NOMINAL GROUP

TECHNIQUE &
BRAINSTORMING
 DEFINITION

Nominal group technique (NGT) is defined as a structured method for

group brainstorming that encourages contributions from everyone and
facilitates quick agreement on the relative importance of issues,
problems or solutions. NGT combines the importance ratings of
individual group members into the final weighted priorities of the
group
 REQUIREMENT OF NGT

 Some group members are much more vocal than others

 Some group members think better in silence
 There is concern about some members not participating
 The group does not easily generate quantities of ideas
 Some or all group members are new to the team
 The issue is controversial or there is heated conflict
 STEPS IN NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE
(Materials needed: Paper and pencil for each individual, flipchart and marking pens)

 State the problem or issue that is the subject and ensure that everyone understands
 Each team member silently thinks of solutions/ ideas that come to mind and
writes them down in a set period of time (5 -10 min)
 Each member states aloud one idea which is recorded by the facilitator on the
flipchart
 No discussion is allowed, not even questions for clarification.
 Ideas given do not need to be from the team members' written lists
 STEPS IN NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE
(Continued)

 A member may "pass" his or her turn and may then add an idea on a subsequent
turn
 Continue around the group until all members pass or until an agreed-upon length
of time.
 Discuss each idea in turn. Ideas may be stricken from the list only by unanimous
agreement or when there are duplicates.
 Discussion may clarify meaning, explain logic or analysis, raise and answer
questions, or state agreement or disagreement
 The group may also combine ideas into categories
 Prioritize the recorded ideas using multivoting or list reduction
 Typically, the solution with the highest total ranking is selected as the final
decision
 NGT CONSIDERATIONS

 The primary purpose of the discussion is clarification, not to resolve

differences of opinion
 Discussion should be equally balanced among all ideas
 Keep all ideas visible
 When ideas overflow to additional flipchart pages, post previous
pages around the room so all ideas are still visible to everyone
 BRAINSTORMING
 Combines a relaxed, informal approach to problem solving with lateral thinking
 It encourages people to generate thoughts and ideas that can be crafted into
original, creative solutions to a problem, while others can spark even more ideas
 Criticizing or rewarding ideas is avoided since the aim is to open up possibilities
and break down the problem's limits
 Judgment and analysis at this stage stunts idea generation and limit creativity
 Ideas are evaluated at the end of the session – this is the time to explore solutions
further using conventional approaches
 NEED FOR BRAINSTORMING
 Conventional group problem solving can often be undermined by unhelpful group
behavior leading to development of limited and unimaginative ideas
 By contrast, brainstorming provides a free and open environment that encourages
everyone to participate.
 Unconventional ideas are welcomed and built upon, and all participants are
encouraged to contribute fully, helping them develop a rich array of creative
solutions
 Brings team members' diverse experience into play and increases the richness of
ideas
 Helps buy-in from team members for the solution by encouraging team bonding,
as they solve problems in a positive, rewarding environment
 Important to approach it with an open mind and a spirit of non-judgment
 INDIVIDUAL BRAINSTORMING
 Several studies have shown that individual brainstorming produces more
– and often better – ideas than group brainstorming
 Groups aren't always strict in following the rules of brainstorming, and
bad behaviors creep in
 People pay much attention to other people that they don't generate ideas
of their own – or they forget these ideas while they wait for their turn to
speak
 In individual brainstorming one doesn't have to worry about other
people's egos or opinions and can be freer and more creative
 However, wider experience of other group members does have it’s
advantages
 GROUP BRAINSTORMING
 Experience and creativity of all team members utilized and ideas
developed in greater depth than with individual brainstorming
 Helps everyone feel that they've contributed to the solution and great
for team building
 Unusual suggestions may appear to lack value at first sight should not
be crushed and stifle creativity
 Participants should come from a wide range of disciplines which can
make the session more creative
 Goups of five to seven people are usually most effective
 Brainstorming STEPS
Step 1: Prepare the Group
 Set up a comfortable meeting environment for the session
 Prep is important, but too much can limit the freewheeling nature of
a session
 A diverse group from a wide range of disciplines and include people
who have a variety of different thinking styles
 One person not necessarily the team manager appointed to record
the ideas that come from the session
 If people aren't used to working together, an appropriate warm-up
exercise, or an icebreaker can be used
 BRAINSTORMING STEPS

Step 2: Present the Problem

 Clearly define the problem and lay out any criteria that you must
meet
 Make it clear that that the meeting's objective is to generate as many
ideas as possible
 Give people plenty of quiet time at the start of the session to write
down as many of their own ideas as they can
 Ask them to share their ideas, while giving everyone a fair
opportunity to contribute
 BRAINSTORMING STEPS
Step 3: Guide the Discussion
 Once everyone has shared their ideas build on others' ideas which is
one of the most valuable aspects of group brainstorming
 Encourage everyone to contribute and to develop ideas, including the
quietest people, and discourage anyone from criticizing ideas
 Stick to one conversation at a time, and refocus the group if people
become sidetracked
 let everyone have fun while brainstorming. Welcome creativity and
use thought experiments such as Provocation or Random Input to
generate some unexpected ideas
 Don't follow one train of thought for too long
 If the brainstorming session is lengthy, take plenty of breaks so that
people can continue to concentrate
 TAKING BRAINSTORMING FURTHER
 Stepladder Technique – This improves the contribution of quieter
group members by introducing one person at a time.
 Brainwriting – This is a written approach that used to encourage
all individuals to generate and develop ideas.
 Online Brainstorming (or Brain-netting) – An electronic method
of brainstorming using a a central server or Cloud-based system
 Crawford's Slip Writing Approach – Used to get plenty of ideas
from all participants, and to get a view of each idea's popularity.
 THE NEXT STEP- TAKING ACTION
 Analyzing these ideas is an important next step and several tools can
be used for this
 Affinity Diagrams to organize ideas and find common themes.
 Decision Matrix Analysis and Paired Comparison Analysis
will help you choose between different options.
 Six Thinking Hats technique to look at ideas from different
perspectives
 Modified Borda Count and Multi-Voting can help choose
between options as a team
THANK YOU