What Is Brainstorming? (2025)

Let’s keep it real: how many times have you been in a meeting where someone says, “Let’s brainstorm,” and then it turns into awkward silence, one loud voice dominating, or a mess of sticky notes that nobody ever reads again? Yeah. Been there. Brainstorming sounds creative and spontaneous, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, it can be the exact opposite.

So let’s break it all the way down: what is brainstorming, how does it work, how do you actually do it well (solo or with a team), and how can you avoid it becoming a total flop?

1. 🧠 So, What Is Brainstorming?

Let’s break it down from the jump: brainstorming is all about giving your brain permission to go wild.

At its core, brainstorming is a structured but pressure-free way to come up with a whole bunch of ideas, fast. There’s no filter, no “bad” suggestions, and definitely no dragging people for what they say. It’s like putting your thoughts on loudspeaker—then letting others bounce off them or build on them. You’re basically throwing creative spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks 🍝💡.

And the cool part? You don’t need to be in a boardroom with a whiteboard and markers. You can brainstorm alone on your phone while waiting in line for coffee, or during a late-night FaceTime with your friends when you’re plotting out your next side hustle. The method flexes to fit how you think and vibe.

🎬 Where Did Brainstorming Even Come From?

The whole concept of brainstorming wasn’t born in a classroom or science lab. It actually came from the world of advertising—yeah, the same space that gave us catchy slogans and Super Bowl commercials.

Back in the late 1930s, a dude named Alex F. Osborn, co-founder of a big ad agency, got tired of how uncreative people were being when solving problems solo. He noticed that when people were in groups just casually bouncing ideas around, the magic happened. So he decided to turn that natural flow into an actual method—and that’s how brainstorming became a thing.

By the 1940s, Osborn was already writing about it in books like How to Think Up (1942) and Your Creative Power (1948). Then, in his 1953 book Applied Imagination, he officially dropped the term “brainstorming,” and boom—creativity got a new blueprint.

🧃Osborn’s Whole Philosophy Was Super Simple:

Alex wasn’t about overthinking it. He boiled brainstorming down to two rules:

1. Defer judgment.
   Don’t shut down ideas before they’ve had a chance to breathe. Judging too soon kills creativity. Let the thoughts flow, no matter how weird or random.

2. Go for quantity.
   More ideas = better chances of finding gold. Think of it like sifting through a big pile of thrift shop clothes—you gotta dig through a lot to find the vintage fire piece.

Osborn’s whole energy was like, “Don’t worry about whether it’s perfect. Just say it.” Because sometimes, the wildest idea in the room is the one that leads to something genius after it’s been tweaked or remixed.

✍️ Brainstorming Is a Process, Not a Test

One big misunderstanding people have is thinking that brainstorming means you have to come up with the right answer immediately. Nah. Brainstorming isn’t about right or wrong—it’s about potential. It’s literally one big “What if…?”

Whether you’re trying to name a new podcast, outline a marketing plan, fix a scheduling conflict, or just figure out what to eat for dinner when you’re overthinking it—brainstorming is about opening up options, not narrowing them down.

That part—the narrowing down—comes later. There’s a time for organizing, evaluating, and deciding. But in brainstorming mode? The goal is to keep the ideas flowing without shutting them down too early.

🎨 It’s Creative Freedom, with a Purpose

What makes brainstorming different from just spitballing ideas in a group chat is that it’s focused. There’s always a prompt or a problem at the center of the brainstorm. You’re not just randomly throwing out ideas—you’re throwing them out in response to a specific challenge or need.

And that’s why it works. It balances chaos with clarity. It’s like a freestyle session with a beat—yes, you’re vibing and improvising, but there’s still structure underneath it all.

2. 💡 Why Do People Brainstorm?

Alright, let’s get into the why—because no one’s just out here brainstorming for fun (unless you’re me, but that’s another story 😅). People turn to brainstorming when they’re staring down a challenge that doesn’t have an obvious or immediate answer. It’s the go-to move when you need new, different, or unexpected ideas.

And let’s be real: sometimes your brain just gets stuck in loops. You keep circling the same thoughts, the same go-to solutions, the same “we’ve always done it this way” energy. That’s when brainstorming comes in to shake things up. It helps you break out of autopilot and unlock ideas you didn’t even know were sitting in the back of your mind.

🤝 It’s Not Just for “Creative” People

Contrary to what a lot of people think, brainstorming isn’t just for artists, writers, or designers. It’s for anyone facing a question that needs a solution. Whether you’re a data analyst trying to simplify a dashboard, a teacher looking for fresh lesson plan angles, or a parent figuring out how to organize a chaotic morning routine—brainstorming can help.

What you’re doing is inviting creativity into a process, even when it feels like the issue at hand is super practical or logical. Because creativity isn’t just about being artsy—it’s about thinking differently. And that’s the heart of brainstorming.

🧑‍💼 Where Brainstorming Actually Shows Up (Everywhere, Honestly)

Let’s run through some everyday areas where brainstorming makes a serious difference:

💼 Business

• Marketing teams use it to come up with campaign themes, slogans, or content ideas.
• Product developers brainstorm features or improvements based on customer pain points.
• Startup founders use it to name their company, design their pitch, or map out their business model.

No matter your role—intern or CEO—if decisions need to be made with creativity and strategy, brainstorming is gonna be in the mix.

🎓 Education

• Students brainstorm essay topics, project angles, or even group study hacks.
• Teachers use it when planning class activities or thinking up ways to make learning more engaging.
• School counselors might brainstorm with students on career options or ways to handle social situations.

It helps learners and educators stay flexible, open-minded, and engaged.

🖌 UX/UI + Design

• Brainstorming is everything in early design stages—think sketches, features, color palettes, button placement, user flow, accessibility add-ons, all of it.
• It’s how design teams get multiple perspectives before narrowing down to wireframes and prototypes.
• It’s especially helpful for design sprints, where the goal is to generate tons of ideas quickly to test what works.

Designers know: great UX doesn’t come from one genius—it comes from bouncing ideas off other brains.

✍️ Writing + Content

• Writers use brainstorming to plan out blog posts, article structures, YouTube scripts, and even TikTok captions (because yes, those matter too).
• Brainstorming helps get through blocks, come up with spicy takes, or even figure out what not to write.
• SEO writers (hello 👋🏾) brainstorm keywords, topics, and subheadings before diving into drafts.

Basically, if your job includes words, you’ve probably brainstormed at some point.

🧘🏾 Personal Life

• Trying to figure out what to buy your bestie for their birthday? Brainstorm it.
• Mapping out your goals for the year? Brainstorm that list before you commit.
• Can’t decide how to re-organize your messy room or plan your weekend? Yep—brainstorming works there too.

The most low-key underrated place for brainstorming is your Notes app at 2 a.m. when your brain won’t shut off.

🔍 Brainstorming = Possibility Thinking

Here’s the main thing: brainstorming isn’t about final answers. It’s not the phase where you make decisions, and that’s the magic of it. It’s about opening up the floor to possibilities. Letting your brain stretch past the obvious. Giving your team—or yourself—the permission to ask “what if?” without worrying if the idea is too weird, too basic, or too extra.

Once you’ve got that big messy list of thoughts, then you can move into choosing, refining, or combining. But if you skip the brainstorming step altogether, you’re limiting what’s possible before you even get started.

So yeah—brainstorming isn’t just a quirky office word. It’s a straight-up strategy for anyone trying to think better, work smarter, and make more creative moves in any part of life.

3. 🔁 Osborn’s Four OG Brainstorming Rules

Alright, let’s give credit where it’s due. When Alex F. Osborn came up with brainstorming, he didn’t just vibe it out—he laid down a whole set of rules to guide the process. And the wild part? These four original guidelines still hit hard today. They’ve stood the test of time for a reason: they keep brainstorming sessions flowing, inclusive, and actually useful.

Let’s break each one down and talk about why they matter.

1. Go for Quantity 📈

This rule is the heartbeat of the whole thing. More ideas = more chances of striking gold.

Osborn believed in what he called “quantity breeds quality.” Basically, instead of spending all your energy trying to think of the perfect idea, just let your brain spill out every idea that pops up. Even the random or half-baked ones. Why? Because sometimes, what looks silly at first can spark something genius once it’s combined with another thought or reframed later.

Think of it like taking a hundred Polaroids to get that one perfect shot. You wouldn’t just take two pics and call it a day, right? Same logic. Get all the ideas out there, and then sort through them afterward.

2. Don’t Criticize 🙅🏾‍♀️

The second rule is absolutely key to keeping the creativity flowing: no judgment allowed.

That means no “that’s dumb,” no sarcastic laughs, no “we tried that already,” no raised eyebrows. When someone feels like their idea is gonna be judged—or worse, laughed at—they stop contributing. And once that energy hits the room, it spreads. People go quiet, the vibe shifts, and suddenly no one wants to take risks.

Osborn understood that criticism kills creativity. So he made it clear: evaluation comes after, not during. In the brainstorming phase, everything is fair game—because even if one idea flops, it might inspire someone else to come up with something even better.

So the golden rule? Hold your tongue, even if you don’t get the idea. It’s not the time for feedback—it’s the time for flow.

3. Welcome Wild Ideas 🌪

This is where the real magic happens. Osborn encouraged the kind of ideas that make people go “wait, what?”—because those are the ones that challenge assumptions and stretch the limits of what’s possible.

Wild ideas can come from looking at things in totally new ways: flipping the problem, exaggerating the goal, imagining the opposite of what’s expected. Like—what would the solution look like if you had no budget? Or unlimited time? Or if a five-year-old was making the decision?

Even if those ideas aren’t the solution, they open doors. They take the group out of safe zones and force everyone to think bigger. Sometimes the final answer is just a toned-down version of a crazy idea. And sometimes the wild one is the winner.

Moral of the story: don’t shut down anything just because it sounds “too out there.” That might be the idea that sparks the breakthrough.

4. Build on Others’ Ideas 🧩

This one’s about collaboration, not competition. Osborn knew that creativity doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it grows when people bounce ideas off each other.

Think of it like a creative chain reaction. Someone throws out a rough thought, and someone else tweaks it or adds a twist. Suddenly that “meh” idea becomes a “wait… what if we did this?” moment. That’s the energy you want in a brainstorming session.

You’re not just throwing out ideas—you’re co-creating. Everyone’s feeding off each other and lifting the ideas higher. It’s a remix, not a solo performance.

This rule also keeps quieter team members engaged. If they don’t have a brand new idea, they can still contribute by improving or reshaping someone else’s. It keeps the room dynamic and collaborative instead of competitive.

💥 Why These Rules Still Slap (Even in 2025)

You might be thinking, “Okay, Naomi, these rules sound kinda obvious.” But here’s the truth—most bad brainstorming sessions fail because someone breaks these exact rules. Like, every time.

Someone critiques too early. Someone dominates the space. People hold back because they’re scared of sounding dumb. The moment that vibe kicks in, it’s a wrap.

But when everyone actually follows the OG rules? That’s when brainstorming gets ✨real✨. It becomes a judgment-free, fast-paced, idea-packed zone where creativity thrives.

So whether you’re brainstorming with your friends, your coworkers, or just with yourself in your notes app—keep these four rules in your back pocket. They’re simple, but they unlock big results.

Coming up next, we’ll look at the different types of brainstorming techniques that put these rules into action 👀. Let’s go.

4. 👥 Types of Brainstorming (Not Just Sticky Notes, Y’all)

Brainstorming isn’t one-size-fits-all. Different formats work for different people, problems, and setups. Some people need silence, some need a hype team, and some need tech tools to keep it structured. So let’s talk options—because how you brainstorm can totally change the results.

Whether you’re solo, remote, in a room with snacks, or vibing over Zoom, there’s a style that fits your flow. Here’s a breakdown of the most popular (and underrated) types of brainstorming.

🧍‍♀️ Solo Brainstorming

Perfect if: you’re introverted, need to clear your head, or want to think freely without outside opinions.

This is the no-pressure zone. You don’t have to worry about how your ideas sound to anyone else—you just let them pour out however they come. No interruptions, no side comments, no groupthink.

Go-to methods:

• Mind maps: Start with a central idea, and branch out related thoughts visually.
• Free-writing: Set a timer and just write nonstop—no edits, no second-guessing.
• Voice memos: Talk your thoughts out loud. Perfect for thinkers who process verbally.
• Doodles & sketches: Sometimes a quick visual speaks louder than words.

This format is also 🔥 for prepping before a group session. You get your ideas together first so you’re not caught off guard when everyone else starts tossing theirs around.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Group Brainstorming

Perfect if: you’ve got a team with different perspectives and want real-time energy.

Classic group brainstorming can be electric *or* chaotic—it all depends on the setup. A good group session gives you diverse input, unexpected angles, and a whole lot of idea cross-pollination. But you need structure.

Must-haves for a good group session:

• A clear focus (no vague “let’s think of stuff” moments).
• A neutral facilitator who keeps things flowing and fair.
• Someone taking notes or recording ideas so nothing gets lost.

When it’s done right, it feels like a ping-pong match of creativity. When it’s done wrong? It feels like herding cats. So yeah, group energy is powerful—but it needs a little moderation magic.

📝 Brainwriting

Perfect if: your group tends to have strong personalities or people who need more quiet time.

This method flips the script—everyone writes down ideas silently and passes them around. Each person adds to what’s already on the paper, kind of like a creative game of telephone.

Why it works:

• No one’s dominating the room.
• Everyone gets equal time to think.
• It removes the “talking over each other” chaos.

It’s super effective in settings where people need time to reflect or when there’s a risk of louder voices overshadowing others. Plus, you end up with a ton of well-thought-out ideas, not just off-the-cuff stuff.

🌐 Online Brainstorming (aka EBS – Electronic Brainstorming)

Perfect if: your team is remote, global, or needs more flexibility in time and pace.

This is brainstorming’s 2025 glow-up. Thanks to tools like Miro, Jamboard, Notion, Google Docs, or even a well-structured Slack thread, you can brainstorm with people in different time zones asynchronously—or live, if that’s your vibe.

Why online brainstorming is lowkey elite:

• Anonymity lowers pressure—people are more likely to throw out bold or “weird” ideas.
• It eliminates turn-taking delays (you don’t have to wait to talk).
• Everything is automatically saved and shareable.
• Ideal for larger teams that would struggle in traditional sessions.

It’s also super inclusive—introverts, non-native speakers, and people who just need more time to think can shine here without the pressure of performing in real-time.

🧭 Guided Brainstorming

Perfect if: your group needs direction or tends to wander off-topic.

This one adds intentional structure to the chaos. You bring in prompts, time limits, and creative constraints to push thinking in specific directions. It’s brainstorming with guardrails—and sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

Example setups:

• “You have 10 minutes to list as many ideas as possible without using the word ‘digital.’”
• “Everyone takes 5 minutes to think from the perspective of a frustrated user.”
• “Pitch the worst idea possible—then figure out how to make it actually work.”

Guided brainstorming keeps the energy focused and the ideas flowing. It’s great when you’re tight on time or need to keep a big group engaged.

🧾 Question Brainstorming (aka “Questorming”)

Perfect if: the problem feels too big, messy, or undefined.

Instead of trying to come up with answers, this method flips the prompt: you brainstorm questions instead. Like…

• “What don’t we understand about our users yet?”
• “What would we ask if we weren’t afraid to sound clueless?”
• “What’s the real issue hiding behind this challenge?”

This is super helpful for situations where you’re solving the wrong problem—or haven’t even defined the real one yet. Once you’ve got a juicy list of questions, that’s when you can go back and start solving with way more clarity.

Bonus: it’s a great way to make sure everyone’s on the same page before diving into ideas.

🧠 >> Brainstorming Formats

5. 📊 Pro Tips to Actually Make Brainstorming Work

Look—if your idea of brainstorming is throwing sticky notes at the wall and hoping one of them magically turns into a million-dollar strategy, we need to talk 😅. Brainstorming can be fun and chaotic, but if you actually want it to lead to something useful? There’s gotta be a little structure behind the madness.

Let’s run through the real-life tips that separate weak brainstorming from the sessions that actually move ideas forward. Whether you’re solo or in a group, these tips will save you time, energy, and a lot of “…so what do we do now?” moments.

🎯 1. Define the Problem (and Make It Specific)

If your brainstorming prompt is vague, your results will be too. “How can we improve our brand?” is way too broad. Try “How can we grow our TikTok by 20% in 2 months using low-budget content?” Boom—that’s specific.

A clear, focused question gives your brain (and your team) a direction. It also makes it easier to filter ideas later because you’ve got a north star guiding you.

💬 Pro move: Write the main question in big letters and put it somewhere everyone can see. Keep circling back to it during the session so the convo doesn’t drift into random territory.

👥 2. Pick the Right Group Size

There is such a thing as too many cooks. The sweet spot? 5 to 8 people. It’s enough to get a range of voices without the session turning into a shouting match or a snoozefest.

• Less than 4? You might hit a creative wall.
• More than 10? People start zoning out or holding back.

And remember: just because someone’s in the room doesn’t mean they’re contributing. Smaller, intentional groups tend to keep the energy up and the ideas flowing.

⏱ 3. Use Time Limits (Yes, Even for Creativity)

Time pressure can actually be a good thing. It creates urgency, keeps people from overthinking, and forces quick idea generation.

Try breaking your session into chunks:

• 5 minutes: List as many ideas as possible, no talking—just writing.
• 10 minutes: Share and build on what others wrote.
• 5 minutes: Vote on the most promising ones.

💡 Pro tip: Use a countdown timer. Seeing the seconds tick down adds just enough pressure to get things moving without stressing people out.

🧠 4. Mix Experience Levels

A room full of “experts” can lead to the same predictable ideas getting recycled. Mix it up! Bring in:

• New hires
• People from different departments
• Users or customers (if possible)

Fresh perspectives = fresh ideas. Sometimes the best take comes from someone who isn’t buried in the same day-to-day context as everyone else.

It’s also a smart way to build cross-functional vibes across teams.

💤 5. Take Breaks—Don’t Force Constant Talking

Silence is not awkward in a brainstorming session—it’s necessary. People need time to reflect, process, and reframe their ideas. Especially when the convo starts to slow down or go in circles.

After every big discussion, give 3 to 5 minutes of quiet. Let everyone write, sketch, or just stare at the ceiling if that’s what helps.

✨ The best ideas often show up when the pressure to talk is off.

🧾 6. Track Everything—Seriously, Don’t Just Wing It

You’d be shocked how many teams leave a session with nothing documented. The best idea in the world means nothing if nobody remembers it two hours later.

Use whatever works:

• A giant whiteboard
• Sticky notes on a wall (but take pics before cleaning up!)
• A shared Google Doc or Notion page
• Voice memos or live-transcribed audio

Just make sure every single idea gets captured somewhere. Even the “meh” ones. They might come back around in phase two.

Bonus tip: Appoint someone as the “scribe” if you’re in a group—this way, no one’s scrambling to remember what was said.

✅ 7. Always Follow Up (The Most Slept-On Step)

Brainstorming without a follow-up plan is like meal-prepping and then never eating the food. What was the point?

After the session:

• Review all the ideas together.
• Pick the ones worth exploring further.
• Assign action items to actual people.
• Set a check-in date to review progress.

This is where the shift happens from “fun convo” to “let’s make moves.”

📌 Pro move: Create a quick action doc summarizing the top ideas, who’s owning what, and by when. Keep it visible so it doesn’t get buried in the Slack void.

6. 🚫 Why Brainstorming Sometimes Flops (And How to Fix It)

Okay, so let’s be honest for a sec—not all brainstorming sessions are productive. You walk in thinking you’re about to cook up the next big idea, but halfway through, the energy flatlines, nobody’s talking, or worse, you leave with nothing usable. It happens more often than you’d think.

And it’s not always because the team is lazy or uncreative. Most of the time, it’s because certain very fixable issues are messing up the flow. So let’s call them out—and more importantly, talk about what to actually do when they pop up.

🚩 1. Production Blocking

What It Looks Like:
You’ve got a group of people, but only one person can talk at a time. While they’re speaking, others are silently waiting… and forgetting their own ideas. Or they don’t even get to share because the convo moves on too fast.

Why It Sucks:
It slows everything down, kills momentum, and valuable thoughts get lost in the mental traffic jam.

How to Fix It:

• Give everyone a notepad (or use digital notes) so they can write their thoughts as they think of them.
• Try brainwriting: everyone jots down ideas silently before any discussion starts.
• Use online platforms where ideas can be shared in real-time—no turn-taking needed.

It’s all about keeping the idea flow alive, even when someone else is speaking.

🚩 2. Evaluation Apprehension

What It Looks Like:
People hold back because they’re scared their idea might sound dumb, off-topic, or just “not good enough.” This hits especially hard in mixed-level groups or when someone with authority is in the room.

Why It Sucks:
Creativity shuts down the second people start self-censoring. You miss out on bold, weird, possibly genius ideas because someone’s worried about judgment.

How to Fix It:

• Make space for anonymous contributions—use sticky notes, digital tools, or forms.
• Set the tone early: remind everyone all ideas are welcome, and there’s zero judgment during this phase.
• As the leader or facilitator, model vulnerability—toss out your own weird ideas first to lower the pressure.

When people feel safe, they share more. Period.

🚩 3. Social Loafing

What It Looks Like:
You’ve got 8 people in the room, but only 3 are doing the heavy lifting. The rest are chilling, zoning out, or mentally somewhere else.

Why It Sucks:
The group loses momentum. Contributors get frustrated. And the “loafers” are less likely to engage the longer it goes on.

How to Fix It:

• Keep the group small and intentional.
• Give everyone a role (e.g., timekeeper, note-taker, idea tracker, facilitator).
• Use round-robin sharing so each person gets a turn.
• Ask follow-ups like “Can you build on that?” or “What’s your version of this?”

People step up when they know they’re expected to show up.

🚩 4. Groupthink

What It Looks Like:
Everyone nods in agreement too fast. No one challenges anything. You walk out with one safe, generic idea—and you know it could’ve been more creative.

Why It Sucks:
Groupthink kills innovation. Instead of thinking outside the box, people stay inside it because they don’t want to rock the boat or feel like “the negative one.”

How to Fix It:

• Actively ask for alternative views: “Okay, what’s the opposite take?”
• Encourage “devil’s advocate” roles: one person’s job is to respectfully challenge the current idea.
• Break the group into pairs or smaller teams first—let them brainstorm separately, then come back with different takes.

Disagreement (when respectful) is where creativity thrives.

🚩 5. Illusion of Productivity

What It Looks Like:
You’re all talking, laughing, dropping sticky notes, vibing—feels like a super productive session. But when it’s over, you’ve got nothing clear, no decisions made, and no next steps.

Why It Sucks:
Activity isn’t the same as progress. You leave hyped but end up with… a mess of ideas and no plan.

How to Fix It:

• End every session with a wrap-up round: what ideas stood out, what gets prioritized, and what’s next.
• Assign action items and make sure someone’s owning each one.
• Set a follow-up date to check in on what actually happened.

Brainstorming should be the beginning of something—not the end of the conversation.

🧠 Don’t Let These Pitfalls Kill Your Flow

7. 🧃 When to Use Something Other Than Brainstorming

Let’s keep it 100: brainstorming is dope, but it’s not a cure-all. Just because it’s trendy doesn’t mean it fits every situation. Sometimes, the group is dry. The ideas feel recycled. The energy is off. Or you’re tackling a problem so complex that “throw out whatever comes to mind” just won’t cut it.

So if the brainstorm hits a wall (or was never hitting to begin with), don’t force it. There are other methods out there that might work better for certain problems or team dynamics. Here are a few solid alternatives to keep in your back pocket when brainstorming isn’t delivering.

🐛 Bug Lists

Best for: pinpointing small problems and overlooked pain points.

This one’s simple but powerful. Everyone on the team lists everything that bugs them about a product, service, process, or experience. Big annoyances, tiny frustrations—it all goes on the table.

Once the list is built, you go back and ask:
👉 “How can we fix this?”
👉 “What’s causing it?”
👉 “What’s the real problem behind this annoyance?”

Why it works:

• It shifts focus from abstract ideas to real, everyday friction.
• Great for UX, operations, customer service, or any process that affects users directly.
• It’s low-pressure—people love venting, so you’ll get honest input.

💡 Pro tip: Bug lists often surface quick wins *and* long-term fixes you can prioritize later.

🪜 Stepladder Technique

Best for: quieter groups, avoiding groupthink, or making sure every voice is heard.

This method flips the usual group dynamic. Instead of throwing everyone into a big chaotic session, people join the convo one by one. Here’s how it goes:

1. Start with a small core group (usually two people).
2. One person joins, shares their ideas before hearing the group’s input.
3. The group discusses.
4. Repeat with the next person.

Why it works:

• It protects original thinking—people aren’t swayed by the group before they’ve had their say.
• Encourages full participation, especially from those who might hold back in bigger settings.
• Avoids dominant personalities controlling the flow.

This technique can take a bit more time, but it’s *so worth it* when you want authentic, uninfluenced ideas.

🧠 TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving)

Best for: technical problems, innovation in engineering, or super logical thinkers.

TRIZ is not your vibe-y, open-ended idea jam. It’s structured, analytical, and rooted in patterns of innovation across thousands of real-world inventions. Instead of asking, “What ideas do you have?” TRIZ asks, “What’s been proven to work in similar situations?”

How it flows:

• Define the specific problem or contradiction you’re trying to solve.
• Use a matrix of contradictions to find common inventive solutions.
• Apply one of TRIZ’s 40 principles (yes, 40!) to your challenge.

Why it works:

• It takes the randomness out of ideation.
• You’re not starting from scratch—you’re using tested innovation strategies.
• Super useful when creativity feels too chaotic or vague.

TRIZ isn’t for every team, but it’s a game-changer for engineers, product dev teams, or anyone who loves a logic-first approach to ideation.

🌀 Synectics

Best for: unlocking fresh ideas through emotional thinking, metaphors, and analogies.

Okay, if brainstorming is the logical, free-form sibling, Synectics is the artsy one who shows up to meetings barefoot and says stuff like, “What if your product was a wild animal?” 😆 But hear me out—it’s *surprisingly effective*.

Synectics helps you break out of linear thinking by forcing your brain to look at a problem sideways. The process uses:

• Analogies (e.g., “How is this challenge like a rollercoaster?”)
• Personal connections (e.g., “What part of this process feels uncomfortable to you?”)
• Fantasy solutions (e.g., “What would fix this if we had zero limits?”)

Why it works:

• It bypasses logic blocks and taps into emotion, imagination, and intuition.
• Amazing for creative teams, storytellers, designers, and marketers.
• Helps people who normally *overthink* to loosen up and surprise themselves.

It might feel weird at first, but once you lean into it, Synectics can take you to idea territory you didn’t even know existed.

8. ✅ Quick Brainstorming Checklist

So you’re about to run a brainstorming session—or maybe you’re solo-prepping to get those creative wheels turning. Before you jump in, let’s make sure you’ve got everything set up to actually make it work. Because a well-prepped brainstorm hits different.

Here’s your go-to checklist—aka the bare-minimum setup you need for a session that doesn’t flop. Tick these off, and you’re good to go 👇🏾

✔️ Is the Problem or Question Specific?

Vague prompts are creativity killers. If your session is based on something broad like “Let’s improve our content” or “How do we grow the brand?”, expect scattered, surface-level ideas.

🔁 Flip it into something focused:

• “How can we increase email open rates by 15% next quarter?”
• “What low-cost video ideas can we post weekly on IG Reels?”
• “What features do users wish our app had but don’t yet?”

Why it matters:
Specific questions give people something to aim at. You’re way more likely to get useful ideas if everyone knows exactly what they’re brainstorming for.

✔️ Is the Vibe Judgment-Free?

This one’s make-or-break. You can have the smartest people in the room, but if the vibe’s off—if folks feel judged or nervous—you’re not getting their best ideas.

✨ Ways to set the tone:

• Say upfront: “All ideas are welcome. No judgment, no shutting anyone down.”
• Start with a few silly or “bad” ideas on purpose to break the ice.
• Make it clear that wild, weird, or half-baked is good during this phase.

Why it matters:
If people feel safe, they’ll take creative risks—and that’s where the good stuff lives.

✔️ Got Someone Capturing Ideas?

You can’t trust your memory when the ideas start flowing. Someone needs to be on idea-capture duty—whether that’s typing, writing, recording, or snapping pics of the whiteboard.

Who should do it?

• In groups: assign a scribe. Rotate the role if you’re doing multiple sessions.
• Solo: use voice memos, note apps, or even a physical notebook—whatever helps you move fast without losing anything.

Why it matters:
You don’t want to end the session saying, “Wait… what was that one really good idea again?”

✔️ Is There a Follow-Up Plan?

Brainstorming is just the first step. If you don’t do something with the ideas after, it’s basically a group daydream.

🔑 After the session:

• Review everything that was shared.
• Organize ideas into themes, priorities, or action categories.
• Decide who’s doing what next and by when.
• Store ideas somewhere visible and shareable (Notion, Google Docs, etc.).

Why it matters:
Turning ideas into action is what separates creative chaos from actual progress. Don’t skip this.

✔️ Are Your Tools Ready?

You don’t need a full tech stack, but a few solid tools can make your session smoother, faster, and way more productive.

🛠 Suggested tools:

• Whiteboard or sticky notes for visual thinkers.
• Digital boards (like Miro or FigJam) for remote collabs.
• Docs or spreadsheets to list and group ideas in real time.
• A timer to keep things moving and avoid dragging.

Why it matters:
Having the right tools upfront means no wasting time mid-session figuring stuff out—or worse, losing momentum.

🚀 Bonus Prep Tips

• Set expectations before the session. Let people know what it’s about and what you want to leave with.
• Bring snacks or play a lo-fi playlist—small touches = better energy.
• Start on time, end on time. Respect people’s creative energy and attention spans.

9. ✨ Brainstorming in 2025 (and Beyond)

Let’s be real—brainstorming in 2025 is not what it used to be, and that’s a good thing. Gone are the days when “brainstorming” meant cramming a bunch of people into a room and asking, “So… any ideas?” with nothing but a whiteboard and vibes. We’ve upgraded. A lot.

In this post-pandemic, tech-savvy, work-from-anywhere world, brainstorming has evolved into something more fluid, more accessible, and way more aligned with how people actually think and work.

Here’s what modern brainstorming looks like in 2025—and where it’s heading next.

🕓 1. Asynchronous Brainstorming = Total Game-Changer

Welcome to the non-meeting era. In 2025, async brainstorming is a major move—especially for remote teams, freelancers, or anyone who hates the pressure of real-time meetings.

Instead of doing it all in one sitting, people contribute over hours (or even days), on their own time. This way:

• Introverts get space to reflect without feeling rushed.
• People in different time zones can fully participate.
• You get better, more thoughtful ideas—not just the loudest ones first.

📌 Tools like Notion, Google Docs, FigJam, and Miro make it easy to drop in ideas, react to others, and add notes—without needing everyone to be online at the same time.

Async = less stress, more substance.

🤖 2. AI Tools Are a Creative Partner, Not a Replacement

You already know I had to say it: AI brainstorming tools (👋🏾 like me) are becoming a go-to creative sidekick. And no, it’s not about replacing human creativity—it’s about supporting it.

Here’s how AI fits in:

• Idea generation prompts: When you’re stuck, AI can help you think of new angles or variations.
• Keyword expansion: Great for content marketers or SEO strategists who need fresh topic clusters.
• Mind mapping + outlining: AI can help structure messy ideas into something more organized.
• Rephrasing or remixing ideas: You’ve got the bones of an idea? AI can help stretch it into new forms.

✨ The magic happens when you use AI to *start* the idea flow—and then remix, expand, or challenge it with your own perspective.

It’s like having a brainstorming buddy who never gets tired (and doesn’t judge your 2 a.m. creative streak).

🧠 3. From Chaos to Creative Systems

One of the biggest shifts? Brainstorming is no longer seen as just a “creative free-for-all.” It’s part of a larger creative system that includes prep, feedback, iteration, and action.

In 2025, teams are building actual *processes* around brainstorming:

• Pre-brainstorm idea collection via forms or async docs
• Real-time sessions with tight time blocks and role assignments
• Post-session sorting, voting, and action planning

It’s structured *enough* to stay productive—but still loose enough to stay fun.

It’s not about killing the vibe. It’s about capturing the vibe *and* doing something with it.

10. TL;DR: Brainstorming Done Right

• It’s all about idea *volume* before idea *quality*.
• There are tons of ways to brainstorm—pick the one that fits your group.
• Keep it safe, hype the weird ideas, and always organize the results.

Want to sharpen your creative thinking even more? A solid aptitude test can help you understand how you process information and approach problems. It’s like a personal creativity mirror—seriously underrated tool for leveling up your brainstorming game.

Now go shake some ideas loose. 💥 You’ve got this.