Brain attack. Types of brain attacks. Topic: Brainstorming. Brainstorming concept

As a technology that allows you to get new ideas for business, it was developed in 1953 by the American inventor, psychologist and entrepreneur A. Osborne. This type of organized group discussion has proven to be quite effective in generating original ideas.

Long before Osborne, a similar strategy was used on sailing ships. In difficult, dangerous situations, a ship council was convened, at which everyone spoke in order. Moreover, the proposal for a solution to the problem was first put forward by the cabin boy, and then, with increasing rank, it was the captain’s turn. The ideas presented were discussed, and the best were selected for implementation.

Brain attack. What's the point?

The essence of “brainstorming” lies in the “spontaneous” (as the name suggests) destruction of existing stereotypes, the creation of completely new solutions and templates.

Thanks to the group form of interaction between participants brainstorming Everyone gets the opportunity to speak.

A brain attack, depending on the type, has 2-3 stages:

Promotion of ideas (any suggestions, thoughts are possible, even fantastic ones). Any criticism is prohibited.
Discussion of the proposals made. Selection, ranking best ideas.
Selecting the best idea / generating a new one based on a list of the best thoughts.

Advantages and disadvantages of the brainstorming strategy

How to avoid disadvantages by using brainstorming? Take into account the psychological characteristics of students, form groups of children of different levels of educational readiness, and clearly plan the directions of the search.

Types of brainstorming

There are several types of brainstorming/brainstorming (BS):

classic/straight (description above);
shadow;
back;
combined;
individual;
shuttle;
MSh on the board;
"solo";
visual;
brainwriting.

Characteristics of types of brainstorming, examples of their use

Reverse brainstorming

Students are presented with a sample of completed work with a certain number of shortcomings and shortcomings. The task of the discussion participants:

find flaws,
develop a plan/project new job, where the shortcomings will be eliminated.

For example, children are given an unsuccessful example of a birdhouse. Together they will determine what the master’s mistakes are and develop a drawing of the “correct” birdhouse.

In a geography lesson, students are given a model of an area, a topographic map of the same area with erroneous placement of objects. Offered short story about a lost girl who needed to use a map to walk from the forest to the river, etc. Why did the girl get lost? Find errors in the markings on the map and draw up a correct map of the area.

Shadow MS

The existence of this type of brainstorming is due to psychological characteristics individual students who are not able to show their creative abilities during a discussion. In this case, the class is divided into two groups: active, shadow. The active group generates ideas, the representatives of the “shadow cabinet” are silent, observe from the sidelines, and record in writing their own proposals that arise during the discussion.

The next step is that the entries from both groups are transferred to experts, who select the best ideas, improve the ones they like, or develop new ones based on the proposals provided.

Combined MS

Forward, backward, and shadow brainstorming can be used in various combinations.

To activate and strengthen the mental activity of participants, use double direct brainstorming. Work on one problem is carried out in two lessons, the interval between them should be several days. Between the first and second direct brainstorming, the subconscious mind continues to generate ideas.

A combination of backward and forward brainstorming used to analyze completed work, identify its shortcomings at the first stage, and develop a fundamentally new project at the second stage.

Individual brainstorming

Individual brainstorming is similar to collective direct brainstorming. One person generates and writes down their own ideas (4-9 min.). It is advisable to do the analysis and selection of the best ideas within a few days.

This method can be combined with group brainstorming. First stage: recording your own ideas on the problem - as homework before the lesson, where a group discussion of the same issue is planned (second stage).

Shuttle MSh

This type of brainstorming is designed for people whose critical abilities do not allow them to develop their own ideas. Taking these features into account, the class is divided into groups. One group, having developed its proposals, passes them on to a group of “critics.” After processing and improving the most promising ideas, the task is further defined and transferred again to the first group. This exchange of ideas can be done in a classroom setting.

MSh on the board

Ideal for the goal-setting stage of a lesson on the Federal State Educational Standard. The teacher asks leading questions, students express their assumptions about the topic, objectives of the lesson, ways to achieve them, points of the work plan. The teacher records the results of the brainstorming on the board.

"Solo"

This type of brainstorming can be either individual or group. The teacher asks a global question, information on which students will collect throughout the entire period of studying a certain topic in the textbook. Children record ideas and suggestions that arise on special cards / in a notebook. You can launch an “assault” at the beginning of the topic, and discuss the results at the end.

Visual MS

The essence of the method is sketching emerging ideas. Example: students are offered a saying that most fully reflects the essence/problem of the lesson.

First stage: Children in groups discuss the meaning of the phrase, make an illustration for it, putting into it their understanding of the problem. It could be a collage of ideas.

Second stage: representatives of each group come to the board, show their sketches, and give reasons for this depiction of the saying.

Third stage: ideas containing the best proposals are jointly put forward and a general sketch is made.

Brainwriting

The principle of brainwriting technology differs from direct brainstorming in that all participants write down an idea on a piece of paper, then each passes their piece of paper to the next one, who reads and adds his thought that arose after reading. The entire process should take no more than 15 minutes. Discussion and criticism of ideas begins only after the last entry.

Using a brainstorming strategy in accordance with the new Federal State Educational Standard is completely justified. Technology develops student independence, cognitive activity, and increases learning motivation. Are used different shapes work: individual, group, collective. The use of brainstorming is possible at any stage of the lesson, if this type of work contributes to achieving the goal.

Information sources

1) Innovative pedagogical technologies. Active learning. Panfilova A.P.
2) Popova M.N. "Techniques and strategies in pedagogical technologies at various stages of the lesson. Brainstorming" http://nsportal.ru/ https://goo.gl/N6BWhb

the possibility of maximizing the realization of one’s creative potential, therefore, the basis of the brainstorming method is the assumption that reducing a person’s criticality towards one’s capabilities optimizes the conditions for creativity. In the initial period of creativity, many inventors and scientists spend considerable effort trying to drown out the voice of the inner critic (while a work of creative thought is still “in an embryonic” state, it may look unattractive even in the eyes of its creator).

Reducing criticality during the brainstorming process is achieved in two ways. The first is a direct instruction: be free, creative, original, suppress criticism of yourself and your ideas, and do not be afraid of the assessment of others. The purpose of the instruction is to change the internal position, the attitude of the individual in relation to his abilities. The second way is to create favorable external conditions: sympathy, support and approval of partners. The presenter makes special efforts to create a special inviting atmosphere. In such an environment, internal control weakens and inclusion in the creative process becomes easier. After all, sometimes one critical remark is enough for an interesting, but risky proposal to be replaced on the fly by another - proven, but uninteresting. In a brainstorming session, not only does it make it easier to overcome internal barriers for individual group members, its advantage is that it opens up the possibility of switching to someone else’s logic - the logic of a neighbor, thus, the creative potentials of all participants in the attack are, as it were, summed up.

During the training, participants acquire the ability to argue kindly, listen, ask questions, encourage, and criticize. Very often people cannot separate what they actually see from what they are determined to see under the pressure of their prejudice, so we need to teach a person to observe with an open mind and as objectively as possible. Along with the development of observation, the ability for self-observation also improves and at the same time the attitude towards oneself becomes more objective.

In a brainstorming session, each participant freely puts forward his proposals for solving the problem under consideration, while criticism is completely prohibited.

The method not only helps to overcome thought patterns, but also removes social and subordination prohibitions that each person imposes on their statements during normal conversation! When working in a group, it is easier to see flaws in attack partners' ideas than in your own. The member of the group who is formulating the current proposal, whose attention is fully occupied, may not notice or appreciate the hint of a solution contained as a minor detail in his proposal. Another, watching from the side, finds himself in a more favorable conditions. For him, these minor details act as a hint to the desired solution, and he can use it when analyzing the quality of the proposal and improving it.

Since the basic rules of brainstorming exclude any criticism, each participant is convinced that any idea can be expressed without fear of being considered funny or untenable. During the work, the leader asks questions and in every possible way encourages the unbridled association of group members. The facilitator's questions should be phrased in a way that breaks the ice and encourages participants to start talking, for example: “Do you fully agree with this idea?” The presenter asks the participants to reformulate their statements in such a way as to turn them from evaluative into meaningful: “This is not just good, but good because...” The more wild (unlikely) the idea is proposed, the more encouragement it receives from the presenter. The number of ideas should be as large as possible; during the attack, everyone is allowed to combine, modify and improve the ideas expressed by other participants in any way they like. Usually, before a participant begins to present an amendment, addition, or development of the previous comrade’s idea, the facilitator recommends briefly repeating his idea and asking whether he was understood correctly. Mutual encouragement contributes to the birth of many proposals; their interaction often gives rise to new ideas that none of the participants would have thought of on their own.

the group is more heterogeneous in composition. The group form of work makes the internal barriers of individual group members more vulnerable and less stable. Having different life and professional experiences, different settings and personal taboos, they ask each other questions that they could not ask themselves, being limited by their own internal barriers and attitudes. Thus, in the conditions of a group attack, contradictions in reasoning and logical errors of individual participants are quickly discovered and overcome.

The lesson is conducted as follows. The placement of participants in the brainstorming session is deliberate, as it has a significant impact on their activity, unity and integrity in the work of the group. For those sitting at the back or on the edge, it is more difficult to join the general conversation, so it is advisable to place the participants facing each other. The facilitator then poses a problem to the group and asks group members to suggest how they can more options decisions without prior thought in a short period of time. The attack time ranges from several minutes to an hour. Not a single one of the proposed options is criticized, but, on the contrary, is encouraged in every possible way, and the promotion of unusual and even completely unrealistic ideas is stimulated. The speaking time for each participant is, as a rule, no more than 1–2 minutes; you can speak many times, but preferably not in a row. All speeches are recorded as accurately as possible, all proposals, including the most valuable ideas, are the fruits of collective labor and are not personalized. Brainstorming usually ends when the flow of suggestions dries up.

In classes, they also use special techniques for activating thinking: lists test questions, dissection, presentation of the problem to a non-specialist. Using a list, the search is guided by leading questions. For each special area, a list of various questions is compiled, each participant in the attack asks himself sequentially in the process of solving the problem, which activates his thought, allowing him to turn and consider the question with different sides. Answering questions from the list sometimes allows you to find a way out of an impasse. Here are typical questions: “What if we do the opposite? What if we replace this task with another? What if you change the shape of an object? What if we take another material?

Why else can this product (unit, material) be used exactly in the form in which it is now? What about changes (if you make it bigger, smaller, stronger, weaker, heavier, lighter, etc.)? In combination with something else? Is it possible to rearrange, combine, replace?”

Dissection involves four sequential steps. First, all the components of the structure to be improved are recorded on separate cards. Then on each page the maximum number is listed sequentially. characteristic features relevant part. After this, it is necessary to evaluate the meaning and role of each feature for the functions of this part (should they remain unchanged from the point of view of the implementation of their functions) and emphasize different colors those characteristics that cannot be changed at all, those that can be changed within given limits, and those that can be changed within any limits. Finally, all cards are laid out on the table at the same time and analyzed as common field application of effort. The essence of the dissection technique lies, from our point of view, in the simultaneous visibility of the entire set of elements to be transformed, that is, in the activation of not only the analytical capabilities of the left hemisphere of the brain, but also the synthetic ones of the right.

When solving a new problem, it can be helpful to seek the opinions of others. The very act of presenting a difficult problem to someone often helps to crystallize thoughts and bring the solution closer. However, if the problem is discussed with specialists, then many details are omitted as understandable in themselves, so it is useful to present the problem to a non-specialist in the field, which forces it to be simplified. A simple statement of the problem clarifies the problem for the author and thereby brings closer the solution, which at first is obscured by technical details.

The attack process encourages the creation of unexpected associations. To do this, they suggest straining your memory and imagining possible connections between the details of this task and other tasks of the same plan, then relax and link the problem being solved with what first comes to mind. Sometimes it seems that the thought that has arisen has absolutely nothing to do with solving a given problem, and only later does it become clear that it is precisely this thought that contains the desired answer.

The conditions of the problem to be solved must necessarily be freed from special terminology and presented in the most generalized form possible, since the terms impose old and unchanged ideas about the object (we have already pointed out the benefit of reformulating the problem in the section on thinking). If in the conditions of the task we're talking about, for example, about increasing the speed of an icebreaker, then the term “icebreaker” immediately limits the range of ideas under consideration: it is necessary to chop, break, destroy the ice. The simple idea that it is not a matter of destroying the ice at all and that the main thing is to move through the ice and not break it, in this case turns out to be beyond the psychological barrier.

During the lesson, the leader presents the problem and asks each group member to express their thoughts on how to solve it, without being embarrassed by putting forward the most incredible assumptions. The manager does not allow any discussion of the merits and demerits of the ideas expressed until the flow of new ideas stops. The group is confident that any idea expressed, no matter how far from the solution and stupid it may turn out to be, can make a certain contribution to clarifying the problem, which, in turn, will bring the solution of the problem closer. It is helpful for the brainstorming leader to have a few appropriate cues ready to guide the group, such as: “Please, now you try. Who else would like to add and complement something, further define it?” It should demonstrate confidence in success, instill optimism in the participants and maintain a relaxed atmosphere. Once the group has exhausted its ideas, a discussion opens to combine and develop the proposed ideas into a coherent whole - a practical solution to the problem at hand.

that his critical abilities were ahead of his constructive ones. Such increased criticality did not allow even his own ideas. In ordinary discussions of problems, creators and critics, when they find themselves together, interfere with each other. In a shuttle brainstorming session, this incompatibility is eliminated by selecting two groups of participants taking into account each person's abilities - for generating ideas and for criticizing. These groups work in different rooms. The brainstorming session begins in the idea generation group, the leader outlines the problem, asks everyone to make suggestions, writes down all the suggestions received, announces a break in this group and passes them on to the criticism group. Critics select the most interesting and promising proposals and, based on them, further define the task, which, after a break, is again proposed to the idea generation group. The work is repeated cyclically until an acceptable result is obtained. A group of just six people can come up with up to 150 ideas in 30 minutes during an attack. A group working by conventional methods would never have come to the idea that the problem it was considering had such a variety of aspects.

The “synectics” technique, close to brainstorming, is a way to stimulate the imagination. Literally, synectics is the joining together of dissimilar elements. A synectics group usually consists of specialists from different fields. The collision of the most unexpected opinions and incredible analogies leads to the expansion of the field of ideas, the birth of new approaches to solving the problem and allows one to go beyond narrow professional capabilities; analogies from other fields of knowledge or fantastic analogies are more often used, in which the problem is solved mentally, as in a fairy tale.

A group working using the synectics method uses various analogies to promote spontaneous thinking: direct, subjective, symbolic and fantastic. Direct analogies are often found in biological systems that solve similar problems. For example, observing a carpenter worm drilling a tubular channel in wood led Brunel to think about the caisson method of constructing underwater structures.

Subjective analogies force you to imagine how you can use your body to achieve the desired result or what a person will feel if he imagines himself as a given detail. With symbolic analogies, the characteristics of one object are identified with the characteristics of another, and fantastic analogies require us to imagine things the way we would like to see them. It is permissible to ignore physical laws, for example the use of anti-gravity. Synectics excites and uses analogies as a means of shifting the process from the level of conscious thinking to the level of subconscious activity.

The brainstorming method is widely used in the USSR. Considerable experience has been accumulated in its use in universities, industry and research organizations. Brainstorming is used both as a method of problem solving and as a method of assimilation of knowledge, since the knowledge and experience of all participants in the discussion become accessible to everyone and can be effectively absorbed during the discussion. As they gain experience in group discussion of problems, participants acquire such useful skills as the ability to briefly and accurately state their position, correctly perceive someone else’s, and the ability to obey given rules of discussion.

Brainstorming method

Brainstorming method(brainstorming, brainstorming, English) brainstorming) - an operational method of solving a problem based on stimulating creative activity, in which discussion participants are asked to express as much as possible large quantity solution options, including the most fantastic ones. Then, from the total number of ideas expressed, the most successful ones are selected that can be used in practice. It is a method of expert assessment.

Stages and rules of brainstorming

1. Formulation of the problem. Preliminary stage. At the beginning of this stage, the problem must be clearly formulated. The participants in the assault are selected, the leader is determined, and other roles of the participants are distributed depending on the problem posed and the chosen method of conducting the assault.

2. Generation of ideas. The main stage on which the success (see below) of the entire brainstorm largely depends. Therefore, it is very important to follow the rules for this stage:

o The main thing is the number of ideas. Don't make any restrictions.

o A complete ban on criticism and any (including positive) evaluation of the ideas expressed, since evaluation distracts from the main task and disrupts the creative spirit.

o Unusual and even absurd ideas are welcome.

o Combine and improve any ideas.

3. Grouping, selecting and evaluating ideas. This stage is often forgotten, but it is what allows you to highlight the most valuable ideas and give the final result of brainstorming. At this stage, unlike the second, evaluation is not limited, but, on the contrary, is encouraged. Methods for analyzing and evaluating ideas can be very different. The success of this stage directly depends on how “equally” the participants understand the criteria for selecting and evaluating ideas.

Brainstorming

participants proposing new options for solving a problem;
members of the commission processing proposed decisions.

A brainstorming session involves a team of several specialists and a facilitator. Before the brainstorming session itself, the facilitator clearly states the problem to be solved. During a brainstorming session, participants express their ideas aimed at solving the problem, both logical and absurd. If people of various ranks or ranks take part in a brainstorming session, then it is recommended to listen to ideas in ascending order of rank, which eliminates the psychological factor of “agreement with superiors.”

During the brainstorming process, as a rule, at first the solutions are not highly original, but after some time, typical, template solutions are exhausted, and the participants begin to have unusual ideas. The facilitator writes down or otherwise records all the ideas that arise during the brainstorming session.

Success

The success of a brainstorming session highly depends on the psychological atmosphere and activity of the discussion, so the role of the facilitator in brainstorming is very important. It is he who can “break the deadlock” and breathe fresh energy into the process.

Alex Osborne, an employee, is considered the inventor of the brainstorming method advertising agency BBD&O.

Brainstorming method

The brainstorming method (brainstorming, brainstorming, English brainstorming) is an operational method of solving a problem based on stimulating creative activity, in which participants in the discussion are asked to express as many possible solutions as possible, including the most fantastic ones. Then, from the total number of ideas expressed, the most successful ones are selected that can be used in practice.

Historically, the first method of searching for ideas that became widespread was the famous brainstorming (also known as brainstorming, also known as brainstorming), created by Alex Osborne (USA) in the 40s of the 20th century.
The problem that Alex Osborne wanted to solve is this: a creative problem involves many possible solutions. In search good decision a person acts far from being as arbitrary as it may seem: as a rule, the search begins in the most familiar, generally accepted direction. An ancient instinct says: act by analogy, act like everyone else. And this is good, because in ordinary, “non-creative” situations it eliminates the need to think again. For example, when you need to buy a given magazine, you, without experiencing creative pangs, take money out of your pocket and buy the magazine.

The complexity of a creative situation is that its solution often lies far beyond ordinary ideas (re-read the example on vodka at the beginning of this article). At the same time, every person has certain “filters” in his head (social, professional, etc.) that do not allow unexpected, original ideas to develop. A person rejects decisions that seem too bold to him - fearing criticism, ridicule from colleagues and superiors, etc. If you remove these filters, then you can, if not improve the quality of ideas, then at least increase their number.

So, Osborne's main idea is simple: to separate the process of generating ideas from their criticism.

Stages and rules of brainstorming

A properly organized brainstorming includes three mandatory stages. The stages differ in organization and rules for their implementation:

1. Statement of the problem. Preliminary stage. At the beginning of the second stage, the problem must be clearly formulated.
2. Generation of ideas. The main stage on which the success (see below) of the entire brainstorm largely depends. Therefore, it is very important to follow the rules for this stage:
* The main thing is the number of ideas. Don't make any restrictions.

Typical mistakes:
1. Mixing storming and meeting

Often the brainstorming procedure is depicted something like this: HR managers have gathered. We sat for a couple of hours and talked in a free atmosphere about motivation. We laughed. And they wrote down 3 ideas on the board.

Thus, a brainstorming is called a kind of cheeky meeting a la gatherings of the creative intelligentsia in a smoking room.

ERROR! Brainstorming is not a meeting, a debate, or a psychotherapy session. The collective proclamation of platitudes at the command of the presenter “Well, comrades, be bold, speak out, we have a brainstorming on the agenda”, by definition, cannot give a new quality of ideas (and this is what is actually required, unless, of course, the issue being discussed is not “ where should we go for the weekend”, but a complex professional problem).

2. A complex task is not divided into simpler ones.

What is often forgotten when solving creative problems: these problems can be very different levels difficulties. Relatively speaking, the 1st level of difficulty (this refers to the well-known classification of creative tasks by the creator of TRIZ G.S. Altshuller): come up with a slogan for a fish kiosk at the market. What if the problem is very complex?

For example, “develop a scenario for the election campaign of a State Duma deputy.” The task clearly breaks down into many non-trivial subtasks: “How to find sponsors?”, “How to organize the work of agitators?” “How to stop the attempts of an opponent supported by the local administration to falsify the voting results?” and so on. If we try to attack this problem in the formulation “How to win elections,” then the result will be something like “stage a coup.”

Brainstorming is likely to be effective in deciding simple tasks"in one or two moves." Solving a more complex problem using this method is only possible under the condition of very strong division into subtasks.

It is clear, however, that in this case the time spent on conducting an assault increases significantly.

3. No warming up.

As we have already written, to start the assault, the Leader’s cheerful exclamation “Be bold, give out your unexpected ideas!” is not enough. Imagine that an assault is being carried out at a certain company. The participants in the assault are tired people, burdened with problems, some of them have just had lunch, others have a headache. Among the participants are both managers and subordinates (it is often written that participants should be approximately equal in status, but in practice this is not always possible). And from the leader, in particular, it is required that for some time the subordinate forgets that he is a subordinate.

In order to “align” the participants, to bring them into the desired emotional state, we need, firstly, an appropriate environment.

Experts advise:

* turn off the lights and carry out the assault by candlelight.
* carry out the assault (if possible) at night, after 24:00.
* before the assault, all participants take 30 grams of good cognac (I'm serious!).

Further, in order for the discussion to “start”, as in sports, a warm-up or warm-up is necessary, the so-called “psychological alignment” of the participants. For this purpose, a certain neutral, simple topic (not related to the main one) is thrown in. For example, it is very easy to provoke a discussion if you start with the question: “What was the name of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin?” Then fifty dollars is taken - and a dollar is distributed for any response from the participant from the seat. According to eyewitnesses, during such a procedure in commercial firms, some participants begin to laugh happily. This is where the main theme begins.

* A complete ban on criticism and any (including positive) evaluation of the ideas expressed, since evaluation distracts from the main task and disrupts the creative spirit.
* Unusual and even absurd ideas are welcome.
* Combine and improve any ideas.
3. Grouping, selection and evaluation of ideas. This stage is often forgotten, but it is what allows you to highlight the most valuable ideas and give the final result of brainstorming. At this stage, unlike the second, evaluation is not limited, but, on the contrary, is encouraged. Methods for analyzing and evaluating ideas can be very different.

Brainstorming

To conduct a brainstorming session, two groups are usually created:

* participants offering new solutions to the problem;
* members of the commission processing the proposed solutions.

There are individual and collective brainstorming sessions.

A brainstorming session involves a team of several specialists and a facilitator. Before the brainstorming session itself, the facilitator makes a clear statement of the problem to be solved. During a brainstorming session, participants express their ideas for solving the problem, both logical and absurd.

In the process of brainstorming, as a rule, at first the solutions are not highly original, but after some time, typical, template solutions are exhausted and the participants begin to have unusual ideas. All ideas are written down by the presenter.

Then, when all the ideas have been expressed, they are analyzed, developed and selected. As a result, the most effective and often non-trivial solution to the problem is found.

4. “Let everyone have their say.”

A number of sources say that before the assault it is necessary to develop strict regulations and adhere to them throughout the entire procedure. That is, either the participants speak in turn, in a circle, passing the word to each other, or the process is led by the presenter, calling the participants by name.

ERROR! According to experts, one of the signs that a brainstorming has started is that people start yelling and interrupting each other. And they shout something like this: “Torn shoe!..”,” Phone booth!”, “Restaurant in the shape of a shoe!” and other incoherences. This just means that the goal of the assault is achieved - the subconscious is penetrated, and the participants spill out distant associations.

So, in this situation, attempts to comply with the regulations will ruin the entire procedure.

Let's remember the program “What? Where? When?" – after all, even there the “experts” start shouting; Imagine what would happen if the team captain gave the floor to each of the experts in turn.

Let me emphasize once again that brainstorming is not carried out in order to obtain the opinion of each of the participants (this is just a meeting); The goal of the assault is to have as many unusual, original ideas as possible. These are significantly different things.

5. Keeping minutes on the board.

A typical “book” recommendation is to write down the ideas you come up with on the board or in a notepad. This is done by an assistant, or by the presenter himself, who also comments on each idea: “A booklet with mold? A bold, unexpected idea!”...

ERROR! Try taking notes when ten people start shouting at the same time. It's almost impossible!

Therefore, recording “by hand” is excluded; only a voice recorder or video recording of the entire procedure will help here.

6. Lack of spare moves.

What to do if the assault, despite diligent warming up, does not start or begins to “go out”? In this case, the Facilitator should have backup techniques ready to help reignite the discussion.

There are many similar methods in the arsenal of professionals.

For example, they use the so-called "provocateurs". Such a provocateur (this is one of the participants in the assault) holds in his hands a list of some arbitrary words, which he periodically shouts: “Mustard! Booklet with mustard! Mold! Booklet with mold! Ciliates!..” - again, with the aim of stimulating distant associations among the participants.

Another possible variant stimulation when the provocateur is a young attractive girl. And when a male participant shouts out an idea, the girl passionately exclaims: “How cool you are, how cool you said it! You're so smart!" and so on.

Other backup options are possible. It is important that they exist.

7. Don’t forget to “turn off” the assault

It is not only important to start the assault, it also needs to be “turned off”.

About 15 years ago, in one of the regions Soviet Union, under the banner of new trends, large-scale creative games– away, crowded, multi-day. And for several days the participants did not eat, did not sleep, and - for some, perhaps for the first time in their lives! – seriously loaded their brain convolutions. So, not everyone could withstand such a load, and several participants literally went crazy. They could no longer get out of this state.

Of course, the likelihood that this will happen during a short brainstorming session is small, but (especially if there are emotionally unstable people among the participants) it is very important at the end of the procedure to gently, carefully bring them out of the state of “creative ecstasy.”

8. Lack of a procedure for analyzing the ideas received.

Let's say the assault is successfully completed and we have received a certain number of more or less adequate ideas.

Of course, 150 ideas is an unrealistic figure (probably, we are talking about the number of all remarks shouted out by the participants). Naturally, there will be significantly fewer articulate ideas. And here comes the stage of criticism, when the most good ideas. At the same time, it is also very important to evaluate the feasibility of each idea. For example, the idea of a booklet with mold is, of course, a whole trend in avant-garde art, but for real purposes it is still irrelevant, and the idea has to be put aside.

10 characteristics of a good brainstorming session:

1. The group can consist of 6-12 people. If there are more participants, it makes sense to split them into two groups; if there are fewer, the effectiveness of brainstorming is likely to be low. Invite to the group different people, they do not all have to be professionals in a given topic, the main thing is that they are bright, interesting, energetic people. Don't invite trolls or lukewarm people.
2. One of the participants (not the leader) is selected as a leader, whose task is to monitor compliance with the rules and remind the participants about them.
3. Another person is selected to capture ideas. All ideas expressed must be written down; no selection is necessary at this stage. At the same time, you can make an audio recording.
4. If group members are unfamiliar with technology, it may be helpful to first conduct a 10-minute warm-up session on a simple topic (designing a bathroom plug) to work out the group's bottlenecks.
5. Any ideas are allowed, even the most ridiculous and funny ones. Statements like “there isn’t enough money”, “the bosses won’t accept”, “consumers won’t buy” and so on are not allowed. There is a complete and unconditional ban on criticism during the session.
6. During the assault, participants relieve themselves of all official powers. In general, it is better for the manager to go to the cinema during this time, and in any case, not to sit at the head of the table and not give grades.
7. There is no need to go deep into the development of the idea expressed; it is enough to formulate it briefly.
8. Duration of the session - 20-30 minutes. It is advisable to end the session with a surge of activity, and not due to its complete decline.
9. At the end of the brainstorming session, the list of ideas is distributed to the participants so that they can add to it with ideas that often continue to arise after the end of the session.
10. Classification, development and evaluation of ideas is done later (and sometimes by a different group).

The most effective of the methods of psychological activation of creativity created abroad is synectics (proposed by V. J. Gordon), which is the development and improvement of the brainstorming method.

During a synectic assault, criticism is acceptable, which allows you to develop and modify the ideas expressed. This assault is led by a permanent group. Its members gradually get used to working together, cease to be afraid of criticism, and are not offended when someone rejects their proposals.

The method uses four types of analogies - direct, symbolic, fantastic, personal.

Types of analogies

1. With direct analogy, the object in question is compared with a more or less similar analogous object in nature or technology. For example, to improve the process of painting furniture, the use of a direct analogy is to consider how minerals, flowers, birds, etc. are colored, or how paper, film, etc. are colored.
2. A symbolic analogy requires formulating a phrase in a paradoxical form that literally reflects the essence of the phenomenon in a nutshell. For example, when solving a problem related to marble, the phrase “rainbow constancy” was found, since polished marble (except white) is all in bright patterns reminiscent of a rainbow, but all these patterns are constant.
3. In a fantastic analogy, it is necessary to imagine fantastic means or characters performing what is required by the conditions of the task. For example, I would like the road to exist where the wheels of a car touch it.
4. Personal analogy (empathy) allows you to imagine yourself as the object being discussed in the problem. In the example of painting furniture, you can imagine yourself as a black sheep who wants to paint. Or, if gear transmission is being improved, then imagine yourself as a gear that rotates around its axis, exposing its sides to the neighboring gear. You need to literally enter “the image” of this gear in order to feel for yourself everything that goes to it, and what inconveniences or overloads it experiences. What does such a transformation give? It significantly reduces the inertia of thinking and allows you to consider the problem from a new point of view.

Among the many methods for generating ideas and developing creative thinking, the brainstorming method (another name) stands out. It is extremely popular all over the world. Using the method allows you to find solutions to complex problems and helps to reveal personal potential. As a rule, the method is used in large teams at meetings when there is a need to find optimal solution one problem or another.

The method was developed in 1930. Its author is the American scientist Alex Osborne. He proposed his methodology to business managers for the most effective planning entrepreneurial activity. In 1953, A. Osborne published the book “Controlled Imagination”, the author described the techniques he developed, and which quickly gained popularity among business managers. Many large businessmen respect the method and successfully practice it, noting increased labor efficiency, increased profits, and the emergence of a large number of new, interesting ideas.

The essence of the method is as follows: employees and managers of the enterprise get together. They are given a problem that needs to be solved. Each group member can offer their own solutions, put forward hypotheses, make assumptions, discuss the results, and challenge the proposals of other participants. As the process progresses, new ideas and proposals begin to emerge.

Alex Osborne

A. Osborne was prompted to create the method by a situation that arose at the enterprise where he worked. The company is faced with a shortage problem creative ideas, although there was sufficient intellectual and creative potential. The scientist began to understand the problem and came to the conclusion that the reason for the current situation is the closed nature of development and adoption management decisions, since only experienced specialists participate in this process. But their train of thought, as a rule, is patterned, although they themselves do not notice it. The remaining employees who do not have the appropriate specialization do not participate in the search for solutions. Osborne proposed allowing non-specialists into the discussion process who could submit non-standard ideas. He also divided the process of working on a problem into two stages: proposing ideas and their analysis and selection. An important condition discussions Osborne believed that there were no restrictions on the creative activity of the participants. This is how the brainstorming method was born.

Types of brainstorming

There are several types of brainstorming: direct, reverse, shadow and individual.

Direct brainstorming is the most common type of method and is used to quickly solve actual problem. It is suitable for discussing the most important issues related to the development of an enterprise, the implementation of new projects, etc. Introducing an element of a business game into ordinary planning sessions and meetings allows you to reveal the intellectual potential of employees. In addition, this method improves the psychological climate in the team.
Reverse brainstorming is effective when a previously made decision turned out to be untenable and you urgently need to come up with another one. During the discussion, participants should actively challenge each other's ideas. Disputes and entry into debate are welcome. The reverse brainstorming method can be used to overcome intractable contradictions that require thorough intervention. Participants in the discussion can make any proposals without restrictions. This approach is very effective.
Shadow Brainstorming is designed for people who cannot be creative in a group. To implement the method, the group of participants is divided into two subgroups. One subgroup actively discusses, expresses ideas and challenges them. The other subgroup does not actively participate in the discussion, but plays the role of observers. Each participant in the second subgroup writes down on paper the ideas that arise in his head under the influence of the work of the active group. A list of ideas come up with both the active and shadow groups is passed on to experts for evaluation, refinement and further development.
An individual brainstorming session is suitable for a person experiencing a professional or creative crisis. The technique is perfect for activating ideas not only in a team, but also in an individual. During an individual approach, a person conducts a dialogue with himself, puts forward the most various ideas, evaluates them himself. This method works quite effectively and helps overcome creative crisis. It can be used as a method for making decisions under time pressure.

How the method is implemented in practice

All work is carried out in three stages:

Preparatory stage. At this stage, preparations are made for brainstorming. First of all, a group leader is selected, who must formulate the tasks and goals of the method, select participants for subsequent stages and resolve all organizational issues. Discussion participants are divided into two groups: “generators” and “analysts”. The first group includes active employees with developed creative thinking. The second group includes experts who are well versed in the topic of discussion. They evaluate the ideas put forward by the first group. In some cases, a third, additional group is created - “counteridea generators”.
Main stage (idea generation). The main stage of work lasts approximately 15-20 minutes. At this time, there is an active search for ideas. The entire brainstorming process takes 1.5-2 hours. All ideas put forward by group members are carefully recorded. During the generation process, the group leader supports the participants in every possible way, trying to activate them as much as possible creative thinking. He can give examples of the craziest ideas to encourage others to join the process.
The final stage (summarizing). At this stage, the collected proposals are presented to a group of “analysts” for analysis, systematization and assessment of their viability. The most interesting and constructive options are selected and a list of them is compiled.

Rules for brainstorming

The optimal number of participants is 6-12 people. It would be good if the group included not only experienced employees, but also young ones who do not yet have rigid thinking patterns. Groups must be mixed and consist of men and women. We must try to ensure that the difference in age and service status of the participants is not too great. It is recommended to occasionally introduce new people into groups who can bring fresh, unconventional ideas.

The number of active and moderate members in the group should be approximately the same. To conduct a brainstorming session, you need to choose a separate room or meeting room where nothing will interfere with the process. It is most convenient to conduct a discussion at a round table.

The leader should try to create a relaxed atmosphere that will allow participants to feel free. You can use humor and other techniques for this. All ideas need to be recorded on paper or recorded on a voice recorder.

The manager also takes part in the process of generating ideas. The leader’s task is to free group members from stereotyped thinking and push them towards creative exploration. Often the process of generating ideas among discussion participants continues after the meeting ends. In this case, the leader should gather the group after a few days and record the ideas they have come up with.

Conditions for a successful brainstorming session

During the discussion, criticism of the ideas put forward is not allowed. Even the most fantastic and unusual idea must be recorded. This helps to activate the thinking of group members. Participants should try to come up with as many sentences as possible.

The essence of the brainstorming method is to free participants from stereotyped thinking and force them to think outside the box. Only in this case will the method be effective. It is not the quality of ideas that matters, but their quantity. In total, a group can generate about 100 ideas in 20 minutes of work. With proper organization of the process, a higher result is possible - 200-250 ideas.

All ideas are written down so that the participants in the discussion can see them. It is most convenient to write them down with markers on large sheets of paper or on a special board. After all the ideas have been collected and written down, group members should be given a break so that they can take a break from mental work. At this stage, work on the task at an unconscious level often continues and a reorganization of ideas may occur.

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

The brainstorming method, like any method of generating ideas, has a number of advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages :

creative thinking is activated;
the process of collective discussion brings group members closer together and teaches them to work effectively in a team;
the process of searching for ideas eliminates laziness, stereotyped thinking, passivity, pushing even the most inactive members towards the creative process;
the method is easy to use, its rules are easy to understand for all participants in the process, in addition, its implementation does not require special equipment and conditions.

Flaws :

due to the encouragement of any, even the most fantastic ideas, group members can move away from the real problem;
Among the options put forward, it can be difficult to find a truly practical option;
the most experienced and active participants can begin to claim leadership and try to promote their ideas as the most productive.

The use of the brainstorming method will help the manager to reveal the intellectual potential of his subordinates and direct it to the search for new, creative ideas that can improve the efficiency of production.

Brain attack

The brainstorming method is a group solution to a creative problem, provided and facilitated by a number of special techniques. Brain attack was proposed in the late 30s as a method aimed at activating creative thought; for this purpose, means are used that reduce a person’s criticality and self-criticism, thereby increasing his self-confidence and demonstrating the mechanisms of the creative act. As you know, the creative effectiveness of most people is determined not only by their talent, but also by the possibility of maximizing their creative potential, therefore the brainstorming method is based on the assumption that reducing a person’s criticality towards their capabilities optimizes the conditions for creativity. In the initial period of creativity, many inventors and scientists spend considerable effort trying to drown out the voice of the inner critic (while a work of creative thought is still “in an embryonic” state, it may look unattractive even in the eyes of its creator).

Reducing criticality during the brainstorming process is achieved in two ways. The first is a direct instruction: be free, creative, original, suppress criticism of yourself and your ideas, and do not be afraid of the assessment of others. The purpose of the instruction is to change the internal position, the attitude of the individual in relation to his abilities. The second way is to create favorable external conditions: sympathy, support and approval of partners. The presenter makes special efforts to create a special inviting atmosphere. In such an environment, internal control weakens and inclusion in the creative process becomes easier. After all, sometimes one critical remark is enough for an interesting, but risky proposal to be replaced on the fly by another - proven, but uninteresting. In a brainstorming session, it not only makes it easier to overcome internal barriers for individual group members, its advantage is that it opens up the possibility of switching to someone else's logic - the logic of a neighbor, thus, the creative potentials of all participants in the attack are, as it were, summed up.

In a brainstorming session, each participant freely puts forward his proposals for solving the problem under consideration, while criticism is completely prohibited.

The method not only helps to overcome thought patterns, but also removes social and subordination prohibitions that each person imposes on their statements during normal conversation! When working in a group, it is easier to see flaws in attack partners' ideas than in your own. The member of the group who is formulating the current proposal, whose attention is fully occupied, may not notice or appreciate the hint of a solution contained as a minor detail in his proposal. The other, watching from the outside, finds himself in more favorable conditions. For him, these minor details act as a hint to the desired solution, and he can use it when analyzing the quality of the proposal and improving it.

The effectiveness of a group’s collective work is influenced not only by its quantitative composition, but also by the experience, work style and profession of each of its members. The psychological barrier of an individual can be overcome more easily if the group is more heterogeneous in composition. The group form of work makes the internal barriers of individual group members more vulnerable and less stable. Having different life and professional experiences, different attitudes and personal taboos, they ask each other questions that they could not ask themselves, being limited by their own internal barriers and attitudes. Thus, in the conditions of a group attack, contradictions in reasoning and logical errors of individual participants are quickly discovered and overcome.

The lesson is conducted as follows. The placement of participants in the brainstorming session is deliberate, as it has a significant impact on their activity, unity and integrity in the work of the group. For those sitting at the back or on the edge, it is more difficult to join the general conversation, so it is advisable to place the participants facing each other. The facilitator then poses a problem to the group and asks group members to propose as many possible solutions as possible without pre-thinking in a short period of time. The attack time ranges from several minutes to an hour. Not a single one of the proposed options is criticized, but, on the contrary, is encouraged in every possible way, and the promotion of unusual and even completely unrealistic ideas is stimulated. The speaking time for each participant is, as a rule, no more than 1–2 minutes; you can speak many times, but preferably not in a row. All speeches are recorded as accurately as possible, all proposals, including the most valuable ideas, are the fruits of collective labor and are not personalized. Brainstorming usually ends when the flow of suggestions dries up.

During classes, special techniques for activating thinking are also used: checklists, dissection, presentation of the problem to a non-specialist. Using a list, the search is guided by leading questions. For each special area, a list of various questions is compiled, each participant in the attack asks himself them sequentially in the process of solving the problem, which activates his thought, allowing him to turn and consider the issue from different angles. Answering questions from the list sometimes allows you to find a way out of an impasse. Here are typical questions: “What if we do the opposite? What if we replace this task with another? What if you change the shape of an object? What if we take another material?

Dissection involves four sequential steps. First, all the components of the structure to be improved are recorded on separate cards. Then, on each one, the maximum number of characteristic features of the corresponding part is sequentially listed. After this, it is necessary to evaluate the meaning and role of each feature for the functions of a given part (should they remain unchanged from the point of view of the implementation of their functions) and highlight in different colors those features that cannot be changed at all, those that can be changed within specified limits, and those that which can be changed within any limits. Finally, all cards are laid out on the table at the same time and analyzed as a common field of effort. The essence of the dissection technique lies, from our point of view, in the simultaneous visibility of the entire set of elements to be transformed, that is, in the activation of not only the analytical capabilities of the left hemisphere of the brain, but also the synthetic ones of the right.

When deciding new task It may be helpful to seek the opinions of others. The very act of presenting a difficult problem to someone often helps to crystallize thoughts and bring the solution closer. However, if the problem is discussed with specialists, then many details are omitted as understandable in themselves, so it is useful to present the problem to a non-specialist in the field, which forces it to be simplified. A simple statement of the problem clarifies the problem for the author and thereby brings closer the solution, which at first is obscured by technical details.

The conditions of the problem to be solved must necessarily be freed from special terminology and presented in the most generalized form possible, since the terms impose old and unchanged ideas about the object (we have already pointed out the benefit of reformulating the problem in the section on thinking). If in the conditions of the problem we are talking, for example, about increasing the speed of an icebreaker, then the term “icebreaker” immediately limits the range of ideas under consideration: it is necessary to chop, break, destroy the ice. The simple idea that the point is not at all about destroying the ice and that the main thing is to move through the ice and not break it, in this case turns out to be beyond the psychological barrier.

During the lesson, the leader presents the problem and asks each group member to express their thoughts on how to solve it, without being embarrassed by putting forward the most incredible assumptions. The manager does not allow any discussion of the merits and demerits of the ideas expressed until the flow of new ideas stops. The group is confident that any idea expressed, no matter how far from the solution and stupid it may turn out to be, can make a certain contribution to clarifying the problem, which, in turn, will bring the solution of the problem closer. It is helpful for the brainstorming leader to have a few appropriate cues ready to guide the group, such as: “Please, now you try. Who else would like to add and complement something, further define it?” It should demonstrate confidence in success, instill optimism in the participants and maintain a relaxed atmosphere. When the group has exhausted its supply of ideas, a discussion opens to combine and develop the proposed considerations into a coherent whole - a practical solution to the problem at hand.

Brainstorming is used not only for learning, but also as a practical technique for solving complex and creative problems. For this purpose it is sometimes modified. One of the modifications is the shuttle method. As you know, some people are more inclined to generate ideas, others - to critically analyze them. For example, the famous physicist P. Ehrenfest constantly suffered from the fact that his critical abilities were ahead of his constructive ones. Such increased criticality did not allow even his own ideas to mature and strengthen. In ordinary discussions of problems, creators and critics, when they find themselves together, interfere with each other. In a shuttle brainstorming session, this incompatibility is eliminated by selecting two groups of participants taking into account each person's abilities - for generating ideas and for criticizing. These groups work in different rooms. The brainstorming session begins in the idea generation group, the leader outlines the problem, asks everyone to make suggestions, writes down all the suggestions received, announces a break in this group and passes them on to the criticism group. Critics select the most interesting and promising proposals and, based on them, further define the task, which, after a break, is again proposed to the idea generation group. The work is repeated cyclically until an acceptable result is obtained. A group of just six people can come up with up to 150 ideas in 30 minutes during an attack. A group working by conventional methods would never have come to the idea that the problem it was considering had such a variety of aspects.

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