The leader should have the stopwatch, clock with a second hand, or three-minute timer and paper and pencil for tabulating responses. The leader selects someone or asks a volunteer to be first to respond when the brainstorming begins. Before introducing the topic, the leader must also establish in which direction the brainstorming will proceed: clockwise or counter-clockwise. When participants are quiet, comfortable, and eager to begin, the leader announces the subject, pauses, and then repeats it. It is important to make sure everyone understands the topic. The group then takes one minute to think silently and “stock-pile” ideas. Participants may not laugh, share ideas or talk about other things during this time, nor may they write ideas on paper.

Brainstorming begins immediately after the one-minute thinking time has expired. The leader may not encourage or comment about any response except to let an individual know his or her response is the same as one already given or the response is not related to the topic and, therefore, unacceptable. No participant may skip a turn: if a participant does not have a response immediately, the group must wait quietly without comment or suggestion. During brainstorming, the leader keeps an accurate count of responses. Remember, all responses are acceptable as long as they are relevant to the subject.

When the three-minute brainstorming time is up, respondents may share additional relevant ideas that they
did not get to share because time ran out. In this relaxed atmosphere, right after brainstorming, the leader may want to point out unusual responses given during the session. The leader should tabulate responses and share the total with the group. I recommend noting dates and totals in the space provided next to topics as a way to assess progress in an individual or group and to keep track of topics that have been used.

Brainstorming is mentally challenging and involves a very short period of time. With practice, individuals will learn to make their responses brief and concise. However, if the subject is difficult and the total number of responses is not as high as anticipated, the leader should remind the group to use the thinking time and listen carefully to the stated ideas of others, as someone else’s idea may trigger a thought. Building on other’s ideas is called piggybacking. In piggybacking, one individual’s idea prompts someone else to think of a related idea. It is a very effective method of developing additional responses. The leader should always close the session with encouraging words, possibly telling participants the type of brainstorming they will do the next time they meet. Varying the type of brainstorming, such as changing to one-minute topics or having one group compete against another, will stimulate and maintain enthusiasm.

Brainstorming Topics

• Level I and Level II Topics: Appropriate for beginner brainstormers, the Level I list includes general subjects that lend themselves to many simple responses. They provide beginners with opportunities to learn the basic techniques of thinking, listening, and responding. Because an abundance of responses is possible with these topics, beginners feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Thus, individuals develop confidence before moving on to topics and techniques that are more difficult. Level II topics are ideal for more experienced brainstormers. Responding to these topics requires more maturity, thought, and creativity.
  
• Sentence Completion: Items in this list require the leader to state the subject by presenting the first several words of a sentence. One minute of thinking time follows. Participants then complete the sentence in a serious or humorous way using as few words as possible.
  
• Alphabet Lists:
  Procedure 1: The leader selects a three-letter word.Thinking time is not provided because participants cannot plan ahead in this type of brainstorming. Each person, in turn, must say a three-letter word that begins with the last letter of the word spoken before him or her. This variation is a challenging but refreshing change. Example: Starting with the word pen, the next person must say a three-letter word that begins with n, the last letter of pen. Suppose she says net. The next person must state a three-letter word that begins with t.
  Procedure 2: In this variation, responses must be in alphabetical order. This approach may take considerablylonger than the usual three minutes. It is OK to allow participants more time to make it to the end of the alphabet. Example: If the topic is cities, the responses might beAtlanta, Buffalo, Chicago, Denver, etc. A person may elect to pass and not respond, but she then must remove herself from the group. The next player must then state the name of a city that starts with the letter the
  previous player defaulted on. The last personleft is the winner.
  
• Creative and Humorous: These topics provide some humorous relief when brainstorming session have been very serious.
  
• Situations: Situation topics provide a very creative approach to brainstorming for the more experienced brainstormer. Participants respond to particular “what if” situations, describing what would happen, what they would do, their environment etc.
  
• Where in the World: Topics in this section encourage brainstormers to think globally. Given the topic, participants respond with locations where the stated object may be found. Example: Where in the world might you find a quarter? Responses: coat pocket, floor of the car, vending machine, lunch box, cash register, pregame coin toss, microscopic study of germs, restaurant table (as a tip), magic show, laundromat, on a measuring cup . . .
  
• One-Minute Topics: This variation helps participants develop thinking and organizational skills as well as public speaking techniques. The leader may reproduce these pages and cut the topics apart along the dotted lines. Place the topics word side down in a container prior to beginning this brainstorming session. In turn, each participant picks one topic from the container. Participants may not trade topics nor draw another one. He or she has 20 seconds to prepare for a one-minute talk. (The leader keeps time.) Participants may not repeat information during the talk nor can they pause for more than eight seconds. The talk must be relevant to the subject. Experienced brainstormers may wish to receive a ten second signal to let them know their time is almost up so that they can conclude with an organized summary.

© 2006, Creative Learning Press, Inc. 

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