Brainstorming is a common technique used in groups to generate new ideas and solutions to problems.
It involves a group discussion where participants are encouraged to freely share any ideas that come to mind on a topic. The goal is to leverage the collective knowledge and creativity of the group by building on each other's ideas.
Brainstorming has some limitations.
It can lead to groupthink, where a few loud voices dominate the discussion. Shy or introverted participants may feel uncomfortable sharing their ideas in small groups. The rapid free flow of ideas can need more organisation and depth of thought.
Brainwriting offers an alternative group ideation method that may help overcome some of the limitations of brainstorming.
In brainwriting, participants write their ideas individually on paper or post-it notes. The ideas are then passed around for others to read and build upon by adding their thoughts.
This process continues as the papers circulate the group. Some key advantages of brainwriting are:
It encourages contribution from everyone, not just the loudest voices. Introverts have an equal opportunity to share ideas.
Since ideas are written down, they can be developed in more depth and detail than shouting out quick thoughts verbally.
Seeing ideas in writing allows participants to connect concepts and leverage ideas to create new solutions.
More ideas are generated since everyone thinks in parallel rather than waiting for their turn to speak.
Less social pressure and evaluation during the generative process allow for more creativity.
Ideas can be organized into categories and analyzed systematically after the initial brainwriting.
While brainstorming will likely continue to be a popular group ideation technique, brainwriting offers potential benefits regarding broader participation, idea depth, and organisation.The structured process may lead to more robust ideas and solutions. Brainwriting is an effective alternative to traditional brainstorming when a diversity of perspectives and willingness to dig deeper into ideas is needed.
Here is how to run a brainwriting session : https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2013/12/using-brainwriting-for-rapid-idea-generation/