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Jonah Lehrer on Brainstorming

Does Brainstorming Work? This is the question psychologists have been baffled by for nearly half a century and we're still on the path of discovering whether ...

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VladTubaka commented on 31 Oct 2012

I'm not sure this has anything to do with introversion and extroversion. I am with you about the value of introverts, but introversion does not equal timidity, even if the two often coincide. Early on he says that a more effective method than brain-storming without criticism or debate would be a group individually brain-storming (my preferred method, being an introvert myself). Shutting down debate to be polite to the timid isn't good for anyone, since introverts can produce stupid ideas, too.

miriam kelley commented on 04 Oct 2013

They cite the Nemeth study which claims more ideas are generated when criticism is allowed.That study is flawed.Respondents were told to generate GOOD ideas, thereby were given criteria during the divergent thinking phase.They also were never told to build upon each other's ideas.The study says they were using Osborn's rules of brainstorming but they weren't-so the study was flawed from the beginning.YET,this study is always the one that all brainstorming naysayers will quote from every time

Betsy Pickren commented on 14 Apr 2013

This will be a surprise to the hundreds of groups I have worked with in brainstorming. There is a place for criticism afterwards if managed correctly. By letting people think "out of the box," it stretches them to the max. Recording ideas on a whiteboard or easel paper diffuses the ownership, and at a successful conclusion, most people forgot whose ideas was whose. Establishing criteria for evaluation, it's much easier to reduce the ideas to the critical few, and then criticism is valuable.

GroupMap commented on 19 Feb 2013

Hey Jesse, we know what it feels like when you just need to get your idea out there to be seen, without the conversational bulldozers and meeting hijackers. Nothing wrong with a good debate, once the picture has been built. The next time you run your brainstorm, try using GroupMap. It lets you put down ideas anonymously which is rotated through for equal airtime. You can upvote and reject suggestions and then see the overall picture as a team. Then you use the group view for debate. enjoy!

alexandra lakind commented on 10 Nov 2012

'no criticism' was not simply because the imagination is meek. Power dynamics don't allways foster open dialogue. Getting people to speak out and not fear being fired or chastised sometimes requires the message that they will not be 'wrong.' brainstorming might be a step towards open dialogue along with learning to criticize without excoriating the others. It may not work like more developed forms of collaboration, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have a function in the process of sharing.

kayamo commented on 04 Feb 2013

I'm programming a game. It's a challenge. Strangely enough, all my best ideas happen away from the computer, when I'm sitting with a pen and paper. Not all ideas are good ideas, but you gotta have a wild and open mentality. What you do is you come up with possible solutions, plenty of them, and you think abstractly. But eventually, you need to bring those abstract ideas until reality, so criticism is necessary. Often, some of the best ideas mix together to form a better final result.

Jesse Cruz commented on 23 Oct 2012

I can attest to the to the assumption that the imagination can be meek, shy and fragile. I can recall instances in which I've shared ideas in brainstorming sessions that I was amped about only to feel totally deflated afterwards because of the negative feedback I received. Alternatively, I have found that the debate and consent approach can be very effective, but only if the people engaging in this method trust each other and are genuinely interested in exploring new avenues together.

Wise Liar commented on 11 Nov 2012

Fuck political correctness. We should be building up the emotional strength and intellect to show people when we are criticizing and idea, but still valuing them as human beings- NOT shaming them into silence. Also, we need to be able to receive constructive criticism as only a criticism on that specific point mentioned, not a shaming criticism on the entirety of our intelligence. If we view brainstorming through the work of Susan Cain & Brené Brown, we can elaborate on this video.

Aaron Thurston commented on 26 Oct 2012

Brainstorming has virtues beyond just sharing ideas. A lively discussion and debate is perhaps more effective at producing more ideas. However, if co-workers don’t feel comfortable defending their ideas, the discussion will quickly be dominated by one point of view. In turn, people get in line behind the leader and the outcome is dictated by who has the power. Brainstorming can be an effective tool in opening the window for a group of people to share ownership of a common goal.

Steve M. commented on 30 Jan 2013

Someone missing the point? In my experience, brainstorming can generate a lot of interesting ideas - provided the don't criticise rule is robustly applied during the 'storming' period: the review of ideas once the 'storming' has ended is where the debate takes place. The value of brainstorming is that it fires off ideas in other people.. I think the 'blue' example is simplistic. Usually, people are brainstorming around a specific issue/problem not doing it for the fun!

George Steeley commented on 25 Oct 2012

Agreed! Trust is the essential element not often touched on by those debunking the brainstorm. Sure, "don't criticize" is a key tenet, but brainstorming is more than that. We worked hard at my agency to make brainstorms effective and succeeded when we built trust as a foundation, so I know it can be done. Unfortunately, it's not at all easy to grow that trust, which is fragile, and why brainstorming is rarely effective in most organizations. Nice animations, BTW.

Miguel Tavares commented on 03 Nov 2012

Many commenters have spoke about the results of brainstorming when done in the way it was designed to work: no criticism (not even silent one), trust between members, adequate duration, etc.. A well defined question also helps. I want to add that this is one technique among many that aims at generating a large number of ideas. When you use a good tool the wrong way or to solve the wrong problem, it won't work. Personally, I find this video to be misleading.

Leon Markovitz commented on 11 Nov 2012

Jonah Lehrer is a discredited author, and I went from being a fan to feeling cheated. Here once again we see Jonah arguing with full confidence over a wrong premise. What happens, for example, if you brainstorm with people you've never met from all over the world? And you can like ideas or pass them (not downgrade/criticize them.) Wouldn't that be true out of the box thinking? In fact, thats what we try to do at my startup wikibrains, feel free to visit.

torosalvajebcn commented on 07 May 2015

Brainstorming is a TWO step process. First part is all about free association, gathering ideas, divergent thinking, making people feel confortable, at easy, so they open and get out ideas, whithout fear of criticism....and then, the SECOND part, is commenting on every single idea produced....that's when convergent thinking, and rational criticism enter in play.....it really looks the author of this video is not aware of this important detail

UniversalPotentate commented on 23 Oct 2012

Huh ... That's never the kind of brainstorming I've used. I've always used the kind of brainstorming which says "Have an idea and be prepared to defend it ... just be prepared to throw out an idea if it's proven wrong." The onus is NOT on the person criticizing, it's on the person with the idea to both defend and reject their own idea. The rule is all energy must be directed at the IDEA, not the PERSON as opposed to simply "don't criticize."

Brigham commented on 22 Oct 2012

I think part of it is that when people don't criticize, people know their ideas will be judged anyway, so they don't speak. The way to get past the problem of people not voicing their opinions isn't to pretend they won't be judged by disallowing criticism, but to encourage criticism to the point where it is the norm and people aren't offended by it because it goes in both directions - ideally, you give criticism just as much as you get it.

Sp1nnakerguy commented on 04 Oct 2013

This is the most superficial understanding of brainstorming ever. Much more research on brainstorming days that it works when used as Osborn described it. If anyone bothered to read the studies from 60 years ago that everyone cites, they'd see that it doesn't say that brainstorming doesn't work, in fact it says that the study does not even evaluate brainstorming. Don't repeat crap. Do the research. Lehrer got it WRONG.

Dohavior __ commented on 23 Apr 2013

If one can't criticize criticism then criticize all you want and anyone whom breaks this rule are equally at fault. Such is merely a means to make both parties accept the burden of responsibility. You see you occasionally get some assclowns whom say guilt by association does not exist forgetting that guilt is a type of association in and of itself and thereby they are full of shit.

TheStartSomething commented on 28 Oct 2012

Utter nonsense that completely misses the point of constructive brainstorming sessions -if you encourage criticism at the early stages of idea formation you only end up getting to hear the blowhards who love the sound of their own voice -quieter people with better ideas will be shut out. A great shame the author has learnt nothing about the power of introverts. Complete fail.

Joao Menezes commented on 23 Oct 2012

UniversalPotentate got it right. The principle behind 'Don't criticize' in brainstorming, means don't criticize the person, but criticize the ideas, dismantle them, add to them, see them rise or crumble. No wonder brainstorming didn't work for these guys. In my experience it is a really fun way of doing science, many good ideas of my lab came for nice ferocious brainstorming

Steven Stolpman commented on 16 Nov 2012

I think a great follow up to this is the RSA video on "the Secret of Super Teams," where the speaker analyzes Pixar's method of allowing all ideas, positive and negative onto the table while leaving the "decision makers" the freedom to focus on or ignore whatever they want. Thus avoiding the congestion of consensus or the tyranny of authority (or something like that).

How Creativity Works - Jonah Lehrer

Bestselling journalist and author Jonah Lehrer shows how new research is deepening our understanding of the human imagination and considers how this new ...

User Comments

ratzskinakie commented on 21 Aug 2012

Besides the Bob Dylan quotes, he also copyed-edit his own past work to his new articles. I've followed Jonah Lehrer work for a long time and I saw him doing this often but I didn't think anything of it, I just alwayst took as a nice refresher of his past material, I didn't realized he was also breaking journalisim rules and such.. But in the end it was about the science and many of his articles i've looked into seemed legitimate since he backed it up with research, studies, journals, and such

star999nine commented on 22 May 2012

also, lehrer's lecture isn't touting apathy as the key to creativity. he is saying that often a break from focusing on an issue will allow the mind to come upon a creative answer or solution. however, in order to grant the mind this opportunity, u first have to focus on the issue at length. and perhaps taking a break will work, but it's hardly a guarantee. taking a break simply allows your brain to reorganize itself. sort of like what dreams do with information gathered during waking life.

star999nine commented on 22 May 2012

those r some huge generalizations. a great number of history's eminent artists were notoriously strung out (van gogh, beethoven, hemingway, et al). there have been several important studies that have indicated that a high percentage of artists have some form of mental dysfunction, from mild anxiety to paranoid schizophrenia, with bipolar disorder being the most common. not all, but many (among poets, the percentage is as high as 70%). apathy is certainly not a common artistic trait.

akspartan92 commented on 21 May 2012

I'm an artist and this video gave me an revelation of why I, and so many artists tend to be the creative types. Because we just don't care! Every good artist I know is chill and mellow, and if not, they do things to become that way, i.e. weed. Plus I was stuck in a creative rut at the moment but now I know how to get out! Just start drawing and eventually this concept I've been thinking of for a week will solve itself!

The scapegoat commented on 19 Aug 2013

no, no lo era. la gente que asocia a hablado de engranajes y palancas, usted no tiene eso en sus libros de la escuela, eso qué es que falta. piensan que leonardo da vinci subió con todas las ideas himslelf eso no es cierto. la gente que él asocia con hablaron de cosas diferentes, el tipo de amigos que había eran diferentes que las personas normales. Normal significa jodido por ahí sociedad.

cfox109 commented on 17 May 2012

I think someone should try it. There have been so many times that I've thought I would learn more if there wasn't tests, or if grades were not as important. It would just make the experience more enjoyable and I think the knowledge you learn would be more permanent. It would be learning for the sake of learning something rather than to get a grade and move on.

The scapegoat commented on 19 Aug 2013

todo el mundo puede ser un artista como Leonardo da Vinci no es un don innato. esto es un mito. perpetuado por personas que no entienden lo que es ser creativo. no lo hacen entender el acondicionamiento o el tipo de experiencia que hace que una persona creativa, la creatividad no es más que tomando elementos conocidos y que pone juntos de una forma única.

The scapegoat commented on 19 Aug 2013

ver todas sus historias, sus escritos, sus libros, las mismas historias diferentes personajes. todas sus telenovelas son Allways la misma historia puso juntos en pequeños modelos diferentes, no tan original. e incluso aunque se enteró de que un tipo como leonardo da vinci que piensa: "Dios mío, que se adelantó a su tiempo"

Dinn Loang commented on 31 Jul 2012

I wonder how long will this video stay up after the Lehrer-gate debacle. The made up Bob Dylan quotes are not in this short video edit but are part of the full RSA lecture that is available as RSA podcast. Shame to see such a talented writer and speaker to make such major error.

prschroeder commented on 01 Aug 2012

wow.. he didn't really need to make-up Dylan quotes for his book. It's not like the book was about Dylan. Just another example of a really smart guy making a dumb decision. We all do it but luckily most of ours go unnoticed by the masses because we aren't on a public stage.

garilou2 commented on 23 May 2012

I agree that Bach is the best of all, but was he a genius? In the context of this conference, we could say that Mozart, would be a better example: permanently drunk, working all the time, and did not need to re-write the same phrase 70 times. But he died very young...

chispamia commented on 20 May 2012

"It isn't that there was more talent, it was that less talent was wasted"

Ghi102 commented on 17 May 2012

Couldn't this be applied to the education system, wasting less talent... Putting less stress on students that they have to perform (to a certain extent), wouldn't that make them perform better?

Gorrgrim commented on 17 May 2012

haha maybe you guys shouldn't pan out into the audience. one girl was texting while the guy next to her was creeping and the guy at 7:12 is stoned out of his mind ahahaha

Martijn Hoppenbrouwer commented on 16 May 2012

brainstorming is useless and does not deliver good or unique ideas - in the contrary - quite some new ideas but also some things i recognize. Nice.

jozina1 commented on 19 May 2012

I don't understand why the people in the room weren't laughing more often. He has a very funny and interesting way of talking.

Sylvester Ivanov commented on 30 Aug 2013

Perpetuado que el mundo ser creativo modelos de cosas, spaghetti aldente, telenovelas son misma Christina Aguillera! :)

Dabbin' All Night Vape All Day' commented on 19 Dec 2015

Jonah Lehrer: How to be Creative 1) Make up stuff! 2) Copy, copy, copy then slightly alter it 3) Cheat and deceive

DoRayMeFa commented on 17 May 2012

!!! This is the guy who wrote "Imagine: How Creativity Works" which I just downloaded. Coincidence? I think not!

chat099 commented on 01 Jun 2012

How would you know if you never saw it? That's like me saying I haven't seen your shirt, but I know it sucks.

sonnetxi commented on 17 May 2012

Fuck! I can't find it again, the minor what lobe of the right hemisphere?? Somebody help?

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Laurel LaFlamme commented on 21 Jul 2012

I disagree with almost everyone here. I'm going to present this video short at our next team meeting. It's highly entertaining AND "The Boss" can represent many different types of hierarchies one has to report to. I think it's fodder for communication in many different types of Sales Industries. The entire team needs to be on the same page. What IS the "plan" when you have to tell a Customer "NO" -- I think it's brilliant, well produced, and I'm grateful to have found it. Many thanks!

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Catherine O'Connor commented on 05 Jun 2013

A good, straight forward video - useful as a starting point for a sales training session and particularly to get people into the right mindset about what selling is really about - particularly useful for those new into sales I would suggest.

um2jkhhg commented on 06 Dec 2012

Mildly entertaining. Not much use in real sales environment. Sounds like someone read a textbook (by an author who never sold anything) and put it on video.