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Alex Osborn Brainstorming - He Coined the WordNote: All the Alex Osborn brainstorming quotes on this page come from his book Your Creative Mind, published by Motorola University Press, 1991.
Alex Osborn, suddenly without a job, took clippings of his published news stories and showed them to the city editor of a rival newspaper. He was told the articles weren't very good but each contained an idea. So the editor took a chance and hired him. Osborn started to think how important an idea could be, that ideas were actually valued and made a resolution to start thinking up and writing down ideas every day 'like a boy scout doing one good turn every day.' Osborn went on to write many books on creativity and coin the word brainstorming, and started the immensely successful advertising firm BBDO (of course, the O is for Osborn). "Whatever creative success I gained was due to my belief that creative power can be stepped up by effort, and that there are ways in which we can guide our creative thinking."Osborn believed that 'drive' was a part of creativity, that a person must want to come up with ideas, should exercise his or her imagination, and could improve through practice.Invention, Discovery, and AssociationCreativity and ideas can come from invention, discovery, or association, according to Osborn.Creativity and ideas can come from invention, discovery, or association, according to Osborn.Invention is something new, not seen or known before. Discovery means that the idea was no known to you or in the context or application. Association is putting known ideas together in a new combination. All three can result in new and profitable applications. To accomplish any of the three takes experience, knowledge, openness to explore and express ideas that come to mind, sharing ideas with others and discussing them as possibilities. Curiosity and ExperimentationTo Alex Osborn, brainstorming requires experimentation. Experimentation can but does not have to be, as in science, physical manipulation and chemical combining. It can be the testing of ideas, the exploration and imagination about what if.Effort, Intent, and the Active MindSet Aside a Time and Place to Think Up Ideas.Osborn believed you had to plan time for thinking, quiet time in a place where you could think without interruption. John C. Maxwell in Thinking for a Change Compare and ContrastUse similes and metaphors to understand or look for what is the same and different in two situations or ideas.Ideas Need to be SharedAt times it takes courage to express your ideas. Sometimes you might be afraid that others will not like your ideas or might even laugh at them. It also takes courage to overcome your own self-doubt. There is no more important role for a manager to take than being a creative coach, encourager of anyone with suggestions and ideas to improve the business, products, or services. "For all of us, a good rule is always to encourage ideas - to encourage speaking up as well as thinking up." Ideas don't come out of nowhere. Somehow you have to have been thinking about the problem, even perhaps dreaming about it, when suddenly the ideas pops up. It is the result of the work your brain was doing, sometimes in the background while you were working on other things. It is the result of the work, the thinking, it doesn't come out of thin air. Osborn lists steps that can be taken to improve creativity: The above list later was simplified by Bob Eberle and became known by the acronym SCAMPER
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advocates the same process. Both feel you have to make appointments in your calendar for yourself, for just thinking, and keeping a notebook of your thoughts and ideas.
