Brainstorming is a powerful method of coming up with ideas for your business. It’s usually a group activity. In addition to helping you come up with ideas that you would have otherwise not thought of, brainstorming gives you insights on your what areas of your business you need to improve.

Start with a question to trigger news, and then use a mind map or word map to explore each idea. A SWOT analysis is another effective brainstorming technique. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and ask who, what, why, when, where and how questions to come up with ideas.

Besides effective brainstorming techniques, you need the right tools to generate excellent ideas.

Presentation Boards

Modern offices use presentation boards at meetings to display information. In this case, you can use the boards to capture ideas that your team members share during the brainstorming session. Presentation boards are useful in this regard. They are available in various styles, sizes and surfaces to suit different preferences.

For a stronger visual impact, consider getting a brightly coloured board. You can also get corrugated cardboards for greater durability, and boards with a tri-fold feature are easy to carry around. Photos and papers adhere easily on these boards with the use of double-sided tape, glue sticks or glue dots.

Mind Mapping Software

Mind mapping software is another handy way to bring your colleagues’ ideas to life. The most basic among these tools mimic whiteboards. More advanced tools can link related ideas to create a plan. Coggle is a good example of such tools. This online mind mapping tool has both free and premium versions.

Coggle builds diagrams that connect a collection of ideas to a central theme. You can also use it to create workflow sketches, mind maps with single or multiple themes and organization charts. Coggle also has versioning, revision history and Google Drive integration.

Applying Brainstorming to Relevant Areas

Brainstorming is a highly effective way of quickly coming up with concise ideas. For this reason, it’s popular among companies that rely on their workers’ creativity to gain a competitive advantage. In the end, presentation boards and mind mapping software are applicable in all areas where market-oriented ideas are relevant to your team’s workflow.