The Truth about Brainstorming
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQvqkadg9JI
The Business Week article entitled "The Truth About Brainstorming" got me thinking...
Reflecting back on the brainstorming that we did in class within our project groups was difficult. At the beginning, we were all uncomfortable sharing ideas because innovation is new to all of us. No one wanted to seem stupid or over the top, so very few innovative ideas were shared. When we got the big piece of paper and started to write down ideas and draw, things got a bit more creative but we were not stepping out of our boundaries. In fact, at one point, there was a high level of criticism within the group. Some members would very quickly shoot down the ideas of others to the point where they just gave up. It was really intimidating and bred little to no innovative ideas that we used. Group brainstorming is kind of a vulnerable activity. In a setting like Notre Dame, everyone seems to be competing to have the best and brightest idea. There are nay-sayers everywhere and it is hard to feel like a member of the group.
That said, this article was right on the money. So many times in rigid organizations, there is this artificial push to encourage creativity. That is kind of how I think we felt in our group. We were trying to step out of the box of solo work and enter a realm of group creative cohesion. Eventually, we did achieve group harmony and every member's ideas were used. It was not until we learned to lay back and let brainstorming happen that we let down our guards to be open to all ideas. Interestingly, I think that because we were not being watched closely by the Professor, we did not have such a need to come up with the best idea. We could work through a number of ideas to reach a final conclusion.
This takes me back to younger years in parochial school where we were forced to brainstorm in Language Arts class. I recall reading a story and immediately after, we would have some activity relating to the story. I cringed when it was a brainstorming activity. I could never think of ANYTHING important to say and never felt a creative energy in the activity. I felt like I was being forced to make my mind work over time and come up with great ideas on the spot. So many times I would just state the obvious and that would be that. I think that teachers could use a bit of schooling on brainstorming and maybe that article would be beneficial.
The Business Week article entitled "The Truth About Brainstorming" got me thinking...
Reflecting back on the brainstorming that we did in class within our project groups was difficult. At the beginning, we were all uncomfortable sharing ideas because innovation is new to all of us. No one wanted to seem stupid or over the top, so very few innovative ideas were shared. When we got the big piece of paper and started to write down ideas and draw, things got a bit more creative but we were not stepping out of our boundaries. In fact, at one point, there was a high level of criticism within the group. Some members would very quickly shoot down the ideas of others to the point where they just gave up. It was really intimidating and bred little to no innovative ideas that we used. Group brainstorming is kind of a vulnerable activity. In a setting like Notre Dame, everyone seems to be competing to have the best and brightest idea. There are nay-sayers everywhere and it is hard to feel like a member of the group.
That said, this article was right on the money. So many times in rigid organizations, there is this artificial push to encourage creativity. That is kind of how I think we felt in our group. We were trying to step out of the box of solo work and enter a realm of group creative cohesion. Eventually, we did achieve group harmony and every member's ideas were used. It was not until we learned to lay back and let brainstorming happen that we let down our guards to be open to all ideas. Interestingly, I think that because we were not being watched closely by the Professor, we did not have such a need to come up with the best idea. We could work through a number of ideas to reach a final conclusion.
This takes me back to younger years in parochial school where we were forced to brainstorm in Language Arts class. I recall reading a story and immediately after, we would have some activity relating to the story. I cringed when it was a brainstorming activity. I could never think of ANYTHING important to say and never felt a creative energy in the activity. I felt like I was being forced to make my mind work over time and come up with great ideas on the spot. So many times I would just state the obvious and that would be that. I think that teachers could use a bit of schooling on brainstorming and maybe that article would be beneficial.
posted by MCMcD at
9:28 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home