How to run a creative brainstorming session

Been tasked with brainstorming or creative session and not sure where to start?

Then continue reading, and we’ll share with you our best techniques and exercises to get your creative juices flowing.

Every project (and business) begins with an idea, but the challenge is turning that idea into a successful venture.

That’s where creative sessions come in.

They are an invaluable way to brainstorm, set objectives and create an action plan to make it a success but of course, there are a variety of ways you can approach them. That’s why you must establish the right brainstorm technique(s) that work best for you and your team.

Here are a few of our favourites:

Storyboarding

If you’re trying to design a process or user experience, creating a storyboard can help establish a collective understanding of any problems within the process and if any gaps need research. By doing so, your team will be able to see what ideas need fine-tuning and how to work together to find a solution.

Brain-writing

The best thing about brain-writing is that it allows everybody to have their say, all ideas to be considered by the group and ensure no one is excluded. In this exercise, everyone needs to write down a rough idea that needs problem-solving, and then you pass that piece of paper onto someone else to add their suggestions. These are then gathered for discussion as a group.

Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a great way to organise your ideas and map out any problems into manageable parts for problem-solving. To start one, you need to write down the task or issues in the middle (either on a computer, whiteboard or big sheet of paper) and expand on this by describing what you need to solve the task/problem at hand.

SWOT Analysis

Any business owner or marketer will know what a SWOT analysis is, but it is also a useful brainstorming exercise as it can help you organise your ideas. For instance, if you’re working on a brand re-design, it can help establish the strengths of your current brands, its weaknesses as a brand, are there any opportunities? And what threats are there if you rebrand?

Group Sketching

Even if you’re not an artist, visual thinking can help trigger ideas that writing might not be able to do. Similar to brain-writing, group sketching allows all participants to build on each other ideas by sketching an image related to the concept, idea or topic to expand on.

What is your favourite technique or method for creative brainstorming? Tweet us @visua1print.