conversation2e

Group Brainstorming

Group brainstorming draws on the differing backgrounds and experiences of the members of a group to generate ideas for a writing project. For example, you might work with a group to create a list of ideas for an essay about new advances in communication technologies or social media, or you might collaborate to generate possible solutions to a problem with funding for a local school district.

To engage in group brainstorming, follow these guidelines:

Take notes. Ask someone to record ideas.
Encourage everyone in the group to participate. Consider taking turns. If your group chooses to contribute ideas as they occur to members, establish a ground rule that no one should cut off other group members as they’re speaking.
Be polite. Avoid criticisms and compliments. Treat every idea, no matter how odd or useless it might seem, as worthy of consideration.
Build on one another’s ideas. Try to expand on ideas that have already been generated, and see where they take you.
Generate as many ideas as possible. If you get stuck, try asking questions about ideas that have already been suggested.
Review the results. Once you’ve stopped brainstorming, look over the list of ideas, and identify the most promising ones.