USE CASE

Brainstorming Session

Creative ideation and collaborative problem-solving

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

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

If you want...Audio Type
One shared conversationGlobal (everyone hears all)
Small clusters that form naturallySpatial (proximity conversations)
Teams brainstorming in their own areasZoned (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:

  1. Ask participants to start grouping similar ideas
  2. Name emerging clusters
  3. Don't force—some ideas don't fit
  4. 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

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

Why it works: Introverts participate equally, no anchoring

In Kolab: Put the board in Brainstorm mode and turn on private brainstorm with the envelope icon in the toolbar. Everyone writes without seeing each other's notes, then you reveal them all at once. See Board Modes.

Worst Possible Ideas

  1. Brainstorm the WORST ideas
  2. Flip them—what's the opposite?
  3. 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:

  1. Each person gets 3-5 "dots"
  2. Place dots on favorite ideas
  3. Can put multiple dots on one idea
  4. 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:

  1. Review top voted ideas
  2. Discuss pros/cons
  3. Identify top 3-5 to pursue
  4. 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 (a private brainstorm hides everyone's notes from each other until you reveal them)
  • 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
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