Group Brainstorming Tools and Exercises

Brainstorming is a tool that can maximize creative thinking by solving a design problem, naming a product, or developing a business idea…The process works like this:

1. Select a group of people of different types, experiences, and knowledge.
2. Bring them together in a relaxed setting where you will not be interrupted.
3. Engage in some fun exercises such as coming up with ideas to improve a business everyone knows. This will get their creative juices flowing.
4. Establish a rule that no one can express negative judgments about any one else’s idea.
5. Give the group a question such as, “I want to start a seafood restaurant in town. What qualities would make it successful?”
6. Designate someone who can write quickly to list on easel pads all the ideas so everyone can refer back to them.
7. Have people work individually several times during the brainstorming session to write down their ideas and report them back to the group.
8. After the brainstorming session, go through the list and select the best and most realistic ideas.

Brainstorming can be used to develop an idea from scratch, to refine an idea, or generate a strategy to vie with a competitor.
A variation of brainstorming is “rolestorming” in which each member of the group is assigned an identity and asked to come up with ideas from that person’s point of view. For example, the roles of customers, suppliers, or competitors can be used, or fictional characters, such as the superheros Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman.

Edward Rogoff
Bankable Business Plans
Newton Business Programs
How to Write a Bankable Business Plan
Creating Financial Models
Follow Me On Twitter

Tags: brainstorming, business plan, business plan competitions, business plan examples, business plan samples, business plan writing, entrepreneur, financing, small business, start up, venture capital, winning business plans