How to use it:
Come up with lots of solutions to an issue. Here are the guidelines for brainstorming:
- Develop lots of ideas
- Make no judgment (either good or bad) about any ideas
- Generate some ridiculous ideas
- Think up variations on ideas that you hear from others
An example:
The Issue: Some people take life too seriously, and almost never laugh at anything.
Some Brainstormed Ideas:
- Give away lots of clown masks, and pass a law saying that everyone has to wear this mask one day a week.
- Place laughing machines on every street corner. When someone walks past, this machine bursts out laughing.
Why it’s important to use it:
Generating lots of ideas is direct mental exercise for the brain. Physical exercise is good for the body, and brainstorming is good for the brain. It’s also great to use Brainstorming with some other Keys. For example, start with the Purpose, then do the Brainstorming, and then finish with Decision.
Some variations:
Rather than just brainstorming a series of solutions from your perspective, approach the issue from another person’s viewpoint:
If you were the leader of your country, how would you solve the issue?
If you were a desperately poor person in a less advanced country, how would you solve the issue?
