A11 Brainwriting
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Brainwriting is a modification of brainstorming that involves writing down ideas instead of speaking them. It is best for groups of 5 to 8 people sitting around a table in silence writing and passing ideas to each other. There are two main variations: open brainwriting where individuals write initial ideas that are then added to as papers are passed around; and closed brainwriting where the group stands around a table writing associations to a central topic, then rotating to new aspects until ideas are exhausted. Both variations can be combined to first generate open ideas and then deepen one through closed brainwriting.
A11 Brainwriting
- 1. Tool A11Brainwriting Brainwriting is a modification of brainstorming for relatively small groups of 5 to 8 participants. The most important difference is that with brainwriting people are sitting at a table and write. No talking is required or wanted. Like brainstorming, brainwriting is ideal for making implicit knowledge explicit or unconscious knowledge con- scious. The associative force of brainstorming lies in listening and looking at what has been said and noted on cards by others visualised at a pin- board. The associative force of brainwriting lies in writing and read- ing, reading and writing, using each others ideas as an uncommented basis. Brainwriting can easily be modified; therefore there are many variations of practicing it. Here are my two favourite variations in more detail. 1. Open (inductive) brainwriting, paper moving. Inductive brainwritingo A group of people is sitting around a table. Every participant has a sheet of paper (A4) and notes a brief idea concerning the previously agreed topic. o Then he or she passes the paper to his/her neighbour. She will read the idea and add what comes to her mind in rela- tion to this idea. o Then she slips it to her neighbour. If he is still busy with an- other idea, he will pass it to the next neighbour. o And so on, till the paper comes back to the original provider of the idea. o If he or she can add something after reading all enrichments, a second round is started. If not, he/she puts it in the middle of the table. o In a second phase, every participant has a look at all papers in the middle of the table and can add whatever is left to add in his or her view. o In a third phase, the ideas are ranked in terms of priority of further processing. o Finally, the participants discuss on how the implementation of the highest ranked ideas is planned. 2. Closed (deductive) brainwriting, people moving. Deductive brainwritingo A group of people is standing around a table with a large pa- per tablecloth or two sheets of flipchart paper fixed with Scotch tape. They are going to work on a previously identi- 22.12.2008, 16:07:43
- 2. 2/2 fied idea which is written in the middle of the table. It is re- commendable to identify a few main aspects and to use a mind map structure. Now each participant starts writing his or her associations on the paper. Cf. Tool D1: Mind mapping o After a short time, everybody makes a step around the table passing to the next aspect of the common issue. o This moving around the table is continued till nobody can add anything. o Then the outcome is streamlined from a feasibility and im- plementation point of view. o Finally, the implementation of the idea is planned. Both varieties can easily be combined, with the second method be- ing the deepening phase of an idea that emerged in the first open brainwriting sequence.