Brainstorming and reverse brainstorming are effective creative thinking techniques used to generate solutions and unlock new perspectives. These tools help teams approach challenges from different angles, overcome mental blocks, and spark innovative thinking.

What Is Brainstorming?

Brainstorming is a group technique for generating a high volume of ideas in a short amount of time. While it can be done solo, it's most productive when carried out with a team of up to 12 people, guided by a facilitator.

Where It Works Best: Brainstorming is widely used in workshops, planning sessions, product development, and team problem-solving—where fast idea generation is needed to break through complexity.

The Four Principles of Brainstorming

• Suspend Judgment: No idea is criticized during the session.
• Freewheel: Encourage wild, unconventional ideas.
• Quantity over Quality: Focus on generating as many ideas as possible.
• Cross-Fertilize: Build on others’ ideas to spark new ones.

The Brainstorming Process

Stage 1: Problem Formation

1. Select the problem — Clearly agree on the issue to brainstorm.
2. Restate the problem — Use "How to…" prompts to reframe it and broaden thinking.
3. Select a restatement — Choose one that offers rich possibilities for exploration.

Stage 2: Producing Proposals

4. Warm-up — Start with a fun 2-minute unrelated brainstorming exercise.
5. Generate ideas — Stick to the four principles while collecting ideas rapidly.
6. Use the wildest idea — Pick one absurd idea and challenge the group to build on it.

Stage 3: Evaluation and Selection

7. Evaluate ideas — Group ideas and apply decision criteria (e.g., cost, impact).
8. Select proposals — Identify viable, high-potential solutions to act on.

Trainer Tip: Use a visible board or digital screen to display ideas in real time. This keeps engagement high and encourages collaboration.

What Is Reverse Brainstorming?

Reverse brainstorming flips the original problem into its negative form. Instead of asking “How do we increase participation?” the team explores “How do we ensure no one shows up?”

• Releases pent-up frustration or negativity
• Reveals hidden obstacles to success
• Triggers fresh, unexpected ideas

Example

If you want to improve training attendance, reverse brainstorming would ask: “How do we ensure nobody attends?” Suggestions might include using a boring trainer, scheduling during lunch, or eliminating refreshments. Once these are listed, simply reverse them to uncover improvement strategies.