these having a life coach might come in handy who can incorporate
exercises where you jot down all the things you desire either professionally or personally
such as traveling to other countries or buying a new house.

See Also: A List of 151 Goals for Life

Example 9: Brainstorming UX Designs

In the development of digital products such as web applications or mobile apps

brainstorming plays a key role.

Through group discussions between UX designers and developers they’ll emphasize

ways of enhancing user experience by identifying areas where previous iterations had no
success.

Example 10: Brainstorming Career Choices

Brainstorming can help young people finishing high school to create a roadmap
towards the best career for them.
At this time of life, people usually don’t have a clear idea of the job they will do, but they
may have a clear idea of what they are good at, what they enjoy doing, and the general
direction they want to go (white collar, blue collar, etc.).

The process of deciding what to do may involve seeking out mentors or attending career
fairs where people can offer guidance and support.

Techniques for Effective Brainstorming

There are several techniques that can be used to enhance the effectiveness of
brainstorming sessions (Al-Samarraie & Hurmuzan, 2018). Generally, this
involves putting in place clear group norms, including:

 Encouraging all participants to share their ideas

 Avoiding criticism and judgement
 Using visual aids to stimulate creativity
 Building on others’ ideas
 Combining ideas to create new solutions
 Setting a time limit to encourage rapid idea generation
Benefits of Brainstorming
The benefits of brainstorming are numerous. It can help people and organizations
generate new ideas, solve complex problems, and make better decisions.

In the workplace, it can also improve team morale and strengthen team cohesion. By
engaging individuals in idea generation, companies can create a culture of innovation and
creativity.

1. Innovation

Firstly, brainstorming plays a significant role in boosting innovation (Litchfield,

2008).

When we sit together and come up with different creative ideas, we tend to approach
situations with new perspectives that we often overlook alone. Sometimes our minds can
only go so far when left to its devices!

The act of bouncing thoughts off one another elevates creativity tremendously.
Brainstorming as a group often produces new solutions that wouldn’t have surfaced
otherwise (Al-Samarraie & Hurmuzan, 2018).
2. Problem Solving

Secondly, brainstorming is incredibly beneficial for problem-solving.

While we all face challenges in life, brainstorming can act as a beneficial tool for
addressing and overcoming those issues.

When faced with a problem, having multiple people collaborate during the decision-
making process leads to better outcomes than relying solely on one person’s point of
view (Litchfield, 2008).

In addition, when each member contributes equally unique views and suggestions about
possible solutions without dismissing others’ input or ideas, new strategies can arise
which become successful approaches (Paulus & Kenworthy, 2019).

3. Team Morale and Cohesion

A side-effect of brainstorming as a group is that it can make a stronger group

dynamic. Its key principles include inclusion, open-mindedness, and working
together.

Coincidentally, this can also make work much more enjoyable!

Collaborating as a team creates cohesiveness within the company culture because all
persons contribute towards achieving mutual goals rather than accomplishing solo
achievements only related to their title or job description (Paulus & Kenworthy, 2019).

Support from team members through both triumphs and failures can increase mutual
respect among colleagues for each other while creating social bonds.

4. Culture of Innovation

Lastly, creating a culture of innovation becomes achievable when utilizing

brainstorming tasks regularly within the company environment.

Brainstorming can lead to creative solutions that would not be possible without the open-
minded, free-flowing brainstorming process (Paulus & Kenworthy, 2019).

Challenges of Brainstorming
While brainstorming can be a highly effective tool for generating ideas and solutions, it is
not without its challenges. Some common challenges include:

 Groupthink: where individuals conform to the group’s opinions and ideas

(Putman & Paulus, 2009). This may happen if one dominant person leads the
brainstorming session in a particular direction.
 Unequal Participation: some participants may dominate the discussion while
others are minimally involved. Less experienced or peripheral members of the
group may be pushed aside.
 Lack of Focus: a brainstorming session can become unfocused and start to lack
direction. While creativity and open-mindedness is useful, the session may also
drift away from its original goals and end up failing to be fit for purpose.
 Criticism and Judgement: depending on the group culture, ideas may be
criticized or judged prematurely, which can undermine the purpose of
brainstorming. This is where positive workplace culture is highly important
(Litchfield, 2008).
 Not conducive to Convergent Thinking: brainstorming is a type of divergent
thinking, where people try to come up with multiple solutions to one problem.
This is only useful at certain times (Putman & Paulus, 2009). Often, we need to do
the opposite: come up with one solution by bringing together multiple pre-
determined answers.
Sometimes, it can be beneficial for individuals to brainstorm on their own before coming
together to share their ideas as a group (in education, we call this the think-pair-share
method).

Conclusion
Brainstorming is a powerful tool that can be used to generate new ideas, solve complex
problems, and make better decisions. By understanding the process, techniques, and
benefits of brainstorming, individuals and organizations can unlock their creative
potential and drive innovation and growth. While it is not without its challenges, careful
planning, facilitation, and participation can help avoid these pitfalls and lead to successful
and productive brainstorming sessions.

References
Al-Samarraie, H., & Hurmuzan, S. (2018). A review of brainstorming techniques in
higher education. Thinking Skills and creativity, 27, 78-91.

Litchfield, R. C. (2008). Brainstorming reconsidered: A goal-based view. Academy of

Management Review, 33(3), 649-668.
Putman, V. L., & Paulus, P. B. (2009). Brainstorming, brainstorming rules and decision
making. The Journal of creative behavior, 43(1), 29-40.

Paulus, P. B., & Kenworthy, J. B. (2019). Effective brainstorming. The Oxford handbook
of group creativity and innovation, 287-386.

Paulus, P. B., Kohn, N. W., & Arditti, L. E. (2011). Effects of quantity and quality
instructions on brainstorming. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 45(1), 38-46.

September 26, 2023 at 8:29 am

Chris Drew (PhD)

October 3, 2023 at 10:29 pm

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Cohesion refers to the unity of multiple things. If those things are cohesive, they fit and
work well together, making sense as a unified whole. We can use this term to refer to
the unity of people within a group, the unity of ideas in a text, or even the unity of
elements in chemistry: