7 Tips for Brainstorming

7 Tips for Brainstorming 7 Tips for Brainstorming 7 Tips for Brainstorming By Mark Nichol Whether you’re trying to develop the topic of an essay or the plot of a short story, or you and some of your colleagues have been assigned to propose an idea for a product or a project, a brainstorming session is a means to a successful outcome. Here are some tips for the brainstorming session’s procedure. 1. Create ground rules: Withhold comment on or evaluation of items during the initial brainstorming session; just record them. Accept every suggestion, unless the person who suggested it retracts it (and even then, the group can override the retraction). Respect others and their ideas. Be uninhibited and imaginative. 2. Set a time limit based on whether you’re brainstorming on your own or based on the number of fellow brainstormers five minutes, fifteen minutes, half an hour. (Longer periods will probably produce diminishing returns.) 3. Create a mind map a constellation of main topics and subtopics or of related points on a large sheet of paper, a whiteboard, or another surface that all participants can see, or simply list suggestions in roster form. 4. Don’t go into details about any item, though other items inspired by a detail can be added to the list. 5. Don’t stop the initial brainstorming session until the time is up. If the individual’s or group’s momentum falters, review the list to prompt new items, or explore details or tangents. 6. If, despite the additional efforts described in the previous point, no new ideas are produced, search for random terms in a dictionary, a pertinent document or publication, or any written content. 7. Don’t stop brainstorming just because what seems at that moment to be an ideal suggestion seems to obviate further progress. Mark the item for emphasis and keep brainstorming. At the end of the session, organize the list sequentially or by headings and subheadings. Then discuss the merits of the list items and reduce the list to a manageable number of items. If the goal is to select or recommend one item or a short list and report results to one or more other people, produce those results and, if necessary, draft a proposal or assign brainstorming group members to do so after the meeting. Then, reconvene in person or distribute proposal materials electronically to finalize the proposal. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Grammar Mistakes You Should Avoid26 Feel-Good WordsCaptain vs. Master

The Rise and Fall of Weimar and the Rise of Hitler

The Rise and Fall of Weimar and the Rise of Hitler Between World War One and Two, Germany experienced several changes in government: from an emperor to democracy to the rise of a new dictator, a FÃ ¼hrer. Indeed, it’s this last leader, Adolf Hitler, who directly began the second of the twentieth century’s two great wars. The German Revolution of 1918-19 Faced with defeat in the First World War, the military leaders of Imperial Germany convinced themselves that a new civilian government would do two things: take the blame for the loss, and persuade the soon to be winners of the war to demand only a moderate punishment. The socialist SDP was invited to form a government and they pursued a moderate course, but as Germany began to fracture under pressure so calls for a full-fledged revolution were demanded by the extreme left. Whether Germany really did experience a revolution in 1918-19, or whether that was defeated is debated. The Creation and Struggle of the Weimar Republic The SDP was running Germany, and they resolved to create a new constitution and republic. This was duly created, based at Weimar because the conditions in Berlin were unsafe, but problems with the allies’ demands in the Treaty of Versailles produced a rocky path, which only got worse in the early 1920s as reparations helped hyperinflation and impending economic collapse. Yet Weimar, with a political system that produced coalition after coalition, survived, and experienced a cultural Golden Age. The Origins of Hitler and the Nazi Party In the chaos following the end of World War One, many fringe parties emerged in Germany. One was investigated by an army man called Hitler. He joined, displayed a talent for demagoguery, and soon took over the Nazi Party and expanded its membership. He might have moved too early believing his Beer Hall Putsch would work, even with Ludendorff on the side, but managed to turn a trial and time in prison into a triumph. By the mid-twenties, he’d resolved to at least start his rise to power semi-legally. The Fall of Weimar and Hitler’s Rise to Power The Golden Age of Weimar was cultural; the economy was still dangerously dependent on American money, and the political system was unstable. When the Great Depression removed the US loans the German economy was crippled, and dissatisfaction with the center parties led to extremists like the Nazis growing in votes. Now the top level of German politics slipped towards the authoritarian government, and democracy failed, all before Hitler managed to exploit violence, despair, fear and political leaders who underestimated him to become Chancellor. Treaty of Versailles and Hitler The Treaty of Versailles was long blamed for leading directly to the Second World War, but this is now considered an overstatement. Nevertheless, it’s possible to argue several aspects of the Treaty did contribute to Hitler’s rise to power. The Creation of the Nazi Dictatorship By 1933 Hitler was Chancellor of Germany, but was far from secure; in theory, President Hindenburg could sack him whenever he wanted. Within months he had wrecked the constitution and established a powerful, gripping dictatorship thanks to violence and the final act of political suicide from the opposition parties. Hindenburg then died, and Hitler combined his job with the presidency to create a FÃ ¼hrer. Hitler would now reshape all areas of German life.