Brainstorming is a creative solution-seeking process in response to specific problems. This activity—which can be individual or collaborative—generates diverse perspectives, solutions, and opinions. Expect to leave a brainstorming session with new approaches to try and fresh insights to expand your thinking.

Conducting a brainstorming activity? To record the various ideas that arise during the session, consider using our free template for brainstorming. With a shared document at everyone’s fingertips, you can jot down the wide range of thoughts and questions that pop up—and revisit them at any time.

Need ideas for a brainstorming activity and not sure where to start? Consider using our free template to help guide your group brainstorm. Brainstorming templates help provide a structured framework for sharing great ideas and generating creative solutions. With a shared document at everyone’s fingertips, you can jot down the wide range of thoughts and questions that pop up—and revisit them at any time.

To use this template for your next group brainstorming session, start by identifying your brainstorming topic, and map out your questions. Then, ask each participant to brainstorm ideas in the “solo ideas” section. Once everyone is ready to share, encourage all team members to collaborate within the “group ideas section.” During this ideation process, it's important to create an open environment that encourages innovative ideas, creative thinking, and strategic problem solving. Aim to generate as many ideas as possible, and build upon others’ ideas.  To conclude the group brainstorming activity, have participants vote on ideas and assign leads for next steps as needed.

First off, plan to arrange for both individual brainstorming and group ideation time. That way, you can encourage everyone to come up with unique ideas before sharing them in a collective setting.

Giving space and time for personal and shared problem-solving speaks to why brainstorming is important. Divergent solutions and conflicting ideas? That’s how brainstorming can be helpful: by showcasing the scores of different ways that a team or an individual can approach a problem.

So with this collaborative exercise, the greater the number of viewpoints, the better. Any example of brainstorming will show you that what’s essential is the volume of different perspectives—not the specific conclusions that you draw.

To conduct a brainstorming session, simply ask the right questions and record the insights that emerge. If you’re wondering how to make brainstorming questions, choose ones that encourage discussion and ideation around a specific purpose.

A narrow, yes-or-no question may not inspire productivity or relevant insights within the context of a team meeting. On the other hand, an overly general question can be conversational quicksand. A generative brainstorming question will include a clear jumping-off point and encourage follow-up questions and ideas.

Here are some examples of open-ended questions to help teams brainstorm ideas and facilitate creative thinking:

• What does our team want to accomplish in the next quarter?
• What are some ways we can improve the user experience of our product?
• What new features should we add to our product?

It's important to be intentional with your brainstorming questions; choose specific questions that align with the problem you're trying to solve for. Modify as needed to generate the most innovative ideas and relevant solutions.