Think About the Questions, Not the Answers During the Brainstorming Session.
It is easy to think that during your brainstorming session you have to make a list of possible solutions. At 99u, they offer the opposite approach: come up with new questions.
Instead of thinking about what needs to be solved, think about what questions are not being asked. 99u outlines a group approach to doing this, which is a little silly, but also applies to small, disorganized gatherings:
- Designate a session leader.
- The session moderator identifies the area in which to ask questions (for example, “The Future of Mobile Photography”).
- The team spends 10 minutes asking as many questions as possible (questions can start with “What is blocking …”, “What is stopping …” or “Why …”)
- The team spends another 10 minutes pairing up to share their questions and improve them.
- The couples then spend the last five minutes prioritizing the questions and presenting them to the team.
- The team picks three favorites to explore.
When you’re done, you should have a list of different approaches to a similar problem, and with the right question at hand, you’ll move further along the path to a solution.