Brainstorming Techniques

Carson’s brainstorming workflow offers 36 techniques across seven categories, drawing from decades of facilitation research and practice.

Why Technique Choice Matters

Different techniques serve different purposes:

Goal	Best Technique Category
Generate many ideas fast	Collaborative, Wild
Break out of conventional thinking	Creative, Theatrical
Understand the problem deeply	Deep, Introspective
Systematically explore options	Structured
Build team alignment	Collaborative

Technique Categories

Collaborative Techniques

Build on group intelligence and collective creativity.

Technique	How It Works	When to Use
Brainwriting	Silent written ideation, then build on others’ ideas	Teams with dominant voices
Round Robin	Each person contributes one idea in turn	Equal participation needed
Six Thinking Hats	Explore from six perspectives (facts, feelings, caution, etc.)	Complex, multi-faceted problems
Brainwalking	Write ideas, rotate stations, build on what you find	High-energy team sessions

Structured Techniques

Systematic approaches that leave no creative stone unturned.

Technique	How It Works	When to Use
SCAMPER	Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other use, Eliminate, Reverse	Improving existing products/services
Reverse Brainstorming	How to cause the problem, then flip to solutions	Stuck on conventional approaches
Morphological Analysis	Matrix of parameters, combine systematically	Complex systems with many variables
Chunking	Break into smaller parts, ideate each, recombine	Large, overwhelming challenges

Creative Techniques

Unconventional approaches that spark unexpected connections.

Technique	How It Works	When to Use
Metaphors	”How is this problem like a garden?”	Need fresh perspective
Random Word	Force connection between topic and random word	Completely stuck, need surprise
Forced Connections	Combine two unrelated concepts	Innovation through juxtaposition
Analogical Thinking	Borrow solutions from other domains	Cross-industry inspiration

Deep Techniques

Dig beneath surface understanding to find root causes and hidden opportunities.

Technique	How It Works	When to Use
Five Whys	Ask “why” five times to drill down	Quick root cause exploration
Laddering	Move up to abstraction, down to specifics	Understand values and details
Assumption Surfacing	List and challenge hidden assumptions	Conventional thinking blocks progress
Problem Reversal	State problem backwards, flip to solutions	Seeing the problem afresh

Theatrical Techniques

Use role-play and scenario thinking to bypass psychological barriers.

Technique	How It Works	When to Use
Role Storming	Ideate as someone else (CEO, child, competitor)	Need different perspectives
Hero’s Journey	Frame challenge as narrative adventure	Meaningful, human-centered challenges
Future Press Release	Write as if future success already happened	Visioning and goal-setting
Pre-mortem	Assume failure, work backward to causes	Risk identification and prevention

Wild Techniques

Embrace absurdity to bypass internal censors and find truly novel ideas.

Technique	How It Works	When to Use
Worst Possible Idea	Intentionally generate terrible ideas	Teams afraid of bad ideas
Anti-Problems	Solve the opposite of your problem	Reframing stubborn challenges
Exaggeration	Blow up aspects to ridiculous proportions	Find what truly matters
100 Ideas	Generate 100 ideas in 20 minutes	Break through to novel territory

Introspective Techniques

Tap into subconscious creativity through individual reflection.

Technique	How It Works	When to Use
Guided Imagery	Visual meditation on the challenge	Accessing intuitive knowledge
Incubation	Set problem aside, let subconscious work	Stuck after conscious effort exhausted
Dream Capture	Record and explore dream insights	Subconscious material wanted
Stream of Consciousness	Write without stopping or editing	Bypassing internal critic

How Carson Recommends Techniques

Carson considers three factors when suggesting approaches:

Factor	Questions
Your goal	What outcome matters most?
Your context	Team or solo? How much time?
Your energy	Fresh and excited or tired and stuck?

Based on your answers, Carson recommends techniques most likely to generate breakthrough.

Combining Techniques

For comprehensive exploration, try multiple techniques in sequence:

1. Start structured — SCAMPER or Reverse Brainstorming to map space
2. Go creative — Metaphors or Random Word for surprise
3. End wild — Worst Possible Idea to break any remaining constraints

Each technique accesses different creative pathways. Sequencing creates richer results.

Next Steps

• Run a brainstorming session — Experience these techniques with Carson
• Learn creative intelligence — Understand the science behind the methods