Remote Focused
Reverse Brainstorming
The group brainstorms ways to make a problem worse, then flips each bad idea into a fix. It's a quick way out when a team is stuck on the obvious answers. You leave with a list of what to avoid and a few new solutions to the original problem.
Duration
30 mins
Group Size
3-12
Category
Remote Focused
Difficulty
Easy
Identify hidden problems and weaknesses. Encourage unconventional thinking. Break through creative blocks with a fresh angle.
Reverse brainstorm insights. Clear list of what to avoid. A new perspective on the original problem.
Reverse brainstorming works when a team is stuck, and it doubles as a way to spot failures before they happen and plan around them. Generating truly bad ideas is harder than it sounds: if the first notes are polite, give one outrageous example of your own to show how far to go, and encourage the team to be bold and even a bit absurd. When flipping, skip the pure jokes and start with the notes circled as already happening; they turn into the most useful fixes.
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