Brainstorming and creativity

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English Subtitles

0: Brainstorming is the most widely implemented creativity technique of all time.

0: It was pioneered by this ad executive names Alex Osborne.

0: In a series of bestselling business books, in the 1940s 1950s, he outlined this technique called brainstorming.

0: Basically there was just one rule for brainstorming which is:

0: Don't criticise.

0: Whatever you do in a brainstorming meeting you cannot criticise the ideas of other people.

0: All ideas are good ideas

0: And the assumption behind this is that the imagination is very meek and shy and fragile.

0: And if we worried about being criticised it'll just clam up and won't be a xxxxx associate at all.

0: But the only problem with brainstorming is that it just doesn't work.

0: Psychologists have shown that for 60+ years.

0: Study after study put people in a room and tell them to brainstorm.

0: They're going to come up with fewer ideas and less original ideas than those same people might work by themselves.

0: And so brainstorming becomes less than the sum of our parts.

0: Now the reason brainstorming doesn't work returns us to the very first rule of brain storming which is:

0: Thou shalt not criticise.

0: Because, as studies by xxxx have shown, groups that engage in what she called debate and disent, where they're encouraged to engage in criticism.

0: they come up with up to 20 to 40% more ideas, and those ideas are rated as much more original.

0: And that's because when we don't criticise each other, when we all just pretend every idea is a good idea, we tend to float on the superficial surface of the imagination and our free associations left to their own devices are not being interested.

0: So if I decide to free associate on blue, I can predict with a high degree of accuracy that the first answer will be 'green', followed by 'Ocean', 'sky'.

0: Then things get a little bit more complicated.

0: We may see, you know, like Joni Mitchell or Miles Davis, or jeans or some earths but nothing too profound orÂ surprising.

0: And that's because our free associations are bound by language, and language is full of cliches.

0: Now the way we get past those cliches.

0: Is to engage in criticism.

0: That's what surprises us, that's what invigorates us, that's what really wakes us up and makes us really pay attention to the ideas of other people.

0: It forces us to dig a little bit deeper.

0: And that's when things get interesting.

Introduction

What is Brainstorming? What disadvantages does it have? A very 'intellectual' video from the RSA in London. Definitely for advanced level students only. Not only will we see and learn how to use the term 'brainstorming', but also associated expressions like 'free association'. For experts in the study of creative processes.

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The full text

0: Brainstorming is the most widely implemented creativity technique of all time.
0: It was pioneered by this ad executive names Alex Osborne.
0: In a series of bestselling business books, in the 1940s 1950s, he outlined this technique called brainstorming.
0: Basically there was just one rule for brainstorming which is:
0: Don't criticise.
0: Whatever you do in a brainstorming meeting you cannot criticise the ideas of other people.
0: All ideas are good ideas
0: And the assumption behind this is that the imagination is very meek and shy and fragile.
0: And if we worried about being criticised it'll just clam up and won't be a xxxxx associate at all.
0: But the only problem with brainstorming is that it just doesn't work.
0: Psychologists have shown that for 60+ years.
0: Study after study put people in a room and tell them to brainstorm.
0: They're going to come up with fewer ideas and less original ideas than those same people might work by themselves.
0: And so brainstorming becomes less than the sum of our parts.
0: Now the reason brainstorming doesn't work returns us to the very first rule of brain storming which is:
0: Thou shalt not criticise.
0: Because, as studies by xxxx have shown, groups that engage in what she called debate and disent, where they're encouraged to engage in criticism.
0: they come up with up to 20 to 40% more ideas, and those ideas are rated as much more original.
0: And that's because when we don't criticise each other, when we all just pretend every idea is a good idea, we tend to float on the superficial surface of the imagination and our free associations left to their own devices are not being interested.
0: So if I decide to free associate on blue, I can predict with a high degree of accuracy that the first answer will be 'green', followed by 'Ocean', 'sky'.
0: Then things get a little bit more complicated.
0: We may see, you know, like Joni Mitchell or Miles Davis, or jeans or some earths but nothing too profound orÂ surprising.
0: And that's because our free associations are bound by language, and language is full of cliches.
0: Now the way we get past those cliches.
0: Is to engage in criticism.
0: That's what surprises us, that's what invigorates us, that's what really wakes us up and makes us really pay attention to the ideas of other people.
0: It forces us to dig a little bit deeper.
0: And that's when things get interesting.
:

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Channel Information

RSA

Britain's RSA is officially "The royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce". It is an organisation which dedicates itself to re-defining the future through design and innovation in a number of related fields. The videos in the RSA Channel tend to look at very complex and sophisticated subjects. If you are interested in design and how design can change society, then this channel is for you. You will need to have a very high level of English in order to understand the majority of the videos.

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