Getting the most out
of your idea sessions

Brainwriting enables everyone in the group to participate

By Angela Civitella

Previously published in WestmountMag.ca

Many of us have taken part in brainstorming sessions. These are commonly used to generate ideas and to come up with a creative solution to a problem.

What can often happen during a brainstorming session, however, is that key players on the team speak up and express their ideas. Everyone else then enters the discussion about those few ideas, and they reach a consensus on the solution – without considering many other ideas that could have been generated.

This can be one of the drawbacks of the brainstorming process. Some group members may not speak up because they’re shy, or are afraid that their suggestions may be rejected.

Others may say nothing because they fear their ideas are simply too outrageous or bold. People with stronger personality types may loudly push and defend their ideas, without listening to others’ suggestions. And “conservative” people may tend to propose only safe alternatives.

Some members of the group may not speak up because they’re shy, or are afraid that their suggestions may be rejected.

Brainstorming is a well-known technique for encouraging lateral thinking about problems. However, it’s not without its challenges. Enter brainwriting: a powerful alternative that addresses many of brainstorming’s shortcomings. This idea-generating process creates a non-threatening environment where every group member can actively contribute. By fostering inclusive participation, brainwriting often yields a greater number and diversity of potential solutions compared to traditional brainstorming methods.

Why is brainwriting often more effective? One key reason stems from the limitations of traditional brainstorming sessions, where only one person can speak at a time. This structure often leads to a phenomenon called “blocking”. As participants wait to contribute, they may edit, discard, or simply forget their original ideas. By the time everyone has spoken and the group discussion concludes, a significant amount of creative potential has been lost. Brainwriting offers a solution to this problem, allowing for simultaneous idea generation and reducing the risk of valuable thoughts being filtered out or forgotten.

So, read on, I’ll show you what brainwriting is – and look at how you can start using it with your team.

‘Brainwriting is more effective than brainstorming because it provides an equal opportunity for everyone to participate and allows each group member to think without any mental blocks.’

What is brainwriting?

Brainwriting is similar to brainstorming – they’re both methods for generating ideas and solutions for a problem.

Brainwriting, however, gives everyone an equal opportunity to participate, and it enables all group members to think without any “blocking”.

Here are the steps that you can follow to run a brainwriting session:

1. Seat group members at a table with a sheet of paper in front of each person. At the top of the page, ask them to write down the problem that everyone is trying to solve. (Note: they should not write their names.) Appoint someone to be moderator, and time each round.
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2. Give the group three minutes to write down three ideas for how to solve the problem. They should not edit the ideas, or try to perfect them. Allow them to write in “free form”. Do not permit any discussion.
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3. After three minutes, move on to round two. Gather in the papers, shuffle them, and then pass them out. You may need to sort out cases where someone gets back a paper they have already written on. Ask everyone to generate three more ideas on the new paper they have just received. They can build on the first three ideas that are already written, or think of three new solutions.
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4. The moderator decides how many rounds there are.
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5. When all rounds are finished, collect the papers, and write all of the ideas on a whiteboard for everyone to see. Then begin discussing which ideas would work best for solving the current problem.

‘Everything is anonymous – you don’t know who wrote which ideas – so there’s more freedom to be truly creative.’

Benefits of brainwriting

There are several advantages of using brainwriting in a group:

• Because there’s no discussion during the initial idea-generating rounds, you can produce many ideas in a very short amount of time.
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• All group members – even the quiet and shy people – have an equal chance of offering their ideas for consideration.
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• Everything is anonymous – you don’t know who wrote which ideas – so there’s more freedom to be truly creative. Participants are empowered to suggest solutions that they otherwise might have thought were too unusual, or would not be well received.
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• Exchanging papers still allows group members to evaluate and build on other people’s ideas but in a much more concentrated, creative way.

‘Any time that you would traditionally use brainstorming to solve a problem, you could use brainwriting instead.’

When to use brainwriting

Brainwriting can be used to help solve almost any problem. The process is used often in marketing, design and creative fields, but it’s also gaining popularity in other areas.

Any time that you would traditionally use brainstorming to solve a problem, you could use brainwriting instead.

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