15 brainstorming techniques for teams and individuals

What brainstorming techniques are

Brainstorming techniques are repeatable methods that help you produce many ideas before you judge any of them. The terms "brainstorming techniques" and "brainstorming methods" mean the same thing.

Alex Osborn outlined brainstorming in Your Creative Power (1948). He popularized the term in Applied Imagination (1953), as Penn State's open textbook on brainstorming explains. Think of each technique like a recipe: It tells you what to add, in what order and for how long.

Most brainstorming methods share 3 ingredients:

• A clear question: 1 shared problem for everyone to solve

• Separate phases: idea generation first, judgment later

• A time limit: a fixed window that keeps energy high

Brainstorming techniques at a glance

The table below compares all 15 brainstorming techniques by best use, setup and time needed. Shortlist 2 or 3, then read the details below.

Brainstorming techniques for individuals

Solo brainstorming techniques help you get ideas out of your head before your inner critic edits them. Use these types of brainstorming alone or before a group session.

Several of these methods overlap with our ideation techniques article, which covers 7 of them in more depth.

Mind mapping

Mind mapping puts your central question in the middle of a page and lets related ideas branch outward. Mind mapping is best for exploring a broad topic, because you see connections as they form. Learn how to brainstorm with a mind map.

Freewriting

What it is: Freewriting means you write nonstop for a set time without editing or judging.

Best for: writer's block and early project planning

How to do it:

1. Write your question at the top of a page

2. Set a timer for 10 minutes

3. Keep writing, even if you repeat yourself

4. Highlight 3 ideas worth exploring

Starbursting

Starbursting places your idea at the center of a 6-point star and asks who, what, when, where, why and how about that idea. Starbursting is best for testing a plan before you commit budget.

SCAMPER

Bob Eberle turned Alex Osborn's idea-prompting questions into the SCAMPER mnemonic, and each letter prompts a change: substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate or reverse. SCAMPER is best for improving a product, service or process you already have.

Reverse brainstorming

Reverse brainstorming flips the question, so you list ways to cause a problem and then turn each cause into a solution. Reverse brainstorming is best for spotting risks that a positive framing hides.

Group brainstorming techniques for teams

Group brainstorming techniques give every team member equal airtime and cut the time spent waiting to speak. Research by Diehl and Stroebe (1987) found production blocking (waiting your turn to speak) explains most of the productivity loss in brainstorming groups.

The 7 techniques below reduce that problem with silent writing, set turns or clear roles.

Brainwriting and the 6-3-5 method

German marketing consultant Bernd Rohrbach published the 6-3-5 method in 1969: 6 participants each write 3 ideas in 5 minutes, then pass their sheet on. The sheets keep moving until every participant has added to each one. Brainwriting is best for quiet teams or groups where a few loud voices dominate.

Round robin

In a round robin, each participant shares 1 idea per turn in a fixed order until the group runs out of ideas. Round robin is best for small groups that need everyone to contribute.

Six Thinking Hats

Edward de Bono created Six Thinking Hats, a method where the whole group wears 1 "hat" at a time: facts, feelings, risks, benefits, creativity or process. Six Thinking Hats is best for decisions that require a balanced view of upside and risk.

Rapid ideation

What it is: Rapid ideation asks you to list as many ideas as possible within a strict time limit.

Best for: warming up a group or filling a list fast

How to do it:

1. Share 1 clear question with the group

2. Set a timer for 5 minutes

3. Write 1 idea per sticky note, as fast as you can

4. Post all notes on a wall and group the duplicates

Nominal group technique

Andre Delbecq and Andrew Van de Ven developed the nominal group technique in 1971, combining silent writing, round-robin sharing, discussion and a private vote. The nominal group technique is best for ranking options and reaching agreement, as our nominal group technique article explains.

Crazy 8s

What it is: Crazy 8s is a fast sketching exercise. You sketch 8 ideas in 8 minutes.

Best for: product, design and marketing teams who want visual concepts

How to do it:

1. Fold a sheet of paper into 8 panels

2. Set a timer for 8 minutes

3. Sketch 1 idea per panel, about 1 minute each

4. Share your sketches and vote on the strongest concepts

Stepladder technique

What it is: Steven Rogelberg and colleagues introduced the stepladder technique in the Journal of Applied Psychology in 1992. Members join a core group of 1 at a time and share ideas before hearing the group's view.

Best for: decisions that need independent input from every member

How to do it:

1. Share the problem with all members so each can think alone first

2. Start with 2 members who discuss the problem

3. Add 1 member at a time, who presents ideas before hearing the discussion

4. Decide once the whole group has joined

Brainstorming techniques for remote teams

Remote teams brainstorm best when each person first adds ideas alone, then the group meets to build on them. That mix gives you quiet thinking time and live discussion.

Asynchronous brainstorming

What it is: In asynchronous brainstorming, your team adds ideas to a shared space on their own schedule over hours or days.

Best for: distributed teams across time zones

How to do it:

1. Post the question on a shared board with a clear deadline

2. Ask each teammate to add at least 5 ideas

3. Open comments once the first round closes

4. Meet briefly to pick the top ideas

Say your product team collects feature ideas over 3 days. On day 4, a 30-minute call narrows the list to 5 priorities.

Brainnetting

What it is: Brainnetting is brainstorming over a network, where your team posts ideas to an online board or forum. A facilitator then sorts the ideas and opens a second round.

Best for: large or remote groups that need a written record

How to do it:

1. Set up an online board with 1 question

2. Give everyone a window, such as 24 hours, to post ideas

3. Sort the ideas into themes and share a summary

4. Run a second round that builds on the top themes

Collaborative mind mapping in real time

Collaborative mind mapping lets your whole team add branches to 1 shared mind map simultaneously, in a room or on a call. MindMeister is a web-based mind mapping tool by Meister, headquartered in Vienna, Austria. With real-time collaboration, each teammate sees new ideas appear in real time and can comment on any topic.

How to choose the right brainstorming technique

Choose a brainstorming technique based on your goal, group size, time and setup. Pick open methods for fresh ideas and structured ones for specific problems or decisions.

Not sure where to start? Match your situation below.

These brainstorming strategies work in classrooms, too. Teachers can adapt them with these brainstorming activities for students.

How to run a brainstorming session

Run a brainstorming session in 4 steps: Define the question, pick a technique, set a time limit and capture every idea.

Write the question as 1 clear sentence, such as "How might we cut onboarding time for new hires?" Keep idea generation to a fixed window: 20 minutes works for most techniques. For a detailed checklist, see "How to Prepare a Team Brainstorming Session." If you plan to work digitally, compare brainstorming software first.

Whatever technique you choose, Alex Osborn's four rules still apply. Defer judgment until idea generation is over. Aim for quantity, because a long list gives you more raw material. Welcome unusual ideas, since odd suggestions often lead to practical ones. Build on other people's ideas instead of competing with them. Share these rules at the start of every session, especially with groups that are new to brainstorming, and ask one person to step in gently when someone starts judging ideas too early. A visible timer and a written question help the group stick to the rules without constant reminders. If the session runs online, post the rules at the top of the shared board.

How to organize ideas after brainstorming

Organize brainstorming ideas in 3 moves: Cluster similar ideas, prioritize the strongest and assign next steps.

Start by grouping related ideas into themes, much like an affinity diagram. Then rank each theme by impact and effort, and add an owner and a deadline to the top items.

In MindMeister, you can drag topics into themes, add notes and keep the whole plan on 1 shared mind map. To skip the setup, start from our free mind map templates.

Turn your next brainstorm into a plan

The right brainstorming technique depends on your goal, your group and your time. Try freewriting or SCAMPER alone, Crazy 8s with a team and asynchronous brainstorming across time zones.

When the session ends, a shared mind map keeps every idea in 1 place and turns raw lists into clear next steps. MindMeister lets your team build that mind map together, comment on ideas and present the plan. Pick 1 technique from this article and try it at your next meeting.