Creative Information Work Module 1 Brainstorming and Creativity
Brainstorming and Creativity
Creativity is a well-known concept under which, however, people imagine different things. In
this module we will therefore have a look at what creativity actually is and what the traits of a
creative person are. We will also learn the first creative technique, brainstorming - a method
suitable for the search for ideas, which is frequently used before any other creative techniques.
You will see that anyone can be creative. And that creativity is not necessarily related to arts
alone. It is used anywhere - at work, at school, in advertising...
Basic terms:
Creativity - a productive style of thinking which brings something new, original, useful,
heuristic...
Lateral thinking - a search for alternative ways of delimiting or interpreting a problem; this
style of thinking is non-static, open, creative...
Brainstorming - a method of creative thinking based on generating ideas with the objective of
finding as many of them as possible by means of associations.
Contents:
1 CREATIVITY
1.1. What supports creativity
1.2.Obstacles of creativity
2. Creative techniques
2.1 Brainstorming
2.2 Other creative techniques
3 Conclusion
Creative Information Work Module 1 Brainstorming and Creativity
1 CREATIVITY
There is much talk about creativity nowadays, and people imagine different things under the
concept. What is creativity then? Experts offer various definitions; let us have a look at two of
them:
“Creativity is a productive style of thinking reflected in human activities; specifically human
activities realized in a creative process, the result of which is an artefact (work, actual solution to
a given problem).” (Malá československá encyklopedie, 1984-87)
“A work or solution to a problem is considered creative to such an extent to which it is a new,
useful, right and beneficial solution to a set task, and at the same time to such an extent to which
the task is heuristic (original).” (Amabile, 1983)
It may generally be said that creativity is usually something new and original or unconventional.
It is not necessarily something “crackpot” or “crazy”, as most people think. It mostly means
a step beyond the boundaries (our conventional line), breaching these boundaries, breaking
away from conventions.
How do we distinguish people who simply have many ideas from those who brim over with
exceptional thoughts, those who are really creative? Sometimes it is enough to turn an impulse
into value. The apple which fell down on Isaac Newton’s head could have fallen on someone
else’s head as well. This apple alone will not give us ideas, though.
What is creativity?
Creativity may be perceived as:
• an ability (to imagine, invent, create by means of change, combination or reapplication),
• an attitude (acceptance of changes, playfulness, flexibility),
• a process (work, mind activity, improvisation).
Creativity may also be perceived in terms of brain hemispheres. As you probably know, the
brain has two hemispheres, called right and left. Each
hemisphere has different “tasks” and importance. The right
hemisphere controls perception and the movements of the
left part of the body, while the left hemisphere controls the
right part of the body.
The left hemisphere “cares for” language, organization,
logic, analysis, reading, counting, principles etc.
The right hemisphere is in charge of body language, visual
thinking, intuition, emotions, arts, memory of experience,
colours, imagination and creativity.
Our society, as well as schools, places emphasis on the left hemisphere. However, if you need
to solve a problem, you have to activate the right hemisphere (and it is thus necessary to train
it). If you need to remember information permanently, both hemispheres have to be active.
Creative Information Work Module 1 Brainstorming and Creativity
Hint! Hold 1 pencil with both hands and try to draw a circle. Draw the right half of the circle
with your right hand, the left half with your left hand. Try other shapes/motifs.
Within the scope of creative thinking we may also speak of the so-called lateral thinking. This
concept was first introduced by Edward de Bono in his book Lateral Thinking (1970) and it is
opposed to the concept of vertical (or linear) thinking (i.e. thinking “in a straight line”). Lateral
thinking is based on alternative ways of delimiting or interpreting a problem. Let us have a look
at the basic differences between vertical and lateral thinking.
VERTICAL LATERAL
Search for one solution Search for alternatives
Search for one direction leading to the
goal
Creation of various directions
Sequential procedure Making jumps
Evaluates Does not evaluate
Elimination of irrelevant information Does not eliminate irrelevant information
Static classification Non-static classification
Ensures a minimum solution Increases the probability of finding a maximum
solution, but without guarantee
1.1. What supports creativity
You can support creativity in various ways. Various games are frequently used to break barriers.
Your personality, however, is what matters. It will help you if you:
• are willing to take risks (you may risk that something will go wrong or will not prove
satisfactory, you may lose, but on the other hand you may win and succeed; an inability
to take reasonable risks may lead you to the sense of false security instead of creativity),
• do not fear failure (it is no big deal after all),
• prefer disorder (disorder is a better starting point while solving problems; you have a
nutrient medium of sorts),
• throw off stereotypes (any stereotypes, even sexual ones, since sex does not affect the
extent and quality of creative thinking),
• persevere (something is bound to go wrong at the beginning; T. A. Edison only invented
the light bulb after 1,000 attempts).
Although it seems to be a difficult task, try these 5 points out in one day. Remember them and
apply them in the course of one chosen day on various activities, even on your thinking.
Creativity development
1.2.Obstacles of creativity
Regardless of how many wonderful creative techniques you learn, there is no guarantee that
you will become a creative person. It often happens that while searching for a solution we
encounter unoriginality, incorrect solutions, impracticability, or let us say, non-creativity. The
psychologist J. L. Adams calls these obstacles blocks.
Creative Information Work Module 1 Brainstorming and Creativity
Let us have a look at what the most frequent blocks of creativity are.
Critical nature - individuals with critical nature rarely change their opinions and approach all
assignments with firmly established criteria, which they refuse to alter.
Fear - may have either positive or negative influence. Fear most frequently shows as follows:
• the fear of solution rejection,
• the fear of failing to manage an assignment,
• the fear of pride loss and ridicule etc.
A poor state of the group - a bad composition of the group or its current mood may block
creative thinking. Exchange the group, its individual members, or wait for a more favourable
time.
High super-ego - too active conscience full of prohibitions (caused by upbringing, education,
life attitude, environment, state of society etc.) is harmful as well.
Poor physical condition - mostly fatigue, which is a major block of the brain’s effective work,
hinders (creative) thinking (Hint: Do some exercise!).
A dominance of the left brain hemisphere - according to R. Sperry (whose research has been
revised several times, though), the brain is functionally divided into two hemispheres. A higher
functionality of the left (analytic, logical, linear) hemisphere may block creative thinking.
An inability to change the viewpoint - it is important to view an issue from more angles.
Viewing from a single point will lead to rigid results.
Time - everybody fights against time, and it is important to manage it and reserve more time
for creative work than we are used to. Try to read a book about time management.
2. Creative techniques
The following creative techniques may help you with a creative search for a solution to a task
or a problem; however, you have to realize that these techniques do not help automatically
and are not just processes; your attitude and abilities matter as well.
There are several types of techniques, of which the most well-known are, above all,
brainstorming and mind mapping. You will learn more about mind mapping in the next
module.
2.1 Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a method serving as the basis for the majority of other techniques, and
characterizes creativity as a whole.
Brainstorming is a method the objective of which is to generate as
many ideas on a given topic as possible. The basic theory is that one
has more ideas with the help of other people’s suggestions
(associations) than one would on one’s own.
Creative Information Work Module 1 Brainstorming and Creativity
Brainstorming is best understood based on a concrete procedure. How should we proceed
then? Try this guideline:
1. Find participants - most often they are colleagues or fellow students. An appropriate number
is 3 to 15 people, while this technique works best with 5-7 people.
2. Explain the rules (see below).
3. Define the problem and assignment - focus on this stage. The more concrete the
objective and purpose are, the better-quality result you will achieve. In case there are
laymen in your group (recommended), place even more emphasis on explaining the
problem.
4. Practise - in order to ease the atmosphere and increase the creative potential, it is good
to play various games to eliminate a rigid attitude to problem solving (see examples in
supplementary study materials).
5. Start with brainstorming - put a question and wait for associations. Remember that
brainstorming has several waves. When you run out of ideas, wait for a while; a second
wave of ideas will come. Brainstorming usually takes 15-20 minutes.
6. Evaluate your work - evaluation during brainstorming is forbidden (it creates blocks).
Evaluate your ideas at the end of the session, after a certain lapse of time if possible.
Some experts even recommend waiting for one day. Evaluation may proceed as a
discussion, ideas may be categorized and classified, and a summary may be created.
Put brainstorming in practice. The recommended duration is 15-20 minutes. Evaluate
brainstorming. After a lapse of time if possible. Define the problem and assignment as
concretely as possible.
Rules of brainstorming
Rules are very important with brainstorming because failure to observe them ruins the whole
creative process. The rules are as follows:
• Comments and evaluation forbidden - both verbal and non-verbal evaluation of ideas is
forbidden,
• Quantity outweighs quality - we do not seek solutions but ideas. We can thus afford to
prefer quantity to quality. It is often one of the craziest ideas which becomes the basis
for solution,
• All participants are equal - everyone has the right to express their ideas and no one is
judged.
• Mutual inspiration - participants may be inspired by other people’s ideas (it is even
greatly recommended), associations are used. Whatever has been said may become the
basis for the following idea,
• Appoint a person who will write down ideas and lead the discussion (brainstorming),
the so-called facilitator. In some cases it is recommended that the person should be
someone else than the teacher or a similar authority; otherwise the participants would
not be relaxed enough (remember rule 3: all participants are equal).
And now try your individual brainstorming in three minutes (you will do it on your own).
Choose a topic and in three minutes write down all ideas you get without evaluating them.
Evaluate them only after you have finished. Try to categorize your ideas and select a few good
ones.
Creative Information Work Module 1 Brainstorming and Creativity
Who should not take part in brainstorming?
There are some people who are not suitable to participate in brainstorming. Focus on them and
try to find people without the below-mentioned traits: people critical and discontent all the
time, people with tense mutual relations, conservative people with routine stereotypes or
mind fixation, people passive, belligerent or sceptical.
Variants of brainstorming
There are several variants of brainstorming, each of which is suitable for different purposes or
situations.
Brainwriting
It is a technique similar to brainstorming. The difference is that ideas are written directly next
to the previous ideas (sources) and are passed to another person so that they can use them as
the basis for their own idea. There are many ways to do brainwriting.
The easiest variant is to write down ideas on pieces of paper and then exchange the slips and
add one’s own ideas to other participants’. This is how the technique 6-3-5 works, for instance.
Method 6-3-5
It is a well-known technique. It requires a brief preparation (slips of paper for participants). The
name of the technique is derived from its brainwriting procedure, that is, 6 people write down
3 ideas in 5 minutes. Each participant then passes their paper to another, and gets a paper with
someone else’s ideas. In the following 5 minutes, further three ideas are added. The process is
repeated until the papers are full.
At the end we have 108 ideas written in approx. 30 minutes. It is also possible to apply this
procedure via e-mail; a longer time response is, however, inevitable. Nevertheless, this is a
good option in case you are unable to meet in person. Name of the problem, idea.
Table for method 6-3-5
Name of Problem
Idea 1 Idea 2 Idea 3
1
2
3
4
5
6
How to use brainstorming during your studies?
Now you surely know how to effectively use brainstorming at work. However, you may make a
very good use of this technique during your studies as well.
The most frequent option is to use brainstorming in the search for a project topic on which you
have to work as a group; nevertheless, the method is useful in any stage of the project
Creative Information Work Module 1 Brainstorming and Creativity
whenever you need to move on. You can further use it while searching for your paper topic etc.
You may, however, search for solutions to personal issues this way, too.
If you work on your own (not in groups), you can do brainstorming individually. In such a case
your reasons will be similar, only the procedure will slightly differ.
• You will define a topic/issue. It may be both a specific assignment of a review/seminar
paper, and a non-specific assignment or a personal issue. The topic you choose should
not be too general, though, or else you will get yourselves lost in it. Try and narrow the
topic a little.
• Search for as many options/associations as possible - you may ask someone for help.
Let yourselves be led by ideas you get when you look at what you have already written.
And write everything down.
• You will evaluate your ideas - again, you may do so together with your helper. For your
evaluation and categorization, you can use e.g. mind maps, about which you will learn in
the next module.
2.2 Other creative techniques
There are many more creative techniques; we will only mention their names at this point. As
has already been said, another frequent method is mind mapping. You will learn useful
information about it in the next module. Among other methods are e.g. analogy, synectics,
thinking hats or thinking chairs by Edward de Bono.
3 Conclusion
Now you know what creativity is; it is a productive style of thinking which brings something
new and original. Creativity needs to be practised; do not forget you have to stop being afraid
of risks or failure, you should prefer disorder and, above all, persevere. The so-called blocks
may prevent you from being creative, e.g. overly critical nature, conservatism, fear or
pessimism.
The concept of lateral thinking, which is related to creativity, means thinking based on a search
for alternatives, thinking which is able to follow different directions and avoid evaluation.
Creativity is the privilege of the right hemisphere, which is distinguished by visual thinking,
intuition, emotions, imagination, memory of experience etc. On the other hand, the left
hemisphere is full of logic, organization, analysis, counting etc.
One of the techniques aimed at generating of ideas is called brainstorming, that is, a method
of searching for ideas on a given topic by means of associations. Remember the procedure of
brainstorming. The most important is to follow the rules.
In addition to conventional brainstorming, there are also its variants: brainwriting or the
method 6-3-5 (6 people - 3 ideas - 5 minutes).
To be creative pays off nowadays. And you now know how to easily begin. Visit a friend and try
to think up something wonderful together by means of brainstorming - plan a holiday, an
innovative school paper, a business goal... Anything. You will see. You will enjoy yourselves.
Creative Information Work Module 1 Brainstorming and Creativity
Author of this modul
Dagmar Chytková <reference librarian>
She graduated from the Department of Information and Library Studies and the Department of
Czech Language and Literature at the Faculty of Arts at Masaryk University. She participated in
the preparation and tutoring of the course Working with information, and has much
experience with e-learning courses. She is preparing a thematic training on the topic of
brainstorming in the Central Library of the Faculty of Arts of MU. She considers creative
techniques very important and beneficial (not only) to students.