Generate various ideas in just a few minutes — Brainwriting technique
Do you know the feeling of being inspired by other people’s ideas and crazy visions? You imagine them or even more, you’re ready to put them into practice. There is nothing more exciting than that!
Sharing ideas and discussing them together with your colleagues is part of building projects/products. This way, you come up with new solutions or ways of solving problems. In this process, it’s crucial to boost creativity in your team and let people think more freely. There is no single rule for generating innovative ideas. Different methods turn out to be better for different teams. But it’s all about trying them out and checking what works best for you! There is a wide range of techniques you can use. In this article, I want to take a closer look at Brainwriting which I have carried out many times in my work (especially nowadays when most of us work remotely). I’ll tell you why.
✔ Participants create ideas simultaneously and as a result, generate various ideas in a short period of time. How? Instead of discussing ideas out loud, they write them down on paper (or online) for a few minutes. Then each participant passes their ideas to someone else who creates new ones or builds on ideas that have already been shared.
✔ In this way, everyone has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts.
✔ While the session is generally carried out in silence, each participant is still stimulated by seeing other ideas.
✔ Moreover, this exercise provides comfort to shy and introverted people.
✖ There may be some cases when people find it difficult to express their ideas in writing. If the problem you are trying to solve is very complex, it’s better to choose a different brainstorming or ideation technique that allows for an open discussion.
✖ If you form a team, traditional brainstorming could be a better choice. People are more familiar with this technique and it’s a great team-building exercise.
How to run a Brainwriting session? 💡
I have come across several versions of Brainwriting. All of them have many things in common, but there is one I find most useful. Sometimes, for the needs of the workshop, I slightly modify it.
First, some basic information…
How many people can participate?
There is no limit. I usually organize this workshop for a maximum 7–10 people though.
Time: 1–2 hrs*
* depending on the process complexity
Before the meeting preparation:
- Goal/problem statement — What goal are you going to achieve? What problem do you want to solve? I recommend using the form “How might we…”
- Point of view — Who’s problem are you solving? Who are you building the solution for?
Make sure that everyone:
- is aware of the goal/problem statement and point of view,
- has access to the agenda of the workshops,
- has access to online tools.
Version 1 in-house workshops:
- sticky notes (could be in different colors),
- markers.
Version 2 remote workshops:
- online whiteboard or any tool you like (I usually use miro.com),
- application for remote meetings (I use zoom).
Remote workshops require more flexibility and familiarity with the tools you intend to use. But if there’s a will, there’s a way!
How to conduct the workshop in a nutshell
- Introduction to the Brainwriting technique.
- Present the issue/goal you want to focus on.
- Generate ideas:
☝Each round should take 3–5 minutes
☝️The number of rounds is proportional to the number of participants
1️⃣ round, each participant generates an idea
2️⃣ round, each participant creates a new idea or builds on the original idea
3️⃣ round, each participant creates a new idea or responds to the original idea along with additions already made by other participants
🔄 and so on, until the last round when participants come full circle. - Discuss ideas
- Agree on the next actions
- Summary
To get a better understanding, let’s look at the visualization.
To give an illustration of what I mean, let’s take a closer look at this case:
Hope you liked the article and the Brainwriting technique!
Feel free to use the comment section as a place to share your thoughts and experiences 🤝
