No idea is dumb.
All ideas are needed.
All ideas are recorded.
Each person should contribute.
Let ideas generate other ideas.
Don’t go into great depth explaining ideas;
deal in simple thoughts.
No one can decide what ideas are good or bad during
a brainstorming session.
Once ideas have been brainstormed, you can use the
following four-step process to decide which idea is
the best for the group. Otherwise, it will turn into
a one-person production whether you want it that way
or not. The more support an idea has within the group,
the more cooperation you will get.
Step 1: Most ideas will have some
similarities to other ideas. Group them into categories
accordingly.
Step 2: Discuss the categories.
Decide which categories are the most interesting to
the group and which would be interesting to an audience.
Eliminate the categories that don’t meet these
criteria.
Step 3: Do preliminary research
to find possible sources of information about each
category. This step is taken to determine which categories
can be accomplished in the allotted time. Research
sources may include library materials; community resources
such as local government agencies, civic organizations,
historical societies and knowledgeable residents;
and the Internet.
Step 4: Choose the topic based on
the following questions:
1. Is it interesting to the group?
2. Will it interest the target audience?
3. Is there enough information available?
