- Creativity techniques: Brainstorming
- Reverse Brainstorming
- Combined brainstorming
- Question brainstorming
- Stop-and-go Brainstorming
- Gordon-Little variation
- Rawlinson brainstorming
- Kaleidoscope Brainstorming Technique
- Wildest Idea Technique
- Individual brainstorming
- Brainwriting
- Individual brainwriting
- Group brainwriting technique
- Brainwriting pool (BP)
- 6-3-5 Brainwriting
- The Gallery method
- Brainwriting game
- Constrained brainwriting
- Round-Robin and Roundtable brainstorming
- Group passing technique
- Nominal group technique
- The Buzz session
- Rolestorming technique
- Rotating roles
- Blue slips technique
- The Pin card technique
- The K-J method
- Snowballing technique
- Team Idea mapping
- The classic cluster brainstorming method
- Card story boards
- Trigger method
- Imaginary brainstorming
- Air cliché
- Battelle-Buildmappen-Brainwriting
- Visual brainstorming
- Rightbraining
- Braindrawing
- Electronic or online brainstorming
- Brainstorming Deluxe
- Brainsketching as an idea-generation technique
- The Military brainstorming version
Kaleidoscope Brainstorming Technique or Silent brainstorming
Multiple Mind Conferencing (MMC) (Dr. Murthy)
This is a new approach to the brainstorming process, including different variations as to its use.
The various degrees and modes of silence and communication effectively use as tools in the Kaleidoscope brainstorming approach.
Procedure Steps
1. Initial ideas generation brainstorming session
The session is conducted in a normal fashion with the participants speaking out their ideas in a round robin or random fashion for an agreed period. The facilitator can use any normal brainstorming format for this session. It is a good idea to use a format that is comfortable for the facilitator and the participants.
2. Silent brainstorming session
2.1. The silent brainstorming session stage requires all team members or participants to stop talking, and to think of ideas.
2.2. Then ideas are to written down by each brainstorming participant.
2.3. The participants must guess the ideas that others may be thinking and writing down. Ideally participants should guess the ideas of the other participants for each person, one after the other.
Participants should be encouraged to think how each of the other participants’ minds are working – to empathise, to ‘put themselves in the other person’s shoes’ – as a method of guessing as intuitively and accurately as possible.
3. Presentation of brainstorming ideas session
In this session, each of the delegates reads out or shows their own ideas and also their best guesses of the ideas for others.
During A’s presentation, others simply listen.
In turn each delegate gives a similar presentation.
4. Discussion of brainstorming ideas session
The presentations are followed by a detailed discussion session. The participants may discuss why and how they guessed about others. Each participant can also comment on the guesses of the other participants, and validate or clarify. In this sense the activity helps open hidden areas of awareness, which in turn promotes better understanding, relationships, communications, team-building and co-operation.
5. Kaleidoscope effect
Further silent and speaking sessions
The final stage of the sessions can repeat and extend the silent session so that participants increase the depth and complexity of their thinking still more. Specifically participants should now think about and guess how other delegates are thinking about the ideas of others. This again is done silently, together. The participants minds are acting as mirrors creating multiple reflections of each other, rather like the few small objects inside a kaleidoscope creating wonderful arrays and patterns.
