Brainstorming Techniques from Julie R.

Neidlinger

WORD BANK
Topic: Choose a specific topic that your words will be about. Who is your client? What are they about? What is the theme of the
copy?
Criteria: Note any limitations for the words based on the project. For example, you must choose family friendly words only.
Word Types: Choose up to three types of words. It might be nouns, verbs, adverbs, or you might use a different set according to
your project. Write the word type at the top of each box, and fill in each box with corresponding words.

Topic:
Criteria:

2015 Julie R. Neidlinger | loneprairie.net

Brainstorming Techniques from Julie R. Neidlinger

WORD ASSOCIATION
Topic: Choose a specific topic that your words will be about.
Easy Words: Write down the words that come to mind first and most easily.
Round One: Take one of your easy words, and write down the first word that comes to mind when you hear it. It might be
completely unrelated. Do this once for each easy word. Repeat for Round Two, using the Round One words as your base instead
of the easy words.

Topic:

Easy Words

2015 Julie R. Neidlinger | loneprairie.net

Round One

Round Two

Brainstorming Techniques from Julie R. Neidlinger

PROS & CONS

Option A and Option B: These are the two choices you are trying to decide between.
Top Goals: Some pro and con options may carry more weight. Define your top goals and give them a numerical value.
Write your pro and con reasons for each option in the appropriate column. Each item gets a score of 1. If you are using the
weighted method, score the items appropriately. Tally up the scores, compare totals, and the option with the most pros wins.

Option A:

Option B:

Top Goals

Value

A
pros

B
pros

cons

Total
2015 Julie R. Neidlinger | loneprairie.net

Total

cons

Total

Total

Brainstorming Techniques from Julie R. Neidlinger

MIND MAP
Start with a one- or two-word central idea in the circle. Draw a branch off of the circle with a one- or two-word subcategory of
that central idea. Create branches off of the subcategories, and repeat.

Brainstorming Techniques from Julie R. Neidlinger

MIND MAP
Start with a one- or two-word central idea in the circle. Draw a branch off of the circle with a one- or two-word subcategory of
that central idea. Create branches off of the subcategories, and repeat. Lines have been added for you to use.

2015 Julie R. Neidlinger | loneprairie.net

Brainstorming Techniques from Julie R. Neidlinger

QUESTIONS
Write the questions that are in your mind in the header of each box. Begin writing your answers as a list or summaries. As you
write the answers, jot down any follow-up questions that come to mind that your answers raise. You will repeat this exercise
with your follow-up questions until you get to a point where you have no more follow-up questions.

2015 Julie R. Neidlinger | loneprairie.net

Brainstorming Techniques from Julie R. Neidlinger

FORCED LIMITATIONS
Use any of the brainstorming techniques and worksheets. However, before you get started, create arbitrary limitations. For
example, you cant come up with words that end in -ly. Or, you must do the exercise in two minutes. Create one or more of
these limitations, and jot them down in the space provided. Then, begin working on the worksheet of your choice, keeping
these in mind.

Arbitrary rules and limitations:

To be used with the following brainstorming technique::

2015 Julie R. Neidlinger | loneprairie.net

Brainstorming Techniques from Julie R. Neidlinger

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
No rules. Just write, doodle, scribble, and meander in the space below. Whatever comes to mind, write it. Set a time limit and
keep writing until the time is up.

Heres what came to mind for _____ minutes:

2015 Julie R. Neidlinger | loneprairie.net

Brainstorming Techniques from Julie R. Neidlinger

QUESTION BANK
Have your team members write questions on the slips of paper and anonymously add them to the pile. Pull the questions out
during the brainstorming exercise and answer them as a group. Do not focus on trying to figure out who wrote the question.

Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
2015 Julie R. Neidlinger | loneprairie.net

Brainstorming Techniques from Julie R. Neidlinger

WHAT IF?
You can ask any what if? question about your brainstorming topic. Allow even the seemingly silly what if? questions unless it
gets out of hand and you are clearly getting sidetracked. The goal is to try to push thinking out of the rut just a bit to see if
something new comes to mind. You could use a word bank method, or create a what if? scenario with follow-up questions.
Examples of both are below.

What if you
removed
added
changed
moved
paused
shifted

waited
colored
sold
bought
wrote
drew

rejected
refused
flipped
reversed
reverted
said no to

said yes to
fired
hired
cut
increased
reduced

date
launch
premise
foundation
advice
entire idea

paper
media
advertising
app
code
business

startup
memory
team
office
marketing
drawing

traveled
learned
trained
hid
shut down
turned on

the
budget
team member
graphic
feature
plan
blog

copy
size
status quo
publicity
customer
reader

What if it didnt happen? Whats the worst thing that would come from that? Decide what youd do in
that worst-case scenario.
What if you started at the end instead of the beginning? What would that look like? How would that
change the final result?
What if you reduced your budget by half? Is it possible you could do more if you had less money?
What if you started at the end instead of the beginning? What would that look like? How would that
change the final result?
2015 Julie R. Neidlinger | loneprairie.net

Brainstorming Techniques from Julie R. Neidlinger

PREPOSITIONAL VIEW
Think of a prepositional phrase. It answers the question of where something is. Brainstorm about your project by brainstorming
around your project, approaching it from a different view. If its writing, change the point of view, if its something else, think of
it from the viewpoint of the customer, or from the back end instead of the front. Pretend the thing you are brainstorming
(project, problem, etc.) is the box below. What are the different ways you could approach it? Write down all of the different
points of view or angles of approach below, thinking of the box as your focus. A few are done for you. Then, start brainstorming
about how things would be from that view. How would they look? What would the result of what youve done already be from
that point of view? What would need to be changed so that view fits with your goals?

above
behind
before
around

2015 Julie R. Neidlinger | loneprairie.net

in
under
below

next to
in front of
after