brainwriting

Brainwriting is a group creativity technique in which participants generate ideas through silent, written contributions rather than through verbal discussion. The method aims to supplement or replace traditional brainstorming by reducing social pressure, allowing quieter participants to contribute, and accelerating idea generation.

In a typical brainwriting session, a facilitator defines the problem and assembles a group. Each participant receives paper or an electronic form and has a limited amount of time to write several ideas. After the time is up, the sheets are passed to another participant, who reads the existing ideas and adds new ones or builds on them. The process repeats for several rounds. At the end, all ideas are collected, pooled, and then reviewed for selection and refinement.

Variants of brainwriting include structured formats such as the 6-3-5 method, where a fixed number of participants generate a set number of ideas over multiple rounds. Other forms use shared idea pools, or electronic platforms that allow simultaneous or sequential contributions. Digital brainwriting can enable remote teams to collaborate in real time.

Advantages of brainwriting include greater participation by all members, higher total idea generation, and reduced dominance by outspoken individuals. It also helps mitigate evaluation apprehension. Limitations include the need for skilled facilitation to manage time and synthesis, potential superficiality of ideas without subsequent discussion, and possible relevance issues for complex tasks that require iterative debate or prototyping.

Originating in the mid-20th century, brainwriting has become a widely used tool in business, design, education, and organizational problem solving as a complement to brainstorming.