It happens to all of us. We reach that dead-end where we simply run out of fresh ideas and we helplessly fumble for solutions that have escaped us. What can we do to get the creative juices flowing again?
One of the best strategies to resolve this dilemma is to use a brainstorming session. The basic technique is easy as 1–2–3:
These brainstorming sessions can be invaluable when trying to come up with fresh, outside the box, ideas so we can work towards an effective solution to a difficult challenge.
Here are five tips to help you make the most of your brainstorming sessions:
1. Get outside input. Instead of going at it alone, get some help.
2. Write down all of your ideas. Even if you come up with some wild ideas, write them down anyway.
3. Be creative and try something different. If you can’t see a solution right away, think of the problem from a fresh perspective. Look at it from a different viewpoint and maybe a new solution will present itself.
Many successful entrepreneurs have a talent for observing people’s wants and needs. Then they find or invent a creative new solution. Watch the world around you and don’t be afraid to experiment with new ideas or unusual solutions.
4. Try combining ideas. Whether you’re brainstorming on your own or as part of a group, you may need to mash different ideas together. Sometimes great ideas are born as twins — in the course of a brainstorming session you might come up with two halves of a perfect solution. Don’t be afraid to look at the results in an unconventional way.
Some people have started their own businesses by combining their love of baking with their love of dogs to produce their own brand of doggie treats. It’s not a conventional pairing, but it’s one that works!
5. Ask questions. This works especially well in group brainstorming sessions. Encourage plenty of questions about everyone’s ideas. Questions can lead to a basic idea being fleshed out into a workable solution, and that, of course, is what a brainstorming session is all about!
Ask questions, discuss, or even debate. Approaching solutions from different perspectives helps you see a larger and more accurate picture.
Acquiring problem-solving skills makes our life so much easier! Use these techniques to brainstorm new ideas and solutions, and you’ll discover new fountains flowing with ideas you never knew existed! Problems can become opportunities in disguise. You just may find yourself going from zero to hero in one short brainstorming session. Try it — you’ll like it!
Roy Clayton.
