Brainstorming

Getting Ideas Before You Write

BY- PAURUSH
KUMAR
(17BEM0119)
Brainstorming
What is it?
A gathering of ideas from your brain onto paper.
The variety of ideas and the use of your
imagination assist you in producing a lot of material
with which to work.
The common principle of brainstorming is to set
aside the restrictive thinking processes so that many
ideas can be generated.
Brainstorming can be used to identify alternatives,
obtain a complete list of items and to solve
problems.
When to use brainstorming? 3

You can use brainstorming in a project when:

 Developing the solution definition, particularly in

identifying alternative solutions.
 Identifying all potential risks on a project.
 Developing the Work Breakdown Structure
(identifying all the deliverables and work items).
 Dealing with difficult problems that arise during the
course of the project.
Why use brainstorming 4

techniques?
 Brainstorming can:
 break through traditional thinking about a
problem.
 generate new ways of thinking.
 provide an environment for building on new
ideas.
 reduce the tendency to prematurely discard
new ideas.
 facilitate team building.
 encourage team problem solving.
 Number One

1. Freewriting
Options:
Write for a specific time period
Write for a specific amount of
paper
 Freewriting
Freewriting is like talking to yourself on paper. Write
as much as you can in connected sentences (not
lists) about your topic. ???
???

When is it helpful?
When you have NO ideas about a
topic
When you have TOO MANY ideas
about a topic
Maybe I could
say this or
maybe I could
say that…
hmmm
 2. Making a Cube

What is it?
Imagine a cube. It has six sides. On each side, you have a
different task regarding the topic.
Side One: Describe the topic.
Side Two: Compare the topic.
Side Three: Associate the topic
Side Four: Analyze the topic.
Side Five: Apply the topic.

Side Six: Argue for or against

the topic
 3.Clustering
1. Start with the main topic of your essay. Write that word in
the center of your paper.
2. Write down any sub-topics that are connected to that main
topic. Draw arrows to the sub-topics from the main topic.

Transportation

Alcatraz Museums

San Francisco

Chinatown Golden Gate

Bridge
Fisherman’s
Wharf
 4.Listing or Bulleting

What is it?
Create a list of terms/ideas/concepts about the topic.
Create multiple lists depending on the purpose.

Global Warming Belief/Disbelief

Toxic fumes Scientists disagree
SUVs/Cars Average American
Extinction China/USA
Belief/Disbelief Normal occurrence
Kyoto Agreement or abnormal event?
 5. Venn Diagram

What is it?
Draw two circles that connect, like
this:
Capital County
List two topics above the circles. Became Cities seat
Brainstorm about the topics – what Paris in Eiffel Angloph
400 A.D. Tower one
do they have in common and what francop Founded
is unique about each one. hone in 1839
 6. Tree Diagram

This diagram has a central idea to which you

add branches that focus on details.

When do you use it?

This type of diagram is helpful in classification
essays.
Media

Print Visual
Audio

Newspaper magazine booklet television webpage movie

cd mp3 cassette
 7.Act like a Journalist

What is it?
Using the question words in English to explore
the topic

When is it useful?
Use this technique when you want to write a
narrative.
Why?
Who?

Where? When?

What?
How?
8. T-Diagram
When is it useful?
This technique helps when you are writing a
contrast or comparison essay.

What is it?
Using a T shape, list a category that you want to
compare or contrast about a specific topic or
topics. Do this for a variety of categories.

Paris, France and Paris Texas

location
Europe North
Northern America
France Northern
Texas
 Rules for Brainstorming

 No criticism allowed

 Work for quantity

 Welcome piling-on

 Allow free-for-all
Comments that reduce Brainstorming to Brain
drizzling 5/22/20
19

Arbor
Michigan, Ann
University of
Engineering,
Chemical
Department of
15
• That won’t work • It’s against our policy
• That’s too radical • We haven’t done it that way before

• It’s not our job • That’s too expensive

• We don’t have enough time • That’s not practical
• That’s too much hassle • We can’t solve this problem
17BEM0119
Thank
you!