I don’t know about you, but every once in awhile I get into a creative funk, where nothing seems to flow and new ideas for products and articles are hard to come by. That’s when sessions for brainstorming ideas can come in handy.
Here are 6 tips for brainstorming ideas effectively…
Tip #1 – Get outside input.
Instead of going at it alone, get some help. Gather a few of the most creative people you know and trust for a group brainstorming session. After all, two (or three or four) heads are better than one. These other participants may come up with some great ideas that may never have occurred to you otherwise.
Tip #2 – Write everything down.
Even if you come up with some wild ideas, write them down anyway. They may be more viable than you think! Some of the greatest breakthroughs in history came from ideas that were considered as pretty outlandish at the time. Write it all down and revisit it later.
Remember, this is a time for gathering ideas, not for shooting ideas down. Don’t discourage people in your group because they won’t participate as freely and they might keep their ideas to themselves. I’ve been known to keep things to myself more often than not, just because I’m not ready to share what I’m thinking about.
This is where having a brainstorming journal can come in handy too.
Tip #3 – Get creative!
If you can’t see a solution right away, think of the problem from a fresh perspective. Look at it from a different viewpoint and maybe a new solution will present itself. Traditional solutions don’t have to be the only way to solve problems and getting creative may get the ball rolling towards the ideal solution!
Many successful entrepreneurs have a talent for observing people’s wants and needs. Then they find or invent a creative new solution. Watch the world around you and don’t be afraid to experiment with new ideas or unusual solutions.
Tip #4 – Do an idea mashup.
Whether you’re brainstorming on your own or as part of a group, don’t be afraid to do a mashup of several ideas. Sometimes great ideas are born as twins – in the course of a brainstorming session you might come up with two halves of a perfect solution. Don’t be afraid to look at the results in an unconventional way.
Tip #5 – Ask questions.
This works especially well in group brainstorming sessions. Encourage plenty of questions about everyone’s ideas. Questions can lead to a basic idea being fleshed out into a workable solution, and that, of course, is what a brainstorming session is all about!
Tip #6 – Use AI Tools
Even if you don’t want to use AI to create your content, it’s a great tool for helping you brainstorm and come up with ideas you may not even have thought of. I recently bought a blogging AI tool called Right Blogger* on the recommendation of one of my clients, and I’m so excited to use the idea generating tools to see what it suggests as topics I can cover for you. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes!
Final Thoughts
It sounds cheesy to say, but ideas are all around us, and brainstorming is, in large part, just being aware of what you notice and how you can use that in your content creation efforts. Being able to solve problems and come up with new ideas is a skill that makes your life so much easier and less frustrating. Try using these tips for brainstorming ideas and solutions to help keep your idea jar filled.
And do let me know how they work for you! I’d love to hear your results. Leave me a comment below!
*Note: Links marked with a * denote affiliate links. I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
