Chapter 11Brainwriting with Related Stimuli
T
he group activities in this chapter produce ideas using silent, written idea generation
with stimuli related to the problem. Ideas typically are written on Post-it®Notes and
then retained for evaluation or shared with other group members to help prompt new
ideas. These activities may not produce ideas as unique as ideas generated using unrelat-
ed stimuli. However, the right combination of group members can spark ideas regardless
of the stimuli used.
As with other brainwriting activities, some activities in this chapter require group
members to share their ideas, whereas others involve no sharing. (Activities in this chap-
ter that do not involve sharing during idea generation include Group Not [83], Organiza-
tional Brainstorms [87], and Your Slip Is Showing [90].) Research suggests that sharing
should produce more ideas and higher-quality ideas (VanGundy, 1993).
Brainwriting, with or without sharing, may be one of the best ways to guarantee large
numbers of ideas in a group. When compared to conventional brainstorming activities,
the Brain Purge activity [82] described in this chapter has been found to be especially use-
ful for increasing idea quantity in groups. Research by VanGundy (1993) has shown that
Brain Purge groups generate four times as many ideas as conventional brainstorming
groups. And, as you may know, idea quantity is often linked directly to idea quality.
So what makes brainwriting so special? Brainwriting activities compensate for a seri-
ous deficiency of most brainstorming groups. Specifically, only one person can generate
ideas at a time during brainstorming. This is known as “production blocking.” Brainwrit-
ing overcomes production blocking by enabling all group members to generate ideas at
the same time since they all are writing down ideas—more or less—at the same time.
Most brainwriting activities also are simple and easy to use. What more could you
want in a group activity? After all, the objective of most idea generation sessions is to
think of lots of ideas.
Unfortunately, the downside of brainwriting is that most people enjoy the social satis-
faction that accompanies brainstorming. In brainstorming groups, productivity often
takes a back seat to satisfaction of social needs. So what to do? Use both brainstorming
and brainwriting. They complement each other nicely.NOTE: FOR ALL ACTIVITIES, REMIND PARTICIPANTS
TO DEFER JUDGMENT WHILE GENERATING IDEAS.LLLL
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