1. Welcome
So You Think You Know How To
Brainstorm?
© Perspectiv LLP

2. About Us
• Alison Duffy & Sue Whittle
• Partners of Perspectiv - a consulting and training
company with expertise in leadership and team
development, creative problem solving, strategy and
change management
• Graduates of the Masters in Innovation, Creativity
and Leadership, City University London
© Perspectiv LLP

3. About You
• The 10 second introduction…
• Tell everyone your first name
• Describe in one word a personal brainstorming
experience – positive or negative
Think about the people, the process, the atmosphere
and the outcome
© Perspectiv LLP

4. Brainstorming – Some Myths
• the only way of generating ideas and being creative
• the new panacea
• executive entertainment
• a waste of time
• old fashioned and passé
• a way of generating lots of options that then have to
be rejected
• a way to get together and have a casual discussion in
order to come up with a few ideas
© Perspectiv LLP

5. Brainstorming – Some Facts
• Introduced by Alex Osborn in 1939
• Purpose is to avoid evaluative judgement
• It’s not just about generating ideas and is just one
element in a much wider, problem solving process
• Osborn worked with Sidney Parnes in the 1950s to
develop CPS and CPSI
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6. Brainstorming – More Facts
Perspectiv’s founding partners
were taught by Scott Isaksen
and Brian Dorval who have
both worked with Sid Parnes,
who worked with Alex Osborn!
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The Descriptive CPS v6.1™
Preparing for
Action
Understanding
the Challenge
Generating
Ideas
Planning Your
Approach
Constructing
Opportunities
Framing
Problems
Exploring
Data
Generating
Ideas
Developing
Solutions
Building
Acceptance
Appraising
Tasks
Designing
Process
© Creative Problem Solving Group Inc.

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The Importance of Role Clarity
Change
Process
SPONSOR
(Ownership
of Problem
Space)
FACILITATOR
(Process)
RESOURCE-GROUP
(Options, Content)
© Creative Problem Solving Group Inc.

11. Why Use a Trained Facilitator?
• Extended effort
• Brainstorming enhancers
• Studies show trained facilitators help groups to
generate more ideas over time
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12. Preparation
• Carefully prepared problem statement or task
• Invitation and background information to those
attending (2 weeks in advance)
• Opportunity for individual ideation in advance
• Coaching the problem owner
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The 4Ps System: Focusing on People
Press
Physical, Psychological,
Resources, Place,
Situation, Climate,
Culture, Context
Environment
Product
Objective, Task, Need,
Problem, Opportunity,
Challenge, Issue,
Product, Result
Outcome, Output
Goal, Vision
Process
Methods, Operations,
Tools, Systems
Model used with permission. © Creative Problem Solving Group Inc.
Resource
Group
Client or
Sponsor
Facilitator
People

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The Two-Stage “heartbeat” – The Core of the
Problem Solving (Innovation) Process
DEFERRED
JUDGEMENT
AFFIRMATIVE
JUDGEMENT
Generating Options
Creative Thinking
Divergent Thinking
Focusing Options
Critical Thinking
Convergent Thinking

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Generating Focusing
At the Heart of CPS is a Dynamic Balance
Between Two Kinds of Thinking
newness usefulness
Model used with permission. © Creative Problem Solving Group Inc.
© Perspectiv LLP

16. Our Task - Ideas for Re-Using Tin Cans
Background
To conserve natural resources, the government is
encouraging recycling of household items. Many tin
cans are currently melted down and reprocessed,
but it would be even more environmentally friendly if
they could be re-used without having to be melted
down.
Your Task
Generate a range of new and useful ideas for how to re-
use tin cans.
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Guidelines for Generating Options
DEFER JUDGMENT STRIVE FOR QUANTITY
FREEWHEEL SEEK COMBINATIONS
© Creative Problem Solving Group Inc.

18. Your Task – a reminder
Generate a range of new and useful ideas for
how to re-use tin cans.
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Brainstorming with Post-its
®
© Creative Problem Solving Group Inc.

20. Brainstorming with Post-Its
®
• Done it before?
• Let’s use it to capture your initial ideas – the first flush
• First, here are some guidelines…
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Guidelines for Using Post-Its
®
• Readable - Write them clearly,
legibly and large enough to be
seen
• Concise - Keep them brief, use
“telegraphic” form
• Specific - Share the essence, one
option per Post-it®
Make Your Responses…
© Creative Problem Solving Group Inc.

22. Brainwriting – How it Works
• A4 sheets or flipcharts
• Silent activity
• Read an idea on one of the flipcharts. Use it as a
springboard for a new idea. Write your new idea in
the box underneath and move on to the next flipchart.
Repeat the process.
• Co-located, synchronous team working
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23. Now What?
• What would you usually do?
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Guidelines for Focusing Options
USE AFFIRMATIVE JUDGMENT BE DELIBERATE
CONSIDER NOVELTY STAY ON COURSE
© Creative Problem Solving Group Inc.

25. Focusing Tools
• Highlighting – to focus large numbers
• Selecting Hits – to focus further
• ALUo – to focus when a handful of options
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ALUo

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The CPS 6.1 Toolbox
GUIDELINES FOR
GENERATING OPTIONS
GUIDELINES FOR
FOCUSING OPTIONS
1. BRAINSTORMING WITH POST-
ITS®
2. BRAINWRITING
3. BRAINSTORMING ENHANCERS
4. LADDER OF ABSTRACTION
5. VIR (Visually Identifying
Relationships)
6. IMAGERY TREK
7. MORPHOLOGICAL MATRIX
8. BRAINSTORMING
1. ALUo (Advantages, Limitations,
Unique qualities, overcome
Limitations)
2. EVALUATION MATRIX
3. HIGHLIGHTING
4. PCA (Paired Comparison Analysis)
5. SELECTING HITS
6. SML (Short, Medium, Long)
7. MUSTS/WANTS
8. CRITERIA
CHOOSING TOOLS FOR FOCUSING OPTIONSCHOOSING TOOLS FOR GENERATING OPTIONS
© Creative Problem Solving Group Inc.

28. What Next?
• Iterate the process, if necessary, to continue the
process of focussing
• The client/sponsor makes the final decisions
• Preparing for action…
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29. Do You Think You Know How to Brainstorm?
• Reflect on the words you shared at the beginning
about your past experiences with brainstorming
• Observations/Reflections on the workshop?
• Anyone wish to sum up their brainstorming
experience today in a word?
• Questions?
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30. Thank you
Handouts available
alison@perspectiv.co.uk
sue@perspectiv.co.uk
www.perspectiv.co.uk
© Perspectiv LLP