How to Brainstorm: Ground Rules, Methods, and Tools

It’s a common scenario: you need to come up with some creative ideas. 

Maybe you’re trying to find a solution to a complex problem, or perhaps you’re spitballing your team’s next big project. Either way, you’re feeling the pressure to amp up your innovation and churn out some brilliant suggestions. 

What happens now? 

You might rely on a brainstorming session to get those creative juices flowing.

What is brainstorming?

Brainstorming is a group problem-solving technique that involves the spontaneous contribution of ideas from all members of the group. The goal of brainstorming is to generate a large number of ideas that can later be refined and evaluated. 

Brainstorming usually takes place in an informal, relaxed environment, where participants are encouraged to share their thoughts freely. You can brainstorm on your own, but it’s often used in a group setting to share and build on ideas freely. Group brainstorming is a collaborative process that leverages participants' collective creativity.

A brief history of brainstorming

Brainstorming is prevalent in today’s working world (you’ve likely been part of a fair share of sessions yourself), but it has deep historical roots.

It was first introduced in 1948 by advertising executive Alex F. Osborn in his book “Your Creative Power.” As the owner of his own advertising agency, Osborn developed classic brainstorming as a group ideation technique to elicit better ideas from his employees—something he called “thinking up.” With that objective in mind, he established several principles and characteristics of brainstorming, which we’ll dig into in detail later.

Since then, brainstorming has gained momentum and become a common technique for businesses to generate creative solutions to a variety of problems. Brainstorming works best when participants are encouraged to share ideas freely in an informal environment.

The importance of brainstorming

While it certainly isn’t without criticisms and potential pitfalls, this technique has become a staple in modern workplaces due to its proven effectiveness and range of benefits.

Brainstorming helps teams generate diverse ideas and fresh perspectives, leading to innovative solutions. Below are just a few of the many advantages of brainstorming that teams can look forward to.

Brainstorming encourages more creative thinking.

The first benefit is obvious: brainstorming encourages individuals or teams to think more creatively without boundaries, leading to better ideas and suggestions. It encourages divergent thinking, aiming to generate as many ideas as possible without immediate judgment. For example, did you know that the idea for the Amazon Echo reportedly originated in a brainstorming session?

Since brainstorming is often done in a group, it forces us to step away from our own biases and consider other perspectives and contributions without offering any upfront criticism. Participants are encouraged to share any idea without criticism or filtering.

Beyond that, productive brainstorming exercises challenge us not only to consider other ideas but also to build upon them, which leads to even better outcomes. The focus should be on generating a wide range of ideas together, not just identifying the best ones immediately. The goal is quantity first, with refinement and evaluation coming later.

Brainstorming leads to better teamwork and greater group cohesiveness.

All of these factors working together do more than just generate stronger ideas; they can actually improve our level of teamwork.

Group interaction during group brainstorming sessions can enhance creativity by bringing together diverse perspectives, but it also presents challenges such as groupthink and dominant voices. Groupthink occurs when team members conform to a single idea rather than exploring diverse perspectives, while dominant voices can hijack brainstorming sessions, leading to unbalanced participation and stifled creativity. There’s plenty of research out there that backs this up.

“Groups that focus on both the quantity of ideas and building on the ideas of others significantly increase their cohesiveness,” said David Henningsen, a Northern Illinois University professor and researcher, who co-led a study on brainstorming.

“Brainstorming can be used to help a team buy into and implement a plan of action, or it can be used to simply build cohesiveness, which in turn can lessen employee turnover and increase employee commitment.”

How do you prepare for brainstorming?

A productive brainstorming session starts with clear preparation. Before the session, teams should:

• Clarify the objective so everyone understands the problem or topic

• Invite the right mix of participants to bring relevant perspectives

• Set a time limit to keep the discussion focused

• Choose the right format and tools for in-person, remote, or hybrid collaboration

• Share background information in advance so participants can prepare

• Establish ground rules that support open idea-sharing and balanced participation

Taking these steps ahead of time can make the session more focused, more organized, and more useful. Good preparation helps participants arrive ready to contribute, keeps the discussion on track, and increases the likelihood of generating ideas worth developing.

How to brainstorm: types, idea generation, ground rules, and techniques

When done right, brainstorming offers tons of perks. But that begs the question: how exactly do you do it right?

To start, it’s important to establish clear brainstorming rules that foster a safe, open, and non-judgmental environment. Effective brainstorming sessions require a clear problem statement or question to guide the discussion.

Separate idea generation from evaluation—focus first on generating initial ideas without critique, and reserve the time to evaluate ideas for later. This separation helps maintain a creative flow and encourages participants to share freely. Creating psychological safety ensures all initial ideas are welcomed without judgment, which is essential for unlocking creativity.

Generating a large quantity of ideas increases the likelihood of discovering a radical and effective solution. Using specific techniques and tools can help teams generate ideas faster and maximize the creative process.

There’s a bit of strategy involved in pulling off a successful brainstorming session. Here’s the information you need to get the very best ideas out of everyone on your team.

Brainstorming techniques

Once a brainstorming session is setup, the next step is choosing a technique that fits the goal. Different methods work better for different situations, whether the team is trying to generate a high volume of ideas, encourage more balanced participation, or organize a large number of suggestions.

Some brainstorming techniques are especially useful for generating ideas quickly:

• Brainwriting gives participants time to write ideas independently before sharing, which can help quieter contributors participate more fully. 

• Round-robin brainstorming gives each person a turn to contribute, which keeps the discussion structured and balanced. 

• Reverse brainstorming approaches the problem from the opposite direction by asking how to create or worsen the issue, then turning those answers into possible solutions.

Other techniques are better for developing and organizing ideas: 

• Mind mapping helps teams explore topics visually and identify connections between concepts.

• Affinity mapping helps group similar ideas into themes after the session.

• SCAMPER provides a structured way to think through possible changes.

The most effective technique depends on what the team needs most: idea generation, equal participation, creative problem-solving, or idea organization.

Tools and templates for effective brainstorming sessions

The right tools and templates can make brainstorming sessions more productive by helping teams capture ideas, stay organized, and collaborate more easily. Rather than relying on a single format for every session, it's better to use tools tailored to what the team is trying to accomplish.

For generating ideas, common options include:

• Mind mapping templates, which help teams explore ideas around a central topic and visualize connections

• Brainwriting templates, which give participants space to contribute independently before discussing ideas as a group

• SCAMPER templates, which provide prompts for improving an existing product, process, or concept

Once ideas have been generated, teams often need a way to sort and evaluate them. In that stage, useful tools include:

• Affinity mapping templates help group similar ideas into themes or categories

• Prioritization templates help teams rank ideas based on impact, effort, or feasibility

For remote or hybrid sessions, digital collaboration tools can also help teams participate in real-time and keep ideas in one place. Tools like digital whiteboards, shared docs, or project boards can make it easier to capture input, organize discussion, and turn ideas into clear next steps.

What to do after brainstorming: follow-up and evaluation

A brainstorming session only creates value if the ideas lead to clear next steps. After the session, review what was generated and identify the ideas with the most potential based on relevance, feasibility, and likely impact. From there, assign ownership, define the next action for each priority idea, and set realistic timelines to avoid momentum loss.

Before committing major time or resources, validate the strongest ideas through quick follow-up steps such as stakeholder feedback, lightweight research, prototypes, or small-scale testing. This helps teams separate promising concepts from less practical ones.

It is also important to document decisions and share outcomes with stakeholders so everyone understands what was prioritized, what happens next, and who is responsible. Finally, take a moment to evaluate the session itself. Reviewing what worked well and what should change can improve future brainstorming sessions and make the process more effective over time.

Flex your creative muscles

Brainstorming can be powerful, but it involves more than pulling your team into a room and asking them to share their two cents. It requires a basic understanding to figure out your strategy.

So, the next time you’re trying to figure out how to brainstorm business ideas, return to this overview as your starting resource. It’ll help you lay the foundation for successful brainstorming sessions moving forward, and you’ll be well on your way to getting the very best ideas out of your team.

When your brainstorming session ends, assign clear ownership of next steps and create an action list to track progress. Failing to follow up on ideas generated during brainstorming can result in lost momentum and unimplemented solutions. Prepare for your next brainstorming session by applying these strategies to ensure each session leads to actionable outcomes and continuous improvement.