What’s your go-to method for brainstorming new ideas?

I like to use mind maps and sticky notes to visualize and flexibly organize ideas around a central theme.

I do that sometimes alone too, with my paper and pen, without the table. Just to write, without evaluation is very important, because evaluation kills the ideas before they are blooming.

One of my favorites that I have also used for several teams to get them to create new ideas: this needs to be done locally, maybe should invent a way to do it virtually. it goes about like this 0. Define the challenge - what ideas are needed and why? 1. let's remove the tables and sit comfortably 2. everybody gets a paper and pen (but no table) 3. during e.g. 5 min, people write all ideas or things that come to their mind to the paper 4. people change papers and write 5 min more, alone, earlier ideas in the paper can be used and developed 5. people get their paper back and write again 5 min. 6. Then we talk together to suggest ideas and develop them 7. Then write again alone to own paer 8. some grouping, and evaluation phase,to search e.g. top 4 or 5 ideas in each group.