BRAINSTORMING

Prepared by Imani Joseph

 According to the Cambridge Dictionary Brainstorming is an
activity or business method in which a group of people meet to
suggest a lot of new ideas for possible development.

Brainstorming is a method students can use to generate ideas for

writing a paper.
 YOU MAY ASK WHY BRAINSTORM.

BENEFITS OF BRAINSTORMING:

 Helps bring forth ideas

 Helps to make connections

 Helps to organize thought

 Helps create questions for research

In the process of brainstorming, you

should suspend any concerns about

staying organized. The goal is to pour

your thoughts onto paper without

worrying about whether they make

sense or how they fit together.

 Rules of Brainstorming
1. More is More- while generating ideas everything counts no
matter how ridiculous. Write down all ideas , crazy ideas are
welcomed.

2. Keep if fun- pressure kills creativity.

3. Don’t judge- premature judgment may lead to withdrawal from

the process in a group setting. Withhold criticism there are no
bad ideas during the brainstorming process.
4. Don’t get hung up on grammar, punctuation or spelling at this
stage.

5. Don’t worry if you go off topic from time to time. Sometimes

following a strategic or unexpected idea can lead to useful
discoveries

Brainstorming is not simply a means to an end. It's more than just

coming up with ideas. The process puts us in a creative frame of
mind and heightens your curiosity.
In this session we will look at two methods of
brainstorming:
1. Free Writing: a writing strategy developed by
Peter Elbow in 1973.

2. Mind Mapping: Although people have been

creating maps using for centuries, British
psychology author Tony Buzan has made a claim to
the origin of the Mind Map. He has several
registered trademarks on Mind Map and Mind
Mapping.
 Free Writing
Free writing is a prewriting technique in which you write
continuously for a certain amount of time and ignore all
grammatical rules.

Freewriting is a warm-up exercise that gets the creative juices

flowing . It can help generate ideas and tap into your creativity.
 Tools required for free writing

blank paper pen or pencil timer

 Steps in the Free Writing Process
1 2 3
Working with Setting a time Don’t Stop
paper

In free writing, its very Set a limit; say 15 to 30 Keep your pencil
important that you minutes. Whatever moving during the
work with paper and boundaries you set, make time limit. Don’t look
pencil as it motivates sure you get uninterrupted back at what has been
your kinesthetic time to let your ideas flow. written . You just want
abilities. your ideas to flow.
Example of free writing
 Benefits of free writing

It builds confidence

It promotes process and not outcome

It drives inspiration

Lessen the fear of evaluation

Deepens thinking skills

 Mind Mapping
Tony Buzan the creator of Mind Maps says that Mind
Maps are a graphical representation of information,
using imagination and association to capture ideas and
projects in a way that can be easily recalled, understood
and explained.

Mind mapping also called crab cluster is perfect for visual

learners.
 Tools required to create a Mind Map

blank paper
colored pens
and pencils your imagination
Steps in the Mind Mapping Process
All Mind Maps begin at
the center of the page.
Use an image or picture Topics of lesser importance are
for your central idea. represented as 'twigs' of the
relevant branch

The main themes radiate from

the central image as
'branches'

The branches form a connected

nodal structure
Example of a Mind Map
 Benefits of Mind Maps
Mind Maps will help you to
 be more creative,
 save time,
 solve problems,
 concentrate,
 organize and clarify your thinking,
 pass exams with good grades,
 remember better,
 study faster and more efficiently,
During brainstorming, most of the ideas are going to be useless.
After the brainstorming session is over:

CATEGORIZE ANALYZE
Look at what’s left and
Group like Items REDUCE figure out what’s the
Take out the ideas best ideas and bring
that wont work them forward
When done correctly Brainstorming can breathe creative
ideas.

Try out these techniques and see which one sparks your
creativity.
 References
Bluedorn, Hans and Bluedorn, Nathaniel Critical Thinking Toolbox: How to Brainstorm May 20, 2014 Updated May 7, 2014. ( 2020
September 28) Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/critical-thinking-toolbox-brainstorm-hans-nathaniel-bluedorn
Brainstorming meaning (2020 September 29) Retrieved from
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/brainstorming

Fleming, Grace. Brainstorming Techniques for Students For Left Brains and Right Brains Updated March 13, 2019 (2020
September 27) Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/brainstorming-techniques-1857082

4 Brainstorming Methods for Writing Better College Papershttps: (2020 September 28) Retrieved from
//www.referencepointsoftware.com/article-4-brainstorming-methods-for-writing /

Image by Сергей Марищук from Pixabay 4758776

Image by Cheska Poon from Pixabay

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay 48100

Image by ElementsOfXploration from Pixabay 2486168

Image by Manfred Steger from Pixabay 3674122

Image by Manfred Steger from Pixabay 3674105

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 2855120

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Image by Ricarda Mölck from Pixabay1962592
Wilkerson, Ginna . What is Free Writing? - Definition, Topics & Examples (2020 September 28) Retrieved from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-free-writing-definition-topics-examples.html