Brainstorming Session

You're facilitating ideation—generating lots of ideas, exploring possibilities, or solving a creative challenge. You need divergent thinking before convergent thinking.

Typical setup: 5-25 people, 60-90 minutes, high energy, idea volume over quality (initially)

What Makes Brainstorming Different

Brainstorming needs:

Psychological safety - No bad ideas
Volume first - Quantity before quality
Building on others - Yes, and...
Visual capture - See all ideas together
Structured convergence - Narrow down eventually

Quick Setup Checklist

Before Session

Define the challenge/question clearly
Create canvas with brainstorm zones
Prepare prompts and constraints
Plan convergence method (voting, grouping)

At Start

Frame the challenge clearly
Set brainstorm rules
Energize the group
Start with volume

Recommended Settings

Space Mode

Use: Interactive

People should move around the canvas:

Adding ideas in different areas
Building on others' ideas
Natural clustering

Audio Type

Use: Spatial or Global

Group Size	Audio Type
Under 10	Global (everyone hears all)
10-20	Spatial (proximity conversations)
20+	Zoned (team brainstorm areas)

Permissions

Everyone: Editor

Everyone must be able to add content freely—no friction.

Canvas Layout for Brainstorming

Open Brainstorm

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│            THE QUESTION / CHALLENGE                      │
│   "How might we [problem statement]?"                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                          │
│   ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│   │                                                    │ │
│   │              BRAINSTORM ZONE                       │ │
│   │                                                    │ │
│   │     (Big open space for sticky notes)              │ │
│   │                                                    │ │
│   │                                                    │ │
│   │                                                    │ │
│   └───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  PARKING LOT          │         TOP IDEAS               │
│  (Later, tangents)    │    (After convergence)          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Categorized Brainstorm

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│               THE CHALLENGE                              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                          │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐     │
│  │    QUICK    │  │    BIG      │  │   WILD      │     │
│  │    WINS     │  │   BETS      │  │   IDEAS     │     │
│  │             │  │             │  │             │     │
│  │ (Easy, now) │  │ (Longer     │  │ (No limits) │     │
│  │             │  │  term)      │  │             │     │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘     │
│                                                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                   AFFINITY GROUPS                        │
│            (For clustering after brainstorm)             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Brainstorm Phases

Phase 1: Diverge (Generate)

Goal: Maximum ideas, no judgment

Time: 15-20 minutes

Rules:

No criticism
Wild ideas welcome
Build on others
Quantity matters
One idea per sticky

Facilitation:

Keep energy high
Celebrate volume ("We have 50 ideas!")
Add constraints to spark more ("What if money was no object?")
Keep it moving

Phase 2: Cluster (Organize)

Goal: Find themes and patterns

Time: 10-15 minutes

Process:

Ask participants to start grouping similar ideas
Name emerging clusters
Don't force—some ideas don't fit
It's okay to have an "other" category

Phase 3: Converge (Prioritize)

Goal: Identify top ideas to pursue

Time: 15-20 minutes

Methods:

Dot voting - Everyone gets 3-5 dots to place
Effort/Impact matrix - Plot ideas on 2x2
Discussion - Talk through top voted
Lightning pitches - Advocate for favorites

Brainstorm Techniques

Classic Brainwriting

Everyone writes ideas silently (3 min)
Share/place on canvas
Read others' ideas
Build on them (3 min)
Repeat 2-3 rounds

Why it works: Introverts participate equally, no anchoring

Worst Possible Ideas

Brainstorm the WORST ideas
Flip them—what's the opposite?
Often unlocks creative thinking

Why it works: Removes pressure, gets laughs, reveals assumptions

Constraint Rounds

Add constraints to spark creativity:

"What if we had unlimited budget?"
"What if we had to solve this in 24 hours?"
"What would a 10-year-old suggest?"
"What would our competitor do?"

→ Card Decks for random prompts

SCAMPER

Systematic prompts:

Substitute - What can we replace?
Combine - What can we merge?
Adapt - What can we adjust?
Modify - What can we change?
Put to other use - New applications?
Eliminate - What can we remove?
Reverse - What if we flipped it?

Facilitating Energy

Starting High

Begin with energy:

Quick icebreaker
Movement (stand up, stretch)
Music during silent writing
Countdown to start ("3, 2, 1, go!")

Maintaining Momentum

Keep it moving:

Visible timer
Celebrate progress ("Already 30 ideas!")
Add prompts when energy dips
Short focused rounds > one long session

Managing Lulls

When ideas slow:

New constraint or prompt
Change technique (individual → group)
Share what others have written
Quick break then fresh round

Convergence Methods

Dot Voting

Everyone votes on favorites:

Each person gets 3-5 "dots"
Place dots on favorite ideas
Can put multiple dots on one idea
Tally and discuss top voted

In Kolab: Use emoji reactions as dots

Effort/Impact Matrix

Plot ideas on 2x2:

        HIGH IMPACT
            │
     2      │       1
  (Consider)│ (Do First)
            │
────────────┼────────────
            │
     4      │       3
   (Drop)   │  (Quick Win)
            │
        LOW IMPACT

LOW EFFORT ──────► HIGH EFFORT

Discussion and Selection

For smaller groups:

Review top voted ideas
Discuss pros/cons
Identify top 3-5 to pursue
Assign owners for next steps

Common Brainstorm Problems

"Ideas are too similar"

Try:

Add wild constraints
Worst possible ideas technique
Individual before group
Challenge assumptions explicitly

"One person dominates"

Try:

Silent brainwriting first
Round robin sharing
Anonymous sticky notes
Call on quieter voices

"Ideas are too safe"

Try:

Wild ideas category
"What would [creative person] do?"
Remove feasibility from first phase
Explicitly celebrate weird ideas

"Groupthink taking over"

Try:

Individual time before sharing
Devil's advocate role
Anonymous submissions
Diverse perspectives in room

"Can't narrow down"

Try:

Stricter criteria
Force ranking (no ties)
Break into smaller decisions
Time box the decision

After the Brainstorm

Capture and Share

Screenshot or export top ideas
Document themes and clusters
Share with stakeholders
Credit participants

Next Steps

Assign owners for promising ideas
Define next action for each
Set timeline for follow-up
Plan deeper exploration if needed

Sample 90-Minute Brainstorm

00:00 - Welcome & warm-up (10 min)
        Quick energizer, set rules

00:10 - Frame the challenge (5 min)
        Clear "How might we..." question

00:15 - Brainwriting round 1 (5 min)
        Silent individual ideation

00:20 - Brainwriting round 2 (5 min)
        Build on others' ideas

00:25 - Open brainstorm (10 min)
        Add more, discuss, riff

00:35 - Constraint round (10 min)
        "What if..." prompts

00:45 - Break (5 min)

00:50 - Clustering (15 min)
        Group similar ideas, name themes

01:05 - Dot voting (10 min)
        Vote on favorites

01:15 - Discussion (10 min)
        Explore top voted ideas

01:25 - Next steps (5 min)
        Assign owners, set timeline

Related Guides

Card Decks - Random prompts
Timer Tool - Time management
Canvas Elements - Sticky notes
System Check - Verify your setup