Brain Storming: Making

the impossible possible

Presentation by
David Young

10/23/09 David Young 1

What will be covered
• Definition of Brainstorming
• Different types of Brain Storming
• Ways to create effective
Brainstorming
• How Brainstorming can be used in
your company

10/23/09 David Young 2

What will be covered
cont.
• Brainstorming in Real World
applications
• Brainstorming exercise
• Summary
• Bibliography

10/23/09 David Young 3

What is Brain Storming
• A sudden clever Plan or idea,
violent disturbance of the mind (
http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/b/b0449500.html)

10/23/09 David Young 4

How can Brainstorming
help your organization
• Bring out new ideas

• Help to create synergism

• Encourage possibility thinking

10/23/09 David Young 5

How Brainstorming can be
used in your company.

• Executive buy in

• Eliminate bias by creating a

diversified groups

10/23/09 David Young 6

Types of Brainstorming
• Individual
• Don’t have to worry about any one
else's opinion

• Group
• Builds team unity
• Helps to create thinking outside the
box

10/23/09 David Young 7

Ways to create effective
Brainstorming
• Present issue and outline ground
rules
• Creates more effective use of time

• Allows individuals in the group to start

thinking about the real issue

(Smith, Kerri Page 1)

10/23/09 David Young 8
Ways to create effective
Brainstorming cont
Four Rules of Brainstorming
1. Stress quantity over quality
2. Freewheeling should be
encouraged
3. Suspend judgment
4. Ignore seniority
• Brainstorming (Organizational Behavior, Fifth
Edition, by Robert Kreitner and Angelo Kiniki, pp
361-362)

10/23/09 David Young 9

Ways to create effective
Brainstorming cont.
• Reward group for coming up
with solution or new idea
• Money talks
• Time off

• Make it an “experience”

10/23/09 David Young 10

Ways to create effective
Brainstorming cont.
• Create an effective atmosphere

– Leave work premises

– Take routine away from the

situation

10/23/09 David Young 11

Importance of
Brainstorming
• Increases ability to figure out
different ways which to cure a
problem

• Allows opportunity for

synergism within a company

10/23/09 David Young 12

A CASE STUDY: THE DETROIT
NEWS' DRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE

• Issues Detroit News was

working on
– 1995 newspaper strike
– afternoon home-delivery cycle in a
competitive market
– really hadn't been able to fully capitalize
on our ability to sell single-copy
newspapers in the morning
(Silverman, Mark)

10/23/09 David Young 13

A CASE STUDY: THE DETROIT NEWS'
DRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE Cont

• Detroit News developes 3

group’s to come up with
solutions
1. Marketing
2. Circulation
3. Community groups

10/23/09 David Young 14

A CASE STUDY: THE DETROIT NEWS'
DRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE Cont

• Came up with some goals to

help take care of the issues
1. First focus on a.m. single-copy
readership.
2. Second, we needed to better cover the
places where two-thirds of our readers
and potential readers lived: the suburbs.
3. Third, we needed to increase readership
among women, especially younger
women.

10/23/09 David Young 15

Brainstorming Exercise
Exercises to choose from
1. Group Brainstorming
2. Nominal Group Technique
3. Brain writing Technique
Utah State University, masters program

10/23/09 David Young 16

Group Brainstorming
1. Evaluation of ideas not
permitted
2. Encourage wild ideas
3. Quantity of ideas preferred
over quality
4. Build on ideas of others

10/23/09 David Young 17

Nominal Group technique
1. Divide assembled group’s into
smaller group’s 5-6

2. Present open ended question

3. Each person brainstorm

independently (Sample, A. John)

10/23/09 David Young 18

Nominal Group technique:
Alternative Cont.
4. Share each other’s ideas in
round robin fashion (no criticism)
5. Evaluate each idea individually
and vote (anonymously)
6. Share votes with group
7. Group’s present solution to
ideas (Sample, A John)

10/23/09 David Young 19

Brain Writing Technique
1. Ideas generated in silent group
and record on paper
2. Pass ideas to the left
3. Take ideas receive and try to
build on them (MHHR 6650 Utah
State)

10/23/09 David Young 20

Brain writing technique
cont.
4. Pass ideas to the left
5. Continue until your original
sheet returns to you
6. Build final List of ideas based on
experience(MHHR 6650 Utah State)

10/23/09 David Young 21

Summary
• Brain Storming is effective when
done right
• Can help to create unity
• Helps to take routine away from
the office
• New ideas get generated for
possible solutions

10/23/09 David Young 22

Bibliography
• Robert Kreitner and Angelo Kiniki Brainstorming
Organizational Behavior, Fifth Edition, New York
2001 by, pp 361-362)
• Wilson, Brad. April 21, 2003 P.H.R Young and Young
of Idaho, Inc.
http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c010401a.
asp Smith, Kerri, pg 1.
• MHR 6650: Team and Interpersonal Effectiveness.
Utah State University Masters Program , 2003.
• http://www.gannett.com/go/newswatch/99/july/nw07
23-1.htm Mark Silverman, Publisher and Editor, and
Jennifer Carroll, Managing Editor, The Detroit News

10/23/09 David Young 23

Bibliography Cont.
• Sample John A. Executive Director
Professional Development Specialist
Tallahassee, Florida. Journal of Extension March
1984 Volume 22 Number 2 . http: //www.
joe.org/joe/1984march/iw2.html

10/23/09 David Young 24