Brainstorms

Use “Asynchronous Brainwriting” Method to Generate Ideas

Effectiveness is much higher than more traditional brainstorming sessions.

Published

10 months ago

July 4, 2023

Signs of the Times Staff Signs of the Times July 2023 Issue

After the Brainstorm

Brainstorming has been a staple of the business scene for 70 years, but research is increasingly showing it doesn’t work particularly well. Only one person can speak at a time and it’s easy for some personalities — and their ideas — to dominate, so few good ideas are actually generated. A new study suggests something called “asynchronous brainwriting,” wherein participants rotate between eight-minute individual writing sessions and three-minute group sessions to read over each other’s ideas. Researchers from the University of Texas at Arlington found that participants using this method thought of an idea every two minutes on average, a much higher rate than more traditional brainstorming sessions.

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