Creative Brainstorming …

Innovation tools mentions ways to enrich your brainstorm sessions. I think this could also be added to collaborative learning. I agree strongly to making almost all of them. Have strongly benefitted from Prepare, Metaphor, Draw, Setting a Goal and Making Combinations. I remember clearly how I was curious about how he was studying Metaphors and finally in the end was able to appreciate their powerful use in Story telling aspect of Design.

• Look at Problems in different ways
• Ask them to look at the issue from the perspective of another group –
  accounting, HR, or sales for example.
• Ask them to think about how their
  Grandmother or an 8 year old would solve the problem. These are simple
  ways to force people into a new perspective and the new perspectives
  will generate more ideas.
• Make novel combinations
• Have the group look at the initial list and look for ways to combine the ideas into new ones.
• Force relationships
• Once a group is finished with their initial list, provide them with words, pictures or objects.
• When people have their random word, picture or item, have them create
  connections between the problem and their item. Use questions like,
  “How could this item solve our problem?” What attributes of this item
  could help us solve our problem?”
• Make their thoughts visible
• Have people draw!
• Think in opposites
• Rather than asking your direct problem question, ask the opposite. “How could we ensure no one bought this new product?”
• Think metaphorically
• This approach is similar to
  forcing relationships (and is another way to use your words, pictures
  or items). Pick a random idea/item and ask the group, “How is this item
  like our problem?”
• Metaphors can be a very powerful way to create new
  ideas where none existed before.
• Prepare
• Too often people are asked to brainstorm a
  problem with no previous thinking time
• If people have time to think
  about a topic, and let their brains work on it for awhile, they will
  create more and better ideas.
• Set a Goal
• Research shows and my experience
  definitely confirms that the simple act of giving people a quantity
  goal before starting the brainstorming session will lead to a longer
  list of ideas to consider.