The five rules of brainstorming
1. Quantity is more important than quality. Let’s
say you're looking for a way to get kids to love
vegetables. At the brainstorming phase, you don’t
want just one brilliant idea, you want five, ten,
dozens to choose from, including some weird
and obscure ones. So the goal of brainstorming is
to produce as long a list as possible.
2. No idea is too predictable or absurd. In fact,
sometimes these ideas somehow lead you to the
perfect solution.
3. Zero judgment. At this point you can’t say an idea
is dreadful or unrealistic or just too ambitious,
because what you need is just ideas, ideas, ideas.
The worst thing you can do in a brainstorm is to
criticise an idea.
4. Everybody’s equal. You have to spot the shy
people and encourage them. There’s no hierarchy,
it only works if you work as a team.
5. Keep a record. Write the ideas down — each and
every one. Have one person as a secretary and
they just write whatever anyone says.