When brainstorming isn't going well

...Or so I thought, but looking back at the photos with a clear head, I ate this much and drank five cups of sake. Growing up is no easy feat.

Now, speaking of "quantity over quality," "free and unrestrained," "no criticism," and "building on ideas" – those are the famous four rules of brainstorming.

This year, thanks to some connections, I'm teaching three courses for students in the spring semester. When I have them try brainstorming, they usually struggle with one of these four rules. Can you guess which one?

Especially recent students are good at "no criticism." Even if someone makes a comment that doesn't quite click, they accept it kindly.

Since the students aren't necessarily friends, it takes a little time to build an atmosphere where they feel comfortable being "free and unrestrained" with each other. But they all manage to get over it.

Once they do, "quantity over quality" automatically becomes acceptable too. Instead of seeking one right answer, they look for possibilities that might lead to something new and produce answers in bulk.

On the other hand, where they commonly stumble is "building on ideas." They don't know how to develop the discussion further without negating someone else's contribution.

In those moments, we return to the fundamental question: what do we ultimately want to gain through brainstorming? And if we want to achieve that "aha!" moment that sparks innovation, I tell them there's only one thing to focus on: creating new connections between people and things/ideas.

In other words, brainstorming requires constantly moving back and forth between "people" and "things/ideas" to create new connections between them. Once you grasp this structure, the rest is simple.

You simply identify a new "person" or a new aspect of "things/activities" within someone's comment, and use that as a starting point to expand the discussion again.

For example, if you're asked for ideas to revitalize public bathhouses. If the current connection is that "elderly people" use them because they want "large baths," you can't build on that within this vocabulary range. Skip it.

But if a new angle emerges—like "daycare children," "young people who enjoy club activities," "lockers available," or "Japanese culture"—that's your chance. Isolate that specific aspect (word) from someone's core point and piggyback on it: "To delight daycare children..." or "People who appreciate Japanese culture in bathhouses..." Then develop it further.

Fundamentally, "hitching a ride" carries a slightly underhanded nuance—taking advantage of an opportunity someone else created for free. That's exactly right. It's not about fully accepting the other person's statement, but rather freely utilizing the usable parts.

Mastering the skill of extracting others' statements from conversations requires some experience, but understanding this structure will help students steadily improve their brainstorming skills.

The hot days keep coming. After heated discussions like brainstorming sessions with young people, you're bound to get thirsty. If it's still too early for beer while the sun is high, boldly cut a large watermelon into quarters and chug, chug, chug.
I must say, my appetite knows no summer slump.
 

Please, help yourself!