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1. Brainstorming - Creative
Problem Solving Method
Halka Baláčková, MBA
Masaryk Institute of Advanced Studies,
Czech Technical University in Prague
www.muvs.cvut.cz
e-mail: hbalackova@volny.cz
UNIDO – Technology Foresight for Practicioners – Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague

2. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
Session objectives
 What is brainstorming
 Why and when use it
 How to organise and lead a successful
brainstorming session
 What mistakes are to be avoided
 Additional creative problem solving
methods

3. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
What is brainstorming
„The best way how to have a good idea is
to have many ideas“
 Alex F. Osborne, 1939
 method of thinking up solutions, concepts,
ideas in problem solving
 using the brain to storm new ideas in groups
 „It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think
up a new one.“

4. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
Why and When Use It
 the creative process is not always easy (problems
of fear, criticism, no existing solutions yet)
 one person has a limited capacity
 people tend to judge new ideas immediately (a
change is difficult for a human being)
Creative thinking require
appropriate tools !

5. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
How does it work
 in a group of people
 free associations to the topic given
 relaxed and friendly atmosphere
 deferred judgements – release the human
mind, lateral thinking
As many ideas as possible, no
matter how crazy they are

6. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
The key rules
1. relaxed atmosphere - completely free
2. no criticism or judgements
3. quantity matters
4. all ideas legitimate
5. all ideas put on the sheet of paper
6. evaluation only after the session

7. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
BENEFITS of brainstorming

8. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
Why and When Use It
Specific questions:
- How can we promote our products?
- What can our company do in 5 years hence?
- What can we do to solve the problem XY?
- How can we improve co-operation of A and B?
- What do our customers really want?
- What opportunities do we have this year?
- How can we have more fun at work?

9. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
 does not rank the ideas
 cannot help you select the important
ones
 does not suggest the best solutions
 must be amended by other
methods
BRAINSTORMING CONSTRAINTS

10. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
Organising a session?
1. PREPARATION PHASE
2. CONDUCT THE
SESSION
3. EVALUATION

11. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
1. PREPARATION PHASE
Specify the problem
What do we really want?
Select the right people
up to 10 – 12
different positions
Decide when and where
place and time matters
„U“ layout of the room
Invite people
make sure they
have time

12. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
1. Specify the objectives – make sure that everybody is happy
with the central question.
2. Decide the roles: - leader, recorder, panel.
3. Explain the rules (or make sure that everybody knows them.
Eventually – a warm-up exercise for fun). You can let people to
jot down a few ideas before starting.
4. Begin by going around, after some rounds, open the floor.
5. Record the ideas exactly, clarify only in the end.
6. Suspend judgements !
7. Encourage the ideas, even the most radical and far-fetched.
Allow the late coming ideas, do not hurry.
8. At the end – eliminate duplicates, clarify, thank the participants.
2. CONDUCT THE SESSION

13. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
3. EVALUATION PHASE
Put the evaluation off / next day
Add newly born ideas to the list
Group similar ideas together
Select the best or most interesting
suggestions
Create teams which will work on
them further
Inform people about the results

14. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
Mistakes to be avoided
 people are
negative in
advance (it will not
work anyway)
 too many
brainstormings in
the company
 bad atmosphere
in the beginning
 bad experience
with the method
 judgements occur
during the session
 any criticism and
personal attacks

15. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
Additional creative
problem-solving methods
INDIVIDUAL BRAINWRITING
COLOURFUL CARDS
MIND MAPS

16. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
INDIVIDUAL BRAINWRITING
When?
- When you need to solve some problem alone, and
you do not have a group to work with
How?
- A piece of paper (can be big and colourful to stimulate
your thinking).
- Jot down all ideas linked with the issue.
- !! Do not judge yourself !!
- further steps as in brainstorming

17. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
COLOURFUL CARDS
When?
- in a group of people, sensitive topic (eg. What do we like / dislike
about our managers, company?)
How?
- a set of papers / person (smaller pieces, A4/3 or 3M), colours as
needed, for example yellow and green
- people individually note their opinions on the cards, one idea
per card, yellow – positive, green – negative
- glue the cards on the flip chart, grouping immediately similar
opinions together, negative on the left, positive on the right
- let people see and discuss the result
- brainstorming on What can we do about it? can follow

18. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
MIND MAPS*
linear form
WHAT is it?
- alternative way of making notes and mapping any issue
- many well-known thinkers used some form of it
(Leonardo da Vinci)
- does not use linear form of notes, but EXPLOSIVE
- using colours, pictures and symbols
WHY?
- uses natural brain processes
- stimulate thinking, fun, joy
explosive
form
* eg. Tony Buzan, The Creative Intelligence

19. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
PRAGUE
How to use MIND MAPS
history
culture
transport
capital city
restaurants
and good food
architecture

20. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
When to use MIND MAPS
 to make a daily schedule
 notes of the lesson, books, articles
 holiday planning
 shopping list
 to do list
 every day, as often as possible, be creative,
develop your own style with time, have fun
 also in groups after brainstorming session

21. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
SUMMARY
 creativity is not born by itself
 creative methods must be consciously
introduced and developed in organisations
 people must be encouraged to use them,
with no fear to make mistakes, prized for new
ideas
 support from top management needed
 good preparation and patience
Have fun and all the best !

22. UNIDO - Technology Foresight for Practitioners - Training course, 6-10 October 2003, Prague
MUVS
CVUT
Prague
End of Presentation
 Thanks for
attention –
questions welcome