brainstorm essay template

• Learn English
• Learn French
• Learn German
• Learn Italian
• Learn Portuguese
• Learn Spanish
• Mission Statement
• Board of Directors
• Meet the Team
• Host a Student
• Volunteer with ILI

Home / News / Academic Writing Tip: 8 Brainstorming Techniques

Academic Writing Tip: 8 Brainstorming Techniques

So, you’ve read and re-read the academic writing assignment that you received from your professor, and now you’re staring at a blank page.

Does your mind feel as blank as the page? Are you Frozen by fear? Rubbing your eyes with exhaustion?

Whether you’re writing an essay for a community college in Boston, Massachusetts or a university in New England, USA, you need to start somewhere. Brainstorming means you use your imagination and prior knowledge to collect thoughts. After gathering a great quantity of ideas, you select the highest quality ideas.

Filling that empty white document can feel like leaping into unknown icy water. Brainstorming is the way to warm up for a deep dive into the EAP topic.

Brainstorming begins with simple questions. What do you know about the topic? What do you want to learn about the topic?

As you brainstorm, you journey farther down the academic writing quest. How do you narrow down a topic into a thesis? How do you gather the examples and evidence necessary for an academic essay?

Here are EAP brainstorming strategies to jumpstart the engine of your creativity.

Brainstorming tip #1: Freewriting

Do you have no ideas? Or the opposite problem—too many ideas?

Freewriting means what it sounds like—you’re free to write whatever comes to mind. The point is not to make it perfect—not even necessarily to make it good—but just to put thoughts on paper—no rules, no revising. You can even write about how you don’t know what to write about.

The only limit you should set for yourself is that you write for a specific period of time—let’s say 30 minutes—or for a specific number of pages—let’s say 2 pages. Non-stop activity gets the juices flowing, and a concrete goal gives you satisfaction. Here’s an example of freewriting:

This essay is supposed to be about the Boston Tea Party but I don’t know anything about US history except that the American Revolution happened a long time ago (when???) somewhere in Massachusetts or maybe I’m wrong. I can’t think of anything else to say and now the clock says two minutes, I’ll keep babbling anyway. Boston, MA, politics, tea. My grandmother used to make tea when I stopped by after my English courses. But that’s not useful for this essay. Or maybe there’s a connection. Hmmm… I remember the professor talked about the taxes in the New English states (colonies?) and my grandmother used to complain about paying high taxes at the market and…

Freewriting stimulates your brain the same way physical exercise wakes up your mind.

Brainstorming tip #2: Making a Cube

Draw a cube in your notebook. Each of the six sides has a task:

Side 1: Describe the topic.

Side 2: Compare the topic.

Side 3: Connect the topic.

Side 4: Classify the topic.

Side 5: Argue for or against the topic.

Side 6: Personalize the topic.

Instead of those 6 tasks, you could replace those verbs with other academic tasks: apply, analyze, question, connect, define, classify, associate, or explain cause and effect—whichever inspire ideas.

Imagine your topic is attending university in the U.S. Next to each point on the cube, you would write words and phrases inspired by the verb at hand:

Side 1: Describe: Exciting, difficult, expensive, growing opportunities, expensive, valuable.

Side 2: Compare: Different from my country. USA = more essay writing, dorms with roommates, critical thinking, fewer standardized exams and lectures, smaller classes.

Side 3: Connect: student visa policies, US immigration law, IELTS, TOEFL iBT, travel restrictions from covid-19, globalization means more English at work.

Side 4: Classify: community colleges (Holyoke, Greenfield), state universities (UMASS Boston), private ivy league (Harvard) graduate schools, MBA, BA, MFA programs.  

Side 5: Argue for : opens doors, better jobs, international workplace, investment in future, social networking, broadens horizons.

Side 6: Personalize: my cousin > engineering degree, MIT internship, campus resources help with culture shock (which worries me.) IELTS stresses me out!!!!  Way to avoid?

This brainy approach works if you like approaching topics from different angles.

Brainstorming tip #3: Clustering

When you cluster, you draw bubbles and connect words and concepts associated with the topic—anything that comes to mind.

This visual method works when you have a lot of random thoughts and you are trying to “see” connections.

Brainstorming tip #4: Bulleting

With this technique, you make bulleted lists with concepts, terms, and ideas. This can help you narrow down from the first list to a second list. The list on the left contains general bullet points, while the list on the right expands on a single bullet to delve deeper.

This method works great if you’re an orderly person who likes making lists.

Brainstorming tip #5: Venn Diagram

  The famous Venn diagram technique works well for brainstorming differences and similarities between two topics. You draw two intersecting circles and write the qualities they share in the middle where the circles intersect and the qualities that are unique in the left and right spaces. For example, let’s say you’re brainstorming differences and similarities between two cities in Massachusetts, Boston and Northampton.

This famous brainstorming method is used in the academic and business worlds because it so clearly shows differences and similarities.

To analyze relationships among three topics, you can make a Venn diagram with three circles. The 3-circle helps visualize and understand complex connections. You brainstorm three basic questions. Which qualities are unique to each? Which traits do any two topics have in common? Which similarities are shared by all three topics?

Brainstorming tip #6: Tree diagram

The tree diagram begins with a central idea that branches off into categories or supporting ideas.

Imagine you’re brainstorming different types of schools in US higher education.

Tree diagrams are perfect for brainstorming classification essays. You could also draw tree diagrams to brainstorm effects, starting with a cause at the top and branching off into increasingly specific downstream effects. Pretty cool, huh?

Brainstorming tip #7: Journalist Dice

Dice aren’t just toys for games and gambling–they can be a tool for writing. Rolling journalist dice is a stimulating way to flesh out narrative essays. Each side of the die corresponds to one of the 6 question words. To make the game fun, roll a die, and write down one answer the question every time you roll. Roll at least a dozen times to write down a variety of details and ideas.

In addition to building a narrative essay, this brainstorming technique can help you develop a compelling story for your college application essay. For the tired and uninspired writer, the game element of rolling dice makes the writing process more engaging and enjoyable. 

Brainstorming tip #8: T diagram

This method works well if you like thinking in terms of opposites.  Can you say “On the one hand” and “On the other hand”? 

What’s next in the writing process?

After your fast and furious brainstorm, the next step is to create an outline. When you outline, you pick your best and brightest ideas. Then you begin organizing them into a coherent, linear argument. You select and sort supporting points, evidence, examples, and elaboration. To learn more about outlining, click here for the next article in our academic writing series. 

The best way to improve your writing is to join an academic or business English course . With guidance from an expert instructor and feedback from a community of peers, you can master the art of academic writing.

Related Articles

• How to improve your academic and business English writing skills
• Why 2021 has skyrocketed the importance of improving your English communication skills for the workplace?
• What is the difference between social and academic English, Part 1
• What is the difference between social and academic English, Part 2
• Top movies to help you learn English and love the language more
• Academic Writing Tip: Making an Outline

Article tags:

Home / Guides / Writing Guides / Writing Tips / How to Brainstorm for an Essay

How to Brainstorm for an Essay

Once you get going on a paper, you can often get into a groove and churn out the bulk of it fairly quickly. But choosing or brainstorming a topic for a paper—especially one with an open-ended prompt—can often be a challenge.

You’ve probably been told to brainstorm ideas for papers since you were in elementary school. Even though you might feel like “brainstorming” is an ineffective method for actually figuring out what to write about, it really works. Everyone thinks through ideas differently, but here are some tips to help you brainstorm more effectively regardless of what learning style works best for you:

Tip #1: Set an end goal for yourself

Develop a goal for your brainstorm. Don’t worry—you can go into brainstorming without knowing exactly what you want to write about, but you should  have an idea of what you hope to gain from your brainstorming session. Do you want to develop a list of potential topics? Do you want to come up with ideas to support an argument? Have some idea about what you want to get out of brainstorming so that you can make more effective use of your time.

Tip #2: Write down all ideas

Sure, some of your ideas will be better than others, but you should write all of them down for you to look back on later. Starting with bad or infeasible ideas might seem counterintuitive, but one idea usually leads to another one. Make a list that includes all of your initial thoughts, and then you can go back through and pick out the best one later. Passing judgment on ideas in this first stage will just slow you down.

Tip #3: Think about what interests you most

Students usually write better essays when they’re exploring subjects that they have some personal interest in. If a professor gives you an open-ended prompt, take it as an opportunity to delve further into a topic you find more interesting. When trying to find a focus for your papers, think back on coursework that you found engaging or that raised further questions for you.

Tip #4: Consider what you want the reader to get from your paper

Do you want to write an engaging piece? A thought-provoking one? An informative one? Think about the end goal of your writing while you go through the initial brainstorming process. Although this might seem counterproductive, considering what you want readers to get out of your writing can help you come up with a focus that both satisfies your readers and satisfies you as a writer.

 Tip #5: Try freewriting

Write for five minutes on a topic of your choice that you think could  be worth pursuing—your idea doesn’t have to be fully fleshed out. This can help you figure out whether it’s worth putting more time into an idea or if it doesn’t really have any weight to it. If you find that you don’t have much to say about a particular topic, you can switch subjects halfway through writing, but this can be a good way to get your creative juices flowing.

Tip #6: Draw a map of your ideas

While some students might prefer the more traditional list methods, for more visual learners, sketching out a word map of ideas may be a useful method for brainstorming. Write the main idea in a circle in the center of your page. Then, write smaller, related ideas in bubbles further from the center of the page and connect them to your initial idea using lines. This is a good way to break down big ideas and to figure out whether they are worth writing about.

 Tip #7: Enlist the help of others

Sometimes it can be difficult coming up with paper topics on your own, and family and friends can prove to be valuable resources when developing ideas. Feel free to brainstorm with another person (or in a group). Many hands make light work—and some students work best when thinking through ideas out loud—so don’t be afraid to ask others for advice when trying to come up with a paper topic.

Tip #8: Find the perfect brainstorming spot

Believe it or not, location can make a BIG difference when you’re trying to come up with a paper topic. Working while watching TV is never a good idea, but you might want to listen to music while doing work, or you might prefer to sit in a quiet study location. Think about where you work best, and pick a spot where you feel that you can be productive.

Tip #9: Play word games to help generate ideas

Whether you hate playing word games or think they’re a ton of fun, you might want to try your hand at a quick round of Words With Friends or a game of Scrabble. These games can help get your brain working, and sometimes ideas can be triggered by words you see. Get a friend to play an old-fashioned board game with you, or try your hand at a mobile app if you’re in a time crunch.

Tip #10: Take a break to let ideas sink in

Brainstorming is a great way to get all of your initial thoughts out there, but sometimes you need a bit more time to process all of those ideas. Stand up and stretch—or even take a walk around the block—and then look back on your list of ideas to see if you have any new thoughts on them.

For many students, the most difficult process of paper writing is simply coming up with an idea about what to write on. Don’t be afraid to get all of your ideas out there through brainstorming, and remember that all ideas are valid. Take the time necessary to sort through all of your ideas, using whatever method works best for you, and then get to writing—but don’t be afraid to go back to the drawing board if a new inspiration strikes.

EasyBib Writing Resources

Writing a paper.

• Academic Essay
• Argumentative Essay
• College Admissions Essay
• Expository Essay
• Persuasive Essay
• Research Paper
• Thesis Statement
• Writing a Conclusion
• Writing an Introduction
• Writing an Outline
• Writing a Summary

EasyBib Plus Features

• Citation Generator
• Essay Checker
• Expert Check Proofreader
• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tools

Plagiarism Checker

• Spell Checker

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Grammar and Plagiarism Checkers

Grammar Basics

Plagiarism Basics

Writing Basics

Upload a paper to check for plagiarism against billions of sources and get advanced writing suggestions for clarity and style.

Get Started

Are you seeking one-on-one college counseling and/or essay support? Limited spots are now available. Click here to learn more.

How to Brainstorm a College Essay

June 10, 2024

Brainstorming often gets a bad rap. Many people either find it completely useless or outright hate it. Quick, try it—what do you think of when you hear “brainstorm”? A group of students sitting awkwardly around a whiteboard, waiting for someone else to share their idea first? Staring at a blank page with ever-increasing bewilderment slash terror? Producing a list of ideas, only to think every single one of them is a dumpster fire? Now, it’s time to write your college essay, and word on the street is that you should brainstorm first—but what does that even mean, and do you have to do it? If you’ve ever wondered how college essay brainstorming works or how to brainstorm college essay ideas, we’ll be getting into all that and more in today’s blog.

What is brainstorming?

In general, brainstorming is the process of producing ideas, whether individually or in a group. Although it can be employed in a number of different contexts, from board rooms to PTA meetings, we’re going to focus on its relevance to the college essay writing process in particular.

Why should I brainstorm college essay ideas?

The goal of brainstorming is not to simply transcribe the ideas you already have but to unlock ideas that you didn’t even know you had.

For example, it’s very likely that your brainstorm will reveal forgotten memories or events. It almost always generates surprising connections. And at the very least, it will help you understand why you want to write about a particular topic, which is an essential piece of information to keep in mind as you move forward.

Brainstorming college essay ideas is also a way to overcome a fear of the blank page, which is a legitimate form of writer’s block. Usually, writers either feel like they have no ideas or so many ideas that committing to just one is causing anxiety. Either way, it’s debilitating. Don’t worry, though—a good brainstorming process will either produce at least a few viable ideas or help you pare down your list.

Finally, brainstorming and writing are creative processes, which means we can better understand what goes on in our brains—and develop new ways to spark creativity during both acts—by delving into literature on the subject. For starters, according to many researchers , creativity is often characterized by an interplay between divergent and convergent thinking, or the process of producing as many ideas as possible in a spontaneous, unfiltered way and then narrowing those ideas down in a logical, evaluative way. Fortunately, both types of thinking can be harnessed during the brainstorming process to help you choose your best possible topic.

Do you always have to brainstorm?

Nope! Some students do enter the college essay process with a very clear sense of what they want to write about. This tends to happen when 1) you have an all-consuming passion or 2) you have undergone a significant challenge or life event. In either case, you just can’t imagine writing about anything else but your topic.

For example, when I wrote my college personal statement, I knew right away that I wanted to write about writing. I spent most of my free time seriously crafting and revising fiction, and it was a part of my life that felt indistinguishable from me as a person. To know me, I felt that admissions readers had to know that I loved to write, what my writing meant to me, and how I wanted it to influence my future. Although I spent many hours refining how the essay would begin and unfold, the topic itself felt non-negotiable.

So if you already know your Common App topic, that’s incredible. Check that item off your to-do list!

That said, students who enter the essay process knowing what they want to write about are few and far between. For this reason, we ask all our students to at least humor us with the brainstorming process, even if only to gather potential ideas for future supplemental essays. Moreover, many students are stuck between 2 to 3 potential topics, and engaging in brainstorming exercises tends to clarify the way forward.

How do I brainstorm college essay ideas?

Have a piece of paper or word processing document ready, and let’s begin!

College Essay Brainstorming Step #1: Set the mood.

Before you try to brainstorm college essay ideas, set yourself up for success by evaluating where and how you work best. Do you like being in a quiet space, listening to instrumental music, or being outside? Do you enjoy physically writing your ideas down on a piece of paper, using a digital mind mapping tool, or speaking your ideas into a voice recorder? Maybe you need to be at your desk in your room with some instrumental pop in your headphones and a snack at the ready, or sitting outside at your favorite café with a coffee. Whatever your ideal set-up is, get it ready!

If you need to center yourself before you sit down, try going for a quick walk, doing a meditation, or listening to some music that makes you feel positive or motivated. Feel free to pause and do this again at any point during your brainstorming process if you begin to feel too unfocused.

College Essay Brainstorming Step #2: Iterate.

To kickstart the creative process, you’ll want to activate your DMN, or default mode network, via divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the process of amassing as many ideas as possible in a spontaneous, non-judgmental way. There is a great deal of freedom at this stage so it’s important not to censor yourself, even if some of your ideas seem far-fetched or unlikely. Why? That far-fetched or unlikely idea will spark even more ideas, some of which may be surprisingly perfect. Bottom line: write down anything (yes, anything!) that comes to mind.

So how do you do this? In our opinion, brainstorming works best when it’s semi-structured. Instead of sitting down in front of a blank Google Doc and waiting for inspiration (spoiler alert: you’ll be there for a while), use targeted brainstorming questions and lists to help, like Nancie Atwell’s Writing Territories or Georgia Heard’s heart maps . Set a timer for each exercise if you’d like–10-15 minutes is usually sufficient, but feel free to go beyond that.

College Essay Brainstorming (Continued)

Still not sure where to start? Try out the following list of questions, inspired by the Common App prompts . Bullet point as many ideas/experiences as possible underneath each, even if they feel silly or “out there.” We also hereby give you permission to doodle, draw, use different colors, go crazy with Post-It notes, or whatever you feel like you need to do to get this first step done.

• When you think of your background (racial, cultural, socioeconomic, family, etc), what comes to mind? What about your background is most important to you?
• When you think of your identity (religious, family, language, sexual, gender, etc.), what comes to mind? What about your identity is most important to you?
• If you had one hobby or interest that you could pursue forever, what would it be?
• Do you have any special talents (artistic, athletic, etc) that you’ve poured a great deal of time and energy into? What are they?
• Have you ever experienced a challenge, setback, or failure? What was it?
• Have you ever questioned or challenged a belief? An idea? Which ones?
• When have you felt deeply happy or thankful? Why?
• What have you accomplished that you are most proud of?
• Have you ever had a realization that made you see the world differently? What was it?
• What topics keep you up at night? What sends you down a Google or Wikipedia rabbit hole? What could you research, write, read, or talk about for hours? Make a list.

Although you might naturally gravitate towards certain types of brainstorming exercises, try to keep an open mind. Sometimes, the strangest brainstorming activities produce the best ideas. In addition, aim to complete more than one exercise—we typically have our students do 2 to 3 exercises in various modalities, such as sketching, drawing, and listing.

College Essay Brainstorming Step #3: Evaluate.

When we underwent Step #2, we eschewed evaluative thinking and tried to let our brains be as “unfiltered” as possible. Now, we want to turn that evaluative thinking back on and start to filter what ideas or topics would be the best possible options for this particular essay. This part of the process stimulates the CCN, or cognitive control network, and is also known as convergent thinking. Before you do this, remind yourself of the point of the Common App essay: t o add dimension to the rest of your application . This will help you evaluate your ideas according to your essay’s purpose.

For example, let’s say you completed Nancie Atwell’s Writing Territories. Under “Pets” you listed “Mr. Sparkles Jr.”, AKA the guppy that made the journey to Fish Heaven when you were seven. This might be a great topic for an essay about a childhood memory, but likely wouldn’t be a good Common App topic. (Unless Mr. Sparkles inspired your love of ichthyology and you now give presentations at your local elementary school about caring for pet fish, in which case, we stand corrected.)

Two ways to engage in evaluative thinking:

• Go back through your exercises and code each of your responses. Circle the responses that you’re most interested in or drawn to. Cross out the responses you don’t want to write about or feel uninterested in. Underline the responses that you’re not sure about.
• Read through your exercises. Highlight your top five ideas. Then, circle your top three.</li></li>

College Essay Brainstorming Step #4: Test your ideas.

When you’ve narrowed your brainstorm down to a few ideas, a great way to decide between them is to do a quick test run. You can do this quickly and easily by freewriting. When freewriting, you write down everything you can think of about this topic—anecdotes, sensory details, connections, people, etc.—for at least 10 minutes without stopping or censoring yourself. You can write in paragraph form or use bullet points. For example, a freewrite about Mr. Sparkles, Jr. might look like this:

Mr. Sparkles Jr was a gift from my godmother. I added him to my tank happily and he soon became my favorite fish because he was different from all the other fish. He was black-and-white striped and I used to sit for hours watching him swim around the tank. I remember coming home from school and my mother told me that he had died, and my dad had already flushed him down the toilet.  Devastated, I cried for hours and my godmother even brought me a backpack with fish printed on it, with one that looked like Mr. Sparkles so that I could remember him. I think I still have that backpack somewhere.

Anyway, it was also the first time that I had thought about death. I wondered if Mr. Sparkles had felt anything when he died, or if the other fish in the tank were sad, or whether there was anything I could have done to help him stay alive longer?

After you finish a freewrite for each topic, see which topic satisfies all three of the below conditions:

• The topic feels interesting and/or exciting to you and gives you room to explore.
• The topic shows the reader something positive about you: a trait, a value, a way of thinking, etc.
• The topic is recent, or you are able to draw recent connections (i.e., the essay does not start in first grade and end in third grade, with no connection to present day).

You can do this a few times—there are no rules!

Keep going until you narrow down to one topic or discover that you can combine more than one topic because they have a hidden connection (this is always exciting).

Okay, seriously…what topic should I pick, though?!

If you’re stuck between a few possible topics, you might be wondering “What does it matter what I want to write about? What topic is the strongest one for my college application?!”

Okay, hear us out—the topic that you are most excited to write about, that presents you in a positive light, and that is recent—IS the strongest one for your college application! Not only will the resultant essay be authentic to you and demonstrative of you (which is the whole point) but research suggests that revision is most effective when you are invested in your topic . So if Person in Your Life thinks it would be the best move for you to write about your extensive hand-sewn collection of mini animals and how it showcases your creativity, but you’re like “eh…” listen to that gut feeling! You like your mini animals, sure. But maybe what you really want to write about is how you overcame the fear of learning to scuba dive .

Neither topic is inherently better or worse than the other, and neither will necessarily strengthen your application more than the other. The topic that will strengthen your application is the one that you are excited to write about and feel committed to working on over an extended period of time.

Final step…write!

You can start by creating an outline or writing a 1-2 page (double-spaced) topic exploration draft. This can also be called a zero draft or a brain dump. Call it whatever you want to make it less intimidating.

Final Thoughts — College Essay Brainstorming

Brainstorming college essay ideas doesn’t have to be overly stressful or intimidating. If you do it right, it can actually be (dare we say) low-stress and enlightening.

Want to work with one of College Transitions’ highly skilled essay coaches? Click here to see available packages or schedule a free consultation.

Need more resources? You might consider checking out the following:

• Common App Essay Prompts
• 10 Instructive Common App Essay Examples
• College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
• UC Essay Examples
• 150 Journal Prompts
• How to Start a College Essay
• How to End a College Essay
• “Why This College?” Essay Examples
• Best College Essay Help
• College Essay

Kelsea Conlin

Kelsea holds a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Tufts University, a graduate certificate in College Counseling from UCLA, and an MA in Teaching Writing from Johns Hopkins University. Her short fiction is forthcoming in Chautauqua .

• 2-Year Colleges
• ADHD/LD/Autism/Executive Functioning
• Application Strategies
• Best Colleges by Major
• Best Colleges by State
• Big Picture
• Career & Personality Assessment
• College Search/Knowledge
• College Success
• Costs & Financial Aid
• Data Visualizations
• Dental School Admissions
• Extracurricular Activities
• General Knowledge
• Graduate School Admissions
• High School Success
• High Schools
• Homeschool Resources
• Law School Admissions
• Medical School Admissions
• Navigating the Admissions Process
• Online Learning
• Outdoor Adventure
• Private High School Spotlight
• Research Programs
• Summer Program Spotlight
• Summer Programs
• Teacher Tools
• Test Prep Provider Spotlight

“Innovative and invaluable…use this book as your college lifeline.”

— Lynn O'Shaughnessy

Nationally Recognized College Expert

College Planning in Your Inbox

Join our information-packed monthly newsletter.

• Interactive Presentation

How to Brainstorming Essays with 100+ Ideas in 2024

Anh Vu • 03 April, 2024 • 8 min read

We have all been there. Teachers assign us an essay due next week. We tremble. What should we write about? What problems to tackle? Would the essay be original enough? So, how do we brainstorming essays ?

It's like you are venturing into an unexplored abyss. But fret not, because making a brainstorm for essay writing can actually help you plan, execute and nail that A+

Here's how to brainstorm for essays ...

Table of Contents

Engagement tips with ahaslides.

• What is brainstorming?
• Write ideas unconsciously
• Draw a mind map
• Get on Pinterest
• Try a Venn Diagram
• Use a T-Chart
• Online tools
• More AhaSlides Tools
• 14 brainstorming rules to Help You Craft Creative Ideas in 2024
• 10 brainstorm questions for School and Work in 2024

Easy Brainstorm Templates

Get free brainstorming templates today! Sign up for free and take what you want from the template library!

What is Brainstorming?

Every successful creation starts with a great idea, which is actually the hardest part in many cases.

Brainstorming is simply the free-flowing process of coming up with ideas. In this process, you come up with a whole bunch of ideas without guilt or shame . Ideas can be outside of the box and nothing is considered too silly, too complex, or impossible. The more creative and free-flowing, the better.

The benefits of brainstorming can surprise you:

• Increases your creativity : Brainstorming forces your mind to research and come up with possibilities, even unthinkable ones. Thus, it opens your mind to new ideas.
• A valuable skill: Not just in high school or college, brainstorming is a lifelong skill in your employment and pretty much anything that requires a bit of thought.
• Helps organise your essay : At any point in the essay you can stop to brainstorm ideas. This helps you structure the essay, making it coherent and logical.
• It can calm you: A lot of the stress in writing comes from not having enough ideas or not having a structure. You might feel overwhelmed by the hoards of information after the initial research. Brainstorming ideas can help organise your thoughts, which is a calming activity that can help you avoid stress.

Essay brainstorming in an academic setting works a bit differently than doing it in a team. You'll be the only one doing the brainstorming for your essay, meaning that you'll be coming up with and whittling down the ideas yourself.

Learn to use idea board to generate ideas effectively with AhaSlides

Here are five ways to do just that...

Brainstorming Essays - 5 Ideas

Idea #1 - write ideas unconsciously.

In " Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking ," Malcolm Gladwell points out how our unconscious is many times more effective than our conscious in decision-making.

In brainstorming, our unconscious can differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information in a split second. Our intuition is underrated. It can often produce better judgments than a deliberate and thoughtful analysis as it cuts through all the irrelevant information and focuses on just the key factors. 

Even if the ideas you come up with in essay brainstorming seem insignificant, they might lead you to something great later. Trust yourself and put whatever you think of on paper; if you don't focus on self-editing, you may come up with some ingenious ideas.

That's because writing freely can actually negate writer's block and help your unconscious run wild!

Idea #2 - Draw a Mind Map

Brains love visual communication and mind maps are exactly that.

Our thoughts rarely arrive in easily digestible chunks; they're more like webs of information and ideas that extend forward at any given time. Keeping track of these ideas is tough, but manifesting them all in a mind map can help you get more ideas and both understand and retain them better.

To draw an effective mind map, here are some tips:

• Create a central idea : In the middle of your paper draw a central topic/idea which represents the starting point of your essay and then branch out to different arguments. This central visual will act as visual stimulus to trigger your brain and remind you constantly about the core idea.
• Add keywords : When you add branches to your mind map, you will need to include a key idea. Keep these phrases as brief as possible to generate a greater number of associations and keep space for more detailed branches and thoughts.
• Highlight branches in different colours : Coloured pen is your best friend. Apply different colours to each key idea branch above. This way, you can differentiate arguments.
• Use visual signifiers : Since visuals and colours are the core of a mind map, use them as much as you can. Drawing small doodles works great because it mimics how our mind unconsciously arrives at ideas. Alternatively, if you're using an online brainstorming tool , you can real images and embed them in.

Idea #3 - Get on Pinterest

Believe it or not, Pinterest is actually a pretty decent online brainstorming tool. You can use it to collect images and ideas from other people and put them all together to get a clearer picture of what your essay should talk about.

For example, if you're writing an essay on the importance of college, you could write something like Does college matter? in the search bar. You might just find a bunch of interesting infographics and perspectives that you never even considered before.

Save that to your own idea board and repeat the process a few more times. Before you know it, you'll have a cluster of ideas that can really help you shape your essay!

Idea #4 - Try a Venn Diagram

Are you trying to find similarities between two topics? Then the famous Venn diagram technique could be the key, as it clearly visualises the characteristics of any concept and shows you which parts overlap.

Popularised by British Mathematician John Venn in the 1880s, the diagram traditionally illustrates simple set relationships in probability, logic, statistics, linguistics and computer science.

You start by drawing two (or more) intersecting circles and labelling each one with an idea you're thinking of. Write the qualities of each idea in their own circles, and the ideas they share in the middle where the circles intersect.

For example, in the student debate topic Marijuana should be legal because alcohol is , you can have a circle listing the positives and negatives of marijuana, the other circle doing the same for alcohol, and the middle ground listing the effects they share between them.

Idea #5 - Use a T-Chart

This brainstorming technique works well to compare and contrast, thanks to the fact that it's super simple.

All you have to do is write the title of the essay at the top of your paper then split the rest of it into two. On the left side, you'll write about the argument for and on the right side, you'll write about the argument against .

For example, in the topic Should plastic bags be banned? you can write the pros in the left column and the cons in the right. Similarly, if you're writing about a character from fiction, you can use the left column for their positive traits and the right side for their negative traits. Simple as that.

💡 Need more? Check out our article on How to Brainstorm Ideas Properly !

Online Tools to Brainstorm for Essays

Thanks to technology, we no longer have to rely on just a piece of paper and a pen. There are a plethora of tools, paid and free, to make your virtual brainstorming session easier...

• Freemind is a free, downloadable software for mind mapping. You can brainstorm an essay using different colours to show which parts of the article you're referring to. The color-coded features keep track of your essays as you write.
• MindGenius is another app where you can curate and customise your own mind map from an array of templates.
• AhaSlides is a free tool for brainstorming with others. If you're working on a team essay, you can ask everyone to write down their ideas for the topic and then vote on whichever is their favourite.
• Miro is a wonderful tool for visualising pretty much anything with a lot of moving parts. It gives you an infinite board and every arrow shape under the sun to construct and align the parts of your essay.

More AhaSlides Tools to Make your Brainstorming Sessions Better!

• Use Online Word Cloud Generator to gather more ideas from your crowds and classrooms!
• Host Free Live Q&A to gain more insights from the crowd!
• Gamify engagement with a spin the wheel ! It's a fun and interactive way to boost participation
• Instead of boring MCQ questions, learn how to use online quiz creator now!
• Random your team to gain more fun with AhaSlides random team generator !

Final Say on Brainstorming Essays

Honestly, the scariest moment of writing an essay is before you start but brainstorming for essays before can really make the process of writing an essay less scary. It's a process that helps you burst through one of the toughest parts of essay and writing and gets your creative juices flowing for the content ahead.

💡 Besides brainstorming essays, are you still looking for brainstorming activities? Try some of these !

Tips to Engage with Polls & Trivia

More from AhaSlides

Brainstorming

What this handout is about.

This handout discusses techniques that will help you start writing a paper and continue writing through the challenges of the revising process. Brainstorming can help you choose a topic, develop an approach to a topic, or deepen your understanding of the topic’s potential.

Introduction

If you consciously take advantage of your natural thinking processes by gathering your brain’s energies into a “storm,” you can transform these energies into written words or diagrams that will lead to lively, vibrant writing. Below you will find a brief discussion of what brainstorming is, why you might brainstorm, and suggestions for how you might brainstorm.

Whether you are starting with too much information or not enough, brainstorming can help you to put a new writing task in motion or revive a project that hasn’t reached completion. Let’s take a look at each case:

When you’ve got nothing: You might need a storm to approach when you feel “blank” about the topic, devoid of inspiration, full of anxiety about the topic, or just too tired to craft an orderly outline. In this case, brainstorming stirs up the dust, whips some air into our stilled pools of thought, and gets the breeze of inspiration moving again.

When you’ve got too much: There are times when you have too much chaos in your brain and need to bring in some conscious order. In this case, brainstorming forces the mental chaos and random thoughts to rain out onto the page, giving you some concrete words or schemas that you can then arrange according to their logical relations.

Brainstorming techniques

What follows are great ideas on how to brainstorm—ideas from professional writers, novice writers, people who would rather avoid writing, and people who spend a lot of time brainstorming about…well, how to brainstorm.

Try out several of these options and challenge yourself to vary the techniques you rely on; some techniques might suit a particular writer, academic discipline, or assignment better than others. If the technique you try first doesn’t seem to help you, move right along and try some others.

Freewriting

When you freewrite, you let your thoughts flow as they will, putting pen to paper and writing down whatever comes into your mind. You don’t judge the quality of what you write and you don’t worry about style or any surface-level issues, like spelling, grammar, or punctuation. If you can’t think of what to say, you write that down—really. The advantage of this technique is that you free up your internal critic and allow yourself to write things you might not write if you were being too self-conscious.

When you freewrite you can set a time limit (“I’ll write for 15 minutes!”) and even use a kitchen timer or alarm clock or you can set a space limit (“I’ll write until I fill four full notebook pages, no matter what tries to interrupt me!”) and just write until you reach that goal. You might do this on the computer or on paper, and you can even try it with your eyes shut or the monitor off, which encourages speed and freedom of thought.

The crucial point is that you keep on writing even if you believe you are saying nothing. Word must follow word, no matter the relevance. Your freewriting might even look like this:

“This paper is supposed to be on the politics of tobacco production but even though I went to all the lectures and read the book I can’t think of what to say and I’ve felt this way for four minutes now and I have 11 minutes left and I wonder if I’ll keep thinking nothing during every minute but I’m not sure if it matters that I am babbling and I don’t know what else to say about this topic and it is rainy today and I never noticed the number of cracks in that wall before and those cracks remind me of the walls in my grandfather’s study and he smoked and he farmed and I wonder why he didn’t farm tobacco…”

When you’re done with your set number of minutes or have reached your page goal, read back over the text. Yes, there will be a lot of filler and unusable thoughts but there also will be little gems, discoveries, and insights. When you find these gems, highlight them or cut and paste them into your draft or onto an “ideas” sheet so you can use them in your paper. Even if you don’t find any diamonds in there, you will have either quieted some of the noisy chaos or greased the writing gears so that you can now face the assigned paper topic.

Break down the topic into levels

Once you have a course assignment in front of you, you might brainstorm:

• the general topic, like “The relationship between tropical fruits and colonial powers”
• a specific subtopic or required question, like “How did the availability of multiple tropical fruits influence competition amongst colonial powers trading from the larger Caribbean islands during the 19th century?”
• a single term or phrase that you sense you’re overusing in the paper. For example: If you see that you’ve written “increased the competition” about a dozen times in your “tropical fruits” paper, you could brainstorm variations on the phrase itself or on each of the main terms: “increased” and “competition.”

Listing/bulleting

In this technique you jot down lists of words or phrases under a particular topic. You can base your list on:

• the general topic
• one or more words from your particular thesis claim
• a word or idea that is the complete opposite of your original word or idea.

For example, if your general assignment is to write about the changes in inventions over time, and your specific thesis claims that “the 20th century presented a large number of inventions to advance US society by improving upon the status of 19th-century society,” you could brainstorm two different lists to ensure you are covering the topic thoroughly and that your thesis will be easy to prove.

The first list might be based on your thesis; you would jot down as many 20th-century inventions as you could, as long as you know of their positive effects on society. The second list might be based on the opposite claim, and you would instead jot down inventions that you associate with a decline in that society’s quality. You could do the same two lists for 19th-century inventions and then compare the evidence from all four lists.

Using multiple lists will help you to gather more perspective on the topic and ensure that, sure enough, your thesis is solid as a rock, or, …uh oh, your thesis is full of holes and you’d better alter your claim to one you can prove.

3 perspectives

Looking at something from different perspectives helps you see it more completely—or at least in a completely different way, sort of like laying on the floor makes your desk look very different to you. To use this strategy, answer the questions for each of the three perspectives, then look for interesting relationships or mismatches you can explore:

• Describe it: Describe your subject in detail. What is your topic? What are its components? What are its interesting and distinguishing features? What are its puzzles? Distinguish your subject from those that are similar to it. How is your subject unlike others?
• Trace it: What is the history of your subject? How has it changed over time? Why? What are the significant events that have influenced your subject?
• Map it: What is your subject related to? What is it influenced by? How? What does it influence? How? Who has a stake in your topic? Why? What fields do you draw on for the study of your subject? Why? How has your subject been approached by others? How is their work related to yours?

Cubing enables you to consider your topic from six different directions; just as a cube is six-sided, your cubing brainstorming will result in six “sides” or approaches to the topic. Take a sheet of paper, consider your topic, and respond to these six commands:

• Describe it.
• Compare it.
• Associate it.
• Analyze it.
• Argue for and against it.

Look over what you’ve written. Do any of the responses suggest anything new about your topic? What interactions do you notice among the “sides”? That is, do you see patterns repeating, or a theme emerging that you could use to approach the topic or draft a thesis? Does one side seem particularly fruitful in getting your brain moving? Could that one side help you draft your thesis statement? Use this technique in a way that serves your topic. It should, at least, give you a broader awareness of the topic’s complexities, if not a sharper focus on what you will do with it.

In this technique, complete the following sentence:

____________________ is/was/are/were like _____________________.

In the first blank put one of the terms or concepts your paper centers on. Then try to brainstorm as many answers as possible for the second blank, writing them down as you come up with them.

After you have produced a list of options, look over your ideas. What kinds of ideas come forward? What patterns or associations do you find?

Clustering/mapping/webbing:

The general idea:

This technique has three (or more) different names, according to how you describe the activity itself or what the end product looks like. In short, you will write a lot of different terms and phrases onto a sheet of paper in a random fashion and later go back to link the words together into a sort of “map” or “web” that forms groups from the separate parts. Allow yourself to start with chaos. After the chaos subsides, you will be able to create some order out of it.

To really let yourself go in this brainstorming technique, use a large piece of paper or tape two pieces together. You could also use a blackboard if you are working with a group of people. This big vertical space allows all members room to “storm” at the same time, but you might have to copy down the results onto paper later. If you don’t have big paper at the moment, don’t worry. You can do this on an 8 ½ by 11 as well. Watch our short videos on webbing , drawing relationships , and color coding for demonstrations.

How to do it:

• Take your sheet(s) of paper and write your main topic in the center, using a word or two or three.
• Moving out from the center and filling in the open space any way you are driven to fill it, start to write down, fast, as many related concepts or terms as you can associate with the central topic. Jot them quickly, move into another space, jot some more down, move to another blank, and just keep moving around and jotting. If you run out of similar concepts, jot down opposites, jot down things that are only slightly related, or jot down your grandpa’s name, but try to keep moving and associating. Don’t worry about the (lack of) sense of what you write, for you can chose to keep or toss out these ideas when the activity is over.
• Once the storm has subsided and you are faced with a hail of terms and phrases, you can start to cluster. Circle terms that seem related and then draw a line connecting the circles. Find some more and circle them and draw more lines to connect them with what you think is closely related. When you run out of terms that associate, start with another term. Look for concepts and terms that might relate to that term. Circle them and then link them with a connecting line. Continue this process until you have found all the associated terms. Some of the terms might end up uncircled, but these “loners” can also be useful to you. (Note: You can use different colored pens/pencils/chalk for this part, if you like. If that’s not possible, try to vary the kind of line you use to encircle the topics; use a wavy line, a straight line, a dashed line, a dotted line, a zigzaggy line, etc. in order to see what goes with what.)
• There! When you stand back and survey your work, you should see a set of clusters, or a big web, or a sort of map: hence the names for this activity. At this point you can start to form conclusions about how to approach your topic. There are about as many possible results to this activity as there are stars in the night sky, so what you do from here will depend on your particular results. Let’s take an example or two in order to illustrate how you might form some logical relationships between the clusters and loners you’ve decided to keep. At the end of the day, what you do with the particular “map” or “cluster set” or “web” that you produce depends on what you need. What does this map or web tell you to do? Explore an option or two and get your draft going!

Relationship between the parts

In this technique, begin by writing the following pairs of terms on opposite margins of one sheet of paper:

Looking over these four groups of pairs, start to fill in your ideas below each heading. Keep going down through as many levels as you can. Now, look at the various parts that comprise the parts of your whole concept. What sorts of conclusions can you draw according to the patterns, or lack of patterns, that you see? For a related strategy, watch our short video on drawing relationships .

Journalistic questions

In this technique you would use the “big six” questions that journalists rely on to thoroughly research a story. The six are: Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why?, and How?. Write each question word on a sheet of paper, leaving space between them. Then, write out some sentences or phrases in answer, as they fit your particular topic. You might also record yourself or use speech-to-text if you’d rather talk out your ideas.

Now look over your batch of responses. Do you see that you have more to say about one or two of the questions? Or, are your answers for each question pretty well balanced in depth and content? Was there one question that you had absolutely no answer for? How might this awareness help you to decide how to frame your thesis claim or to organize your paper? Or, how might it reveal what you must work on further, doing library research or interviews or further note-taking?

For example, if your answers reveal that you know a lot more about “where” and “why” something happened than you know about “what” and “when,” how could you use this lack of balance to direct your research or to shape your paper? How might you organize your paper so that it emphasizes the known versus the unknown aspects of evidence in the field of study? What else might you do with your results?

Thinking outside the box

Even when you are writing within a particular academic discipline, you can take advantage of your semesters of experience in other courses from other departments. Let’s say you are writing a paper for an English course. You could ask yourself, “Hmmm, if I were writing about this very same topic in a biology course or using this term in a history course, how might I see or understand it differently? Are there varying definitions for this concept within, say, philosophy or physics, that might encourage me to think about this term from a new, richer point of view?”

For example, when discussing “culture” in your English, communications, or cultural studies course, you could incorporate the definition of “culture” that is frequently used in the biological sciences. Remember those little Petri dishes from your lab experiments in high school? Those dishes are used to “culture” substances for bacterial growth and analysis, right? How might it help you write your paper if you thought of “culture” as a medium upon which certain things will grow, will develop in new ways or will even flourish beyond expectations, but upon which the growth of other things might be retarded, significantly altered, or stopped altogether?

Using charts or shapes

If you are more visually inclined, you might create charts, graphs, or tables in lieu of word lists or phrases as you try to shape or explore an idea. You could use the same phrases or words that are central to your topic and try different ways to arrange them spatially, say in a graph, on a grid, or in a table or chart. You might even try the trusty old flow chart. The important thing here is to get out of the realm of words alone and see how different spatial representations might help you see the relationships among your ideas. If you can’t imagine the shape of a chart at first, just put down the words on the page and then draw lines between or around them. Or think of a shape. Do your ideas most easily form a triangle? square? umbrella? Can you put some ideas in parallel formation? In a line?

Consider purpose and audience

Think about the parts of communication involved in any writing or speaking act: purpose and audience.

What is your purpose?

What are you trying to do? What verb captures your intent? Are you trying to inform? Convince? Describe? Each purpose will lead you to a different set of information and help you shape material to include and exclude in a draft. Write about why you are writing this draft in this form. For more tips on figuring out the purpose of your assignment, see our handout on understanding assignments .

Who is your audience?

Who are you communicating with beyond the grader? What does that audience need to know? What do they already know? What information does that audience need first, second, third? Write about who you are writing to and what they need. For more on audience, see our  handout on audience .

Dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias

When all else fails…this is a tried and true method, loved for centuries by writers of all stripe. Visit the library reference areas or stop by the Writing Center to browse various dictionaries, thesauruses (or other guide books and reference texts), encyclopedias or surf their online counterparts. Sometimes these basic steps are the best ones. It is almost guaranteed that you’ll learn several things you did not know.

If you’re looking at a hard copy reference, turn to your most important terms and see what sort of variety you find in the definitions. The obscure or archaic definition might help you to appreciate the term’s breadth or realize how much its meaning has changed as the language changed. Could that realization be built into your paper somehow?

If you go to online sources, use their own search functions to find your key terms and see what suggestions they offer. For example, if you plug “good” into a thesaurus search, you will be given 14 different entries. Whew! If you were analyzing the film Good Will Hunting, imagine how you could enrich your paper by addressed the six or seven ways that “good” could be interpreted according to how the scenes, lighting, editing, music, etc., emphasized various aspects of “good.”

An encyclopedia is sometimes a valuable resource if you need to clarify facts, get quick background, or get a broader context for an event or item. If you are stuck because you have a vague sense of a seemingly important issue, do a quick check with this reference and you may be able to move forward with your ideas.

Armed with a full quiver of brainstorming techniques and facing sheets of jotted ideas, bulleted subtopics, or spidery webs relating to your paper, what do you do now?

Take the next step and start to write your first draft, or fill in those gaps you’ve been brainstorming about to complete your “almost ready” paper. If you’re a fan of outlining, prepare one that incorporates as much of your brainstorming data as seems logical to you. If you’re not a fan, don’t make one. Instead, start to write out some larger chunks (large groups of sentences or full paragraphs) to expand upon your smaller clusters and phrases. Keep building from there into larger sections of your paper. You don’t have to start at the beginning of the draft. Start writing the section that comes together most easily. You can always go back to write the introduction later.

We also have helpful handouts on some of the next steps in your writing process, such as reorganizing drafts and argument .

Remember, once you’ve begun the paper, you can stop and try another brainstorming technique whenever you feel stuck. Keep the energy moving and try several techniques to find what suits you or the particular project you are working on.

How can technology help?

Need some help brainstorming? Different digital tools can help with a variety of brainstorming strategies:

Look for a text editor that has a focus mode or that is designed to promote free writing (for examples, check out FocusWriter, OmmWriter, WriteRoom, Writer the Internet Typewriter, or Cold Turkey). Eliminating visual distractions on your screen can help you free write for designated periods of time. By eliminating visual distractions on your screen, these tools help you focus on free writing for designated periods of time. If you use Microsoft Word, you might even try “Focus Mode” under the “View” tab.

Clustering/mapping. Websites and applications like Mindomo , TheBrain , and Miro allow you to create concept maps and graphic organizers. These applications often include the following features:

• Connect links, embed documents and media, and integrate notes in your concept maps
• Access your maps across devices
• Search across maps for keywords
• Convert maps into checklists and outlines
• Export maps to other file formats

Testimonials

Check out what other students and writers have tried!

Papers as Puzzles : A UNC student demonstrates a brainstorming strategy for getting started on a paper.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Allen, Roberta, and Marcia Mascolini. 1997. The Process of Writing: Composing Through Critical Thinking . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Cameron, Julia. 2002. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity . New York: Putnam.

Goldberg, Natalie. 2005. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within , rev. ed. Boston: Shambhala.

Rosen, Leonard J. and Laurence Behrens. 2003. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook , 5th ed. New York: Longman.

University of Richmond. n.d. “Main Page.” Writer’s Web. Accessed June 14, 2019. http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb.html .

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

10 Free Editable Brainstorming Templates and Examples

Brainstorming is an effective technique that helps you discuss your ideas with the team and produce a quality project output. In actual fact, brainstorming templates are very good graphical tools to make brainstorming meaningful and effective. Also, the structure of a template plays a big part in the success of the brainstorming session. So in today’s post, we prepared different frameworks used in the most popular ideation style. You may refer to the brainstorming session templates provided below.

10 Brainstorming Templates and Examples Free to Download

Mind map template, affinity diagram template, double bubble map template, swot analysis template, 5-why analysis worksheet.

• Starbusting Template

Reverse Brainstorming Worksheet

Fishbone diagram template, marketing brainstorming template, brainstorming template for essays.

Mind mapping is probably the famous method for brainstorming. A mind map template starts with one topic at the center and anyone from your team can randomly branch out ideas related to the center topic. Besides, this brainstorming template could be of great help to capture ideas of the team, outline project objectives, and goals, or simplify complex processes. In other words, the mind map template is useful in many ways.

If the team is focusing on organizing ideas, categorizing, and comparing information, the Affinity diagram is a great brainstorming diagram template. After gathering a large amount of data or ideas from brainstorming, this helps you organize them into groups based on their similarity or affinity. Aside from that, it can help the team foster a culture of creativity by grouping the ideas according to their natural relationships.

A double bubble map template has a similar purpose of comparing and categorizing information. Using this free brainstorming template you can identify the contrasts and differences of two items just like how the Venn diagram works. Also, similarities are placed in between the two items being compared but the Double bubble map is composed of several circles instead of two overlapping ones.

SWOT Analysis is a helpful brainstorming diagram template when analyzing the important areas of a business. This includes the strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It encourages your team to predict the problems that the business may encounter and take countermeasures ahead of time.

Another framework to perform evaluation and analysis brainstorming is 5 Why Analysis. Sometimes the cause of a problem is completely different from most expectations and this brainstorming template is made especially for this purpose. It allows you to dig deeper by asking whys until you figure out the root cause of an issue. By then, your team can formulate appropriate actions.

Starbursting Template

When developing a new product or organizing event ideas, it is important to go through systematic and comprehensive questioning exercises. Starbusting is an effective brainstorming technique and you can edit this free brainstorming template for free. Rather than formulating answers, the team needs to generate questions and tackle the important aspects including who, when, what, where, why, and how. After exploring the 5W1H, the team then can generate an actionable proposal.

If you want to make your brainstorming session different from the typical ones, you can consider using a Reverse Brainstorming template or worksheet. But instead of brainstorming for the possible solutions, you will encourage your team of the ways that would cause a plan to fail. The end goal should be to come up with solutions how to achieve the opposite effect.

Fishbone Diagram is another brainstorming session template that works best to analyze the cause and effect of an event with a similar purpose to 5 why analysis. You can edit and complete this brainstorming diagram template by placing the problem in the fish head. Position the major factors in the branches closest to the spine. Branch out the major factors and write down the causes of the major factors. Finally, analyze the causes and give emphasis on the important ones by inserting stickers.

There’s also a brainstorming template you can create for your team’s marketing content. A marketing plan is an important stage where business strategies are formed in reaching your target market and generating leads. In order to successfully execute it, you need to collaboratively discuss your ideas with the team using a marketing brainstorming template.

Brainstorm template for essays works great to create coherent essays. You get to write in a systematic way if you are tired of writing essays in a free-flow style. Using this free brainstorming template, you can plan out which points to ponder, the information needed for the topic, and etc. Thus, it’s easier to achieve a quality and coherent essay.

There you have it. These are the different frameworks for various ideation styles for brainstorming with your team. You can select from a variety of templates ranging from ideation process to actions. The best part is, you can choose to use any template you wish to edit for free.

Related posts:

• How to Improve English Vocabulary with Vocabulary Mind Maps
• Best Ways to Make A Tree Diagram Online

Leave a Comment

Comment (2).

This website uses cookies that are essential for the operations of this website and its core functions. Other cookies will only be placed with your consent. For more details visit our Cookies Policy .

• My Storyboards

Brainstorming Templates

Customize brainstorming templates.

If you're assigning this to your students, copy the worksheet to your account and save. When creating an assignment, just select it as a template!

Unleashing Creativity: A Comprehensive Guide to Brainstorming Worksheets

Brainstorming is a powerful tool to help plan and for generating ideas. An example of brainstorming in the writing process is when students use a blank essay brainstorming worksheet to generate ideas for their research paper topic, jotting down various subjects, keywords, and potential angles to explore. Another example is when a team gathers to generate ideas for a new marketing project, utilizing a sheet to capture and organize their creative concepts.

What is a Brainstorming Worksheet?

It is a structured tool that helps facilitate the brainstorming process. It provides a framework for capturing ideas and organizing thoughts. A typical brainstorming worksheet includes sections or categories where you can record different aspects of your ideas and words, such as the main idea, supporting points, related concepts, or any other relevant information. Using a worksheet, such as an essay brainstorming worksheet, is helpful, as it ensures that no valuable thoughts are lost during your brainstorming session.

Techniques for Effective Brainstorming Using Worksheets

Mind Map: One popular technique is using a mind map. Start with a central idea or topic and create branches to represent related concepts. This visual representation allows you to explore connections from different angles. The essay brainstorming template can be particularly helpful for the writing process, helping writers develop their thoughts and create a well-structured essay.

Prompts and Constraints: Prompts are thought-provoking questions or keywords that inspire new ideas and point the writer in the right direction. Constraints, such as time limits or word limits, challenge you to think outside the box and push your thinking further. By combining prompts and constraints, the hope is that you create a dynamic environment for idea generation.

Maximizing the Potential of Brainstorming Worksheets

Blank worksheets serve as a clean slate for individuals to unleash their creativity and explore new ideas, allowing them to freely note their thoughts, connections, and potential solutions without constraints or pre-determined structure.

Collaboration and Discussion: They are excellent tools for group discussions and collaborations. Distribute worksheets to team members during a brainstorming session, and remind them to comment and contribute. The free brainstorming template allows each individual to jot down their thoughts, which can then be shared and discussed collectively. This promotes the exchange of knowledge and diverse perspectives, leading to more innovative solutions.

Leveraging Tools: Take advantage of the numerous online brainstorming makers that offer a wide selection of pre-designed handouts. These brainstorming makers provide a structured solution for your brainstorming sessions, saving you time and effort in creating the page from scratch. Whether it's a writing brainstorming template or a general-purpose brainstorming template, using a pre-designed format streamlines the writing process and allows you to begin to focus on generating and eventually choosing ideas.

Remember to utilize techniques like mind mapping, prompts, and constraints to foster creativity and focused thinking. Collaborate with others to learn different perspectives and expand your knowledge.

Tips for Planning a Brainstorming Worksheet

• Determine the Purpose: Identify the specific purpose, such as essay writing or general idea generation.
• Define Categories and Sections: Decide on the sections to include, such as main ideas or supporting points.
• Design the Layout: Use a blank brainstorming template or a pre-made brainstorming template to create an organized and visually appealing layout.
• Incorporate Prompts and Visuals: Include prompts and visual cues to stimulate creativity and inspire ideas.
• Customize for the Purpose: Tailor the worksheet for the intended use, such as using an essay brainstorming template for essay writing.
• Consider Digital Tools: Explore online brainstorming makers or tools for customizable handouts and additional features.

By following these steps, you can create a worksheet that effectively supports your brainstorming process, whether it's for essay writing or general idea generation.

Even More Storyboard That Resources and Free Printables

• Worksheet Templates
• Making Connections Worksheet
• Making Predictions Worksheets

How to Make a Brainstorming Worksheet

Choose one of the premade templates.

We have lots of templates to choose from. Take a look at our example for inspiration!

Click on “Copy Template”

Once you do this, you will be directed to the storyboard creator.

Give Your Worksheet a Name!

Be sure to call it something related to the topic so that you can easily find it in the future.

Edit Your Worksheet

This is where you will include directions, specific images, and make any aesthetic changes that you would like. The options are endless!

Click "Save and Exit"

When you are finished, click this button in the lower right hand corner to exit your storyboard.

From here you can print, download as a PDF, attach it to an assignment and use it digitally, and more!

Happy Creating!

Frequently Asked Questions About Brainstorming Worksheets

How can i adapt a brainstorming worksheet for a specific topic or problem.

You can adapt these worksheets for a specific topic or problem by customizing the sections, prompts, or categories to align with the specific context. Tailoring the worksheet to the subject matter or challenge at hand ensures that it serves as an effective tool for idea generation and problem-solving.

Are there any techniques to overcome a creative block when using brainstorming worksheets?

Yes, if you encounter a creative block, try techniques such as changing your environment, taking a break and returning with fresh eyes, seeking inspiration from diverse sources, or using unconventional prompts. Additionally, experimenting with different brainstorming techniques, like reverse brainstorming or role-playing, can help break through mental barriers.

Are there any techniques for how to write a brainstorming worksheet template that is effective or useful for different subjects?

To write an effective and versatile brainstorming worksheet for different subjects, try these techniques:

• Design a flexible structure that can be customized.
• Tailor prompts and categories to align with each subject.
• Use visual elements like diagrams or mind maps.
• Incorporate subject-specific brainstorming techniques.

Pricing for Schools & Districts

Limited Time

• 5 Teachers for One Year
• 1 Hour of Virtual PD

30 Day Money Back Guarantee • New Customers Only • Full Price After Introductory Offer • Access is for 1 Calendar Year

• Thousands of images
• Custom layouts, scenes, characters
• And so much more!!

Create a Storyboard

Introductory School Offer

30 Day Money Back Guarantee. New Customers Only. Full Price After Introductory Offer. Access is for 1 Calendar Year

Generating a Quote

This is usually pretty quick :)

Quote Sent!

Email Sent to

EdrawMax App

3-step diagramming

Free Editable Brainstorming Graphic Organizer Examples

1. what is brainstorming graphic organizer.

A brainstorming graphic organizer is a visual representation of ideas and concepts that help create new ideas, solve problems, organize information, and communicate with others. Teachers use these graphic organizers to help students improve their writing skills and organize their ideas. It also helps with idea generation and finding creative solutions for complex problems. Professionals use these organizers to plan their research and create presentations. You can also use it to get out of writer's block and develop fresh ideas.

How to use it?

• Start with picking a graphic organizer template and edit it with a diagramming software such as EdrawMax Online. Or you can grab a blank paper to get started.
• Enter the title or the main idea of your topic.
• Write your ideas and connect with other ideas to come up with something new.

2. The Brainstorming Graphic Organizer Examples

You can use a brainstorming graphic organizer to develop creative ideas for your writing or to brainstorm your thoughts to reach an efficient solution for your problem. Graphic organizers for mapping out ideas and brainstorming concepts come in handy for many things. Based on your subject matter, you can use various formats of brainstorm graphic organizers such as a web chat or a cerebral chart. Our brainstorming graphic organizer examples will help you understand its different formats and uses. Check out our examples and pick a suitable template.

Example 1: Brainstorming Graphic Organizer

A brainstorming graphic organizer is an excellent tool for generating ideas and logically organizing information. Teachers use these organizers to help their students develop out-of-the-box thinking and solve any problem by focusing on the broad picture. The template in this example is a standard graphic organizer to brainstorm ideas. After reading the subject topic, students write whatever comes to their mind and organize these ideas to solve the problem. There are five blank boxes in the template to write their ideas.

Example 2: Brainstorming Graphic Organizer PDF

You can use a brainstorming graphic organizer PDF to brainstorm ideas for your reports, make presentations, and write stories and essays. Writers and professionals use this graphic organizer because, in PDF format, you can add a lot of writing space to house multiple ideas. Use it when you don't know how many words you will write in the graphic organizer or whether you will add images. The template in this example follows the standard format, and the topic title goes into the bulb at the center while you write related ideas in the five clouds surrounding it.

Example 3: Brainstorming Web Graphic Organizer

With a brainstorming web graphic organizer, you can list your ideas related to the main topic in the shape of a web. It also helps you organize information about your topic, such as listing attributes, facts and examples on the web to visualize a connection between related themes and find an efficient solution. This graphic organizer comes in a standard format, as you can see in the template. The main idea or title of your topic always goes in the middle. You can add any ideas or details around the main idea in a circle and use lines to connect it with the center. It forms a web image and makes it easier to trace your idea back to the title.

Example 4: Brainstorming Graphic Organizer for Writing

A brainstorming graphic organizer for writing helps you brainstorm ideas and details about any topic to develop a creative writing framework and escape the writer's block. Teachers use this graphic organizer to help improve their students' reading and writing skills. The template format in this example is simple, and anyone can use it. Students write various ideas for a single topic on the left side of the template. After that, they can add their thoughts and related details about their opinions on the right side to compare which one is better.

Example 5: Personal Narrative Brainstorming Graphic Organizer

The most common personal narrative brainstorming graphic organizer is a spider map that we can use to plan out writing structure and develop fresh ideas for any subject area. The format of a spider map is similar to a graphic organizer web. The main idea goes at the center, and you can add related themes and various elements or details in a circle. Each idea or element connects directly to the central idea, making it easier to focus on the broad picture while solving problems.

Example 6: Essay Brainstorming Graphic Organizer

An essay brainstorming graphic organizer is an excellent tool to outline essays and create a framework for text writing. You can use it when you have problems coming up with fresh ideas, or there are too many ideas in your mind, and you can't decide which one is better. The template in this example is simple and easy to understand. You got the essay topic at the center, where you can also write a little intro to your writing. In the four circles, you will write the primary supporting details. Each circle connects to a specific box where you can write supporting sentences.

Example 7: Student Brainstorming Graphic Organizer

The student brainstorming graphic organizer comes in simple formats compared to professionals' use to make reports and presentations. The purpose of using a graphic organizer is to make brainstorming easy, not to give students a complex blank template that they can't understand. The main idea in the student graphic organizer is at the center, and students can add definitions and attributes in a circle surrounding the main idea. They can also use to organize information logically.

Example 8: Brainstorming Graphic Organizer for Problem Solving

A brainstorming graphic organizer for problem-solving helps you find creative solutions for complex problems. It uses the pros and cons of each idea to determine which one is more useful and related to the solution area of your subject. You can also brainstorm related themes, break down your problem to the lowest level, and find a solution. The problem title goes at the top, and you can list three or more solution choices in the three boxes under the problem title. After that, you can list the pros and cons of each option to find an efficient solution.

Example 9: Graphic Organizer for Brainstorming

A graphic organizer for brainstorming is mainly used to generate creative ideas and for problem-solving. It is also a helpful tool to depict the relationship between various elements related to a similar idea or subject topic. These graphic organizers also help students improve their learning and develop critical thinking. The template in this example is identical to a cerebral chart that uses hierarchies to organize information and represent ideas. The main idea goes to the top, and you can add supporting ideas and concepts to the next level and give details to compare which one is better.

3. Online Brainstorming Tool

A brainstorming graphic organizer is a helpful tool for personal narratives, problem solving and idea generation. Teachers and professionals frequently use this tool for various purposes. Using a graphic organizer makes it easier for them to solve problems; however, making a graphic organizer is hard and takes a lot of time. In such cases, the only thing to do is to use a template and make your graphic organizer with EdrawMax Online the best online brainstorming tool. With EdrawMax, you can get and customize templates in a few clicks. You also get a symbol library with thousands of symbols and icons. It also gives you the option to export your documents in any format you want.

4. Key Takeaways

A brainstorming graphic organizer helps you with concept mapping and generating ideas related to any topic or solving complex problems. Teachers use this tool to help their students improve their narrative writing skills. As there is no specific format for narrative writing, a graphic organizer comes in handy to do that. Professionals also use it to brainstorm their ideas to make reports, product planning and prepare presentations. EdrawMax is the best online brainstorming tool. With EdrawMax, you can create any graphic organizer online to save your time and effort. It also comes with a strong templates community and supports various document formats. Find more graphic organizer templates in the templates community.

Free Editable Biography Graphic Organizer Examples

Free Editable Hamburger Paragraph Examples

Free Editable Hierarchy Chart Examples

Free Editable Main Idea and Details Graphic Organizer Examples

Free Editable Lotus Diagram Examples

Free Editable Cluster Diagram Examples

• Free Essays
• Tips for Students

How to Brainstorm for an Essay

Brainstorming for an essay is an essential stage of gathering ideas for an essay. It is one of the prerequisites how to make the paper well-organized and logically structured. If you are interested in getting some valuable tips for brainstorming essay ideas, read the article presented below.

Brainstorming and How to Do It Properly

Brainstorming is vital when you start writing your paper. It does not matter whether you feel that writing is not your passion or consider yourself a super writer, brainstorming helps in creating a brilliant paper. Generally speaking, brainstorming means generating certain ideas on a given subject in order to sort and choose the main concepts. The result of brainstorming is a number of phrases, words or even concepts that are related to the chosen subject or topic . 

The Process of Brainstorming for an Essay

• You have to get ready for it. Take a pen and a piece of paper or simply turn on your PC as you will have to write down all your ideas and thoughts. Pay attention to your workplace as it plays a crucial role for the process of brainstorming ideas. Thus it has to be comfortable and clean.   
• Setting a deadline is also important. At first, it may seem that if you spend more time on generating ideas, brainstorming will be more effective. However, 20 minutes are usually enough.   
• Focus on your topic or subject and try to write down every thought and idea that comes up in your head. Do not try to organize your ideas and thoughts at this stage. It will only have a negative impact on the process. Plain writing has to be done at this stage.
• After you feel that all your thoughts are written down, go through the list. Now you are free to reorganize all your written ideas and thoughts. Select the most important ideas that can help you write an informative essay. Then you have to structure the selected ideas according to their level of importance.  
• In case you are sure that the list of ideas and thoughts is sufficient for writing an A-grade essay, begin creating an outline of your future paper.

How to Brainstorm for an Essay?

Still do not know how to brainstorm ideas? We can help you with that as there is a number of techniques used for brainstorming. They help to make the writing process easier. Such techniques are usually divided into those used by a team who work on the same topic or by an individual writer who writes a paper on his/her own. The following are some of the popular brainstorming techniques:

• Mapping the mind. The technique organizes your ideas through using pre-generated thoughts. In order to create a mind map, one has to write down the main idea in the center and circle it around. After that, ideas that refer to the main one should be written down in little circles and connected to the main circle. The same should be done with each smaller idea. Mapping the mind helps in framing all your ideas and identifying their connection. 
• Techniques of free writing. While using this method, start writing all your ideas in a free and uncensored way. Stop thinking where your thoughts can lead you. The only task you have to do is to write down everything that comes to your mind. Free writing technique involves writer’s subconsciousness during the creative process.  
• Start asking questions. Asking questions about the topic or subject instead of writing on the topic is another useful technique. Ideas for writing the paper will start generating when you answer all your questions.
• The technique of role storming. Try to imagine that you are a different person. It will help you think about the required topic from a different point of view. Sometimes, such technique can be useful for brainstorming strong ideas.

Even though this article mainly deals with team brainstorming, you may still find some effective strategies of brainstorming for an essay. For example, when gathering ideas for the paper, ask yourself what would make the paper appealing to the audience – and then write a list of ideas that might make the paper interesting. Afterwards, ask yourself where you are heading with the idea and try to collect further ideas for making the topic even more engaging. In this way, the brainstorming strategies work. When brainstorming, be sure not to rely merely on books, articles, and other scholarly sources but also on ideas of other people, so do not be afraid or shy to ask about others’ ideas or opinions. After you have gathered the necessary number of ideas, take a break and then switch over to the process of organizing them into a coherent paper.

Remember that brainstorming for an essay is not about perfection, so do not expect to provide an impeccable draft at first. You may just write the ideas into your notebook even when they seem to be illogical. Once you write them all down, you will be able to draw connections between them and find out how they match the paper topic. Some of them may initially seem silly to you but it does not mean that you should stop and wait for some perfect ideas. On the brainstorming stage, write down everything that comes to your mind.

Five Essay Brainstorming Strategies for Writers

Brainstorming writing is effective when you cannot gather enough ideas for your essay writing or, on the contrary, when you have too many ideas to fit them all and develop them in a paper. With the help of brainstorming, you can get a clear and vivid picture of all ideas you have, you can organize them properly, and also decide which of them are worth consideration and which are not. Still, you should remember one of the core brainstorming methods – not just to evaluate the ideas but also enumerate. Read more about the strategies of brainstorming for students:

Just like the cube has six points, you have to explore the paper topic or central idea from six main perspectives or viewpoints. First, provide a description of the topic and define what it is like. Second, compare it with the other subject areas and pinpoint to the differences and similarities between them. Third, provide associations you have with the topic, i.e. what the topic makes you think of. Fourth, provide the topic analysis, for example, what the topic constitutes of. Fifth, pinpoint to the practical application of the topic. Sixth, provide an argument for or against it, i.e. whether you support the topic or oppose it.

Cubing technique for brainstorming is a kind of critical thinking analysis that was developed for students as a means of expressing their opinions in essays. Still, this strategy can also be adjusted to general writing.

A similar technique to cubing is the one that explores only three perspectives:

• description of the topic, its constituents, challenges, and features, as well as its comparison and contrast with the other topics;
• exploration of the topic background or history (i.e. the topic evolution or development);
• analysis of similar topics or the topics that closely relate to your essay topic.

2. Free writing

This is one of the brainstorming steps that is particularly effective when you do not know where to start or what to write about in general. You just need to write anything that comes to your mind even if you do not know how it sounds. When practicing free writing, make sure you have quantitative goals, for example, to write down ideas without stopping for 3 or 5 minutes or to write 300 or 500 words without a pause, etc. When free writing, do not intend to write everything in a flawless way – in other words, do not pay attention to grammar, punctuation or spelling mistakes – just write.

3. Provide lists

If you are working on an essay or a review, you may also use lists as means of gathering ideas. If you are working on creative writing, such as a story, provide a list of ideas or chapters you would like to include. Sometimes, it can be enough to provide a list of keywords and then return to them – they will serve as a notification for the idea you want to develop. If you are working on some creative fiction story, you may jot down names of people, places, ideas or emotions that will enable you to recall the necessary information in the process of writing.

This brainstorming step is also known as webbing or clustering. Unlike the other brainstorming methods, this brainstorming for writing relates to graphic means of gathering ideas. So, take a board or a piece of paper and list the ideas separately. Afterwards, think of what connections they may have between one another. You may use different colors for grouping ideas, circles, underlining, etc.

The process of producing a map depends on your creativity, original thinking, and design skills. The visual representation of the map may differ but make sure that you list down all the possible ideas for your paper.

5. Researching

After you have got the topic for writing, you might as well gather ideas from researching or reviewing literature. Therefore, be sure to devote yourself sufficient time in order to browse through the online libraries and databases. Pay consideration to both primary and secondary sources. Be sure to outline the key points of the topic you plan to look up further.

If you plan to produce some kind of fiction writing, be sure to investigate more information about the place, where the story would take place, the culture, the country, traditions, etc. If it is a historical novel or story, pay specific attention to history, social structure, and general atmosphere. Pay attention to how people dressed, what transport they used, how they looked overall, etc.

Thesis Brainstorming Techniques for Students

When brainstorming for an essay, it is essential to find out what part of brain is active – right or left.

1. Brainstorming for right brains

When it comes to right-brained thinkers, they find it easier to perceive creatively presented information. For example, they like patterns, shapes, diagrams, and tables more than plain text. So, the best brainstorming technique for right-brain thinkers is mind mapping. Therefore, to start the process, it is necessary to take different stickers, pieces of paper, tape, glue, colored pens, highlighters, etc. The process of brainstorming for right brains takes the shape of an artistic performance.

Start brainstorming ideas by putting the central idea in the center of the paper. Afterwards, write down ideas relating to the central issue or topic. Do not try to follow a specific pattern – just jot down the ideas. If it seems to you that there is nothing to write about, start asking yourself specific questions, such as “what,” “who,” “when,” “why,” and “how.” When you do so, it will be more likely to gather a few more ideas. When you gather ideas, do not worry that you may repeat them – just go on with jotting them down. Only when you feel that your brain is really empty for ideas, you may take a break from writing. It is advisable to take a break after brainstorming and return to the writing process later – you will be surprised how the ideas form in some regular patterns. When you notice that a few ideas are repetitive, highlight them in one color – you will definitely know that these ideas are worth considering for the topic sentences as subtopics. When you notice some other repetitive or related ideas, draw them in the other color. Be sure to come up with a specific pattern and use one color for one group of ideas.

In this way, you will form the basis for the paper. Now you can start crafting a well-organized paper from the bunch of disorganized ideas.

2. Brainstorming for left brains

If you have read the description of the brainstorming above and it made you sweat, then you are definitely not a right-brain thinker. Nothing to worry about – it is just that the above-mentioned brainstorming techniques do not work for you. If you are not comfortable with visuals and the chaos that is brought with them, you need to search for some other brainstorming techniques.

So, start with writing down the title of your paper at the top of a piece of paper. Now think of the three or four major topic constituents that can serve as the main arguments for this paper. These ideas can also be chosen as subtopics. If the ideas are to broad, think of the subtopics and the ways of breaking them into smaller sections.

Provide titles of the subtopics and leave space between them. When gathering ideas for each of subtopic or argument, be sure to list them in a numbered or bullet-pointed list. So far, do not worry about the logical connections and transitions between the ideas and paragraphs. Think of the coherence and logical connections within the paper only after you finish collecting the ideas and take a break from work. When you feel that you have written down all ideas, be sure to take a break and only afterward start working on the smooth and coherent essay. This is actually how you produce an outline for your paper.

3. Brainstorming strategy for everyone

Some students like to use the Venn diagram for organizing ideas and thoughts. To follow this brainstorming strategy, you have to draw two circles that intersect. Each circle should be entitled with the name of the topic/ subject that you would like to compare. Afterward, fill the circles (below the title) with the words relating to the ideas that each of the compared subjects possesses. In the intersecting field, please provide words that refer to the mutual characteristics.

Use 15% OFF on 1st order!

• Writing Ideas
• Writing Prompts
• Essay Writing
• Writing Guide
• $item->year, 'month' => $item->month]) }}"> {{ $item->year }} {{ $item->month_name }} {{-- ({{ $item->count }}) --}}

Brainstorming

generate ideas with a group and involve everyone

What is Brainstorming?

Brainstorming is a problem-solving method, where each person in a group contributes their ideas to a certain topic. After everyone has finished writing, the group may share all ideas and combine them.

How does Brainstorming work?

What is a good example for brainstorming.

Imagine you're running an ideation workshop with 4 participants. You figured the core challenge and want to now generate ideas on how to bring their distributed company together. You can now open up a brainstorming template for everyone to write down their ideas.

Who invented Brainstorming?

Brainstorming template download, brainstorming pdf template.

To download the Brainstorming PDF Template, simply click the button below.

Brainstorming Miro Template

• Click the button below, to open the Brainstorming Miro Template
• In Miro click on the name of the board in the upper-left corner, to see the board info card
• Click on the Duplicate button in the info card to add the template into your own account.

Brainstorming Mural Template

• Click the button below, to open the Brainstorming Mural Template
• In the new tab click on Create mural from template to create a new Mural board with the template in your account

Tip: You can also click "Save for later" to save the template into your account and use it in the future.

Questions & Answers

More templates to try.

Brainstorming templates

Create a space for the best ideas to rise with our brainstorming templates collection. Facilitate processes offering teams the space and tools they need for blue-sky thinking.

Meeting Reflection Template

Works best for:.

Meetings, Brainstorming, Team Meetings

When schedules get hectic, “learning by doing” becomes the default way to learn. So make time for your team to learn in other valuable ways — by reflecting and listening. Led by “learners,” (team members who share with the rest of the team), a meeting reflection lets teammates share new information about a client’s business or an internal business initiative, offer problem-solving techniques, or even recommend books or podcasts worth checking out. Meeting reflections also encourage colleagues at all levels to engage in each other’s professional development of their teammates.

Spider Diagram Template

Diagramming, Mapping

Perfect for brainstorming sessions, project planning, or simply organizing thoughts, the Spider Diagram Template allows you to create 'legs' branching out from a central idea, representing related topics or subtopics.

Parking Lot Matrix Template

Project Management, Ideation, Meetings

When the creative energy is flowing, a workshop or meeting will yield a lot of new ideas — but not all are on-topic or currently feasible. Roll them right onto a parking lot matrix, a simple, effective tool for separating the best ideas from those that are promising but could use more research or discussion. This template will let you easily make your own parking lot matrix, which will come in especially handy during long meetings (and when you have teammates who tend to go off-topic).

Random Words Template

Ideation, Brainstorming, Mind Mapping

Random word brainstorming is a simple, creative technique using random words to generate new ideas and creative solutions to your problems. Using random word prompts allows you to step beyond traditional boundaries and address challenges from a different direction. Random word brainstorming allows your team to unlock their creativity to solve business problems, create new inventions, improve existing ideas, or just think about problems in a new way.

How Now Wow Matrix Template

Ideation, Product Management, Prioritization

There are no bad ideas in a brainstorm — but some are more original and easier to implement. The How Now Wow matrix is a tool that helps you identify and organize those great ideas, as well as reinvigorates your team to think creatively and take risks (a taller order as you scale). Grab this template to create your own matrix, then rank the ideas you generated in a brainstorm as “How” (difficult to implement), “Now” (easy to implement), or “Wow” (both original and easy to implement).

Weekly Planner Template

Business Management, Project Planning

A weekly planner is a schedule that outlines your plans and activities for the week ahead. It helps you manage your time, keep track of your tasks, and organize your team on a day-to-day basis. Unlike traditional planners, which are often non-customizable, this weekly planner can be modified to suit your specific needs.

Customer Problem Statement Template

Ideation, Design Thinking, Product Management

Put yourself in the shoes of your consumers with a customer problem statement. Figure out their problems and how your product or service can solve those problems and make their lives easier. As a bonus, you’ll better understand your customers throughout the process.

Crazy Eights Template

Design Thinking, Brainstorming, Ideation

Sometimes you just need to get the team’s creative juices flowing for a brainstorm—and get them thinking of as many ideas as they can, as fast as they can. Crazy Eights will do it in a hurry. Favoring quantity over quality, this sketch brainstorming exercise challenges them to come up with eight ideas in eight minutes, which leaves no time to second guess ideas. It’s perfect for early stages of development, and it’s a team favorite for being fast paced and fun.

Tier List Template

A Tier List Template is a ranking tool that allows teams to organize different items into specific categories, or "tiers," based on their significance, quality, or performance. This template is a visual tool that aids in making decisions and prioritizing tasks. Use it to power your brainstorming, strategic meetings, and planning.

4P Marketing Mix Template

Marketing, Brainstorming, Workshops

Product, Place, Promotions, and Price. Starting with this template (and those 4Ps) you can choose the best way to take your product or service to market. The secret is to create just the right mix—deciding how much each P needs in terms of investment, attention, and resources. That will help you build your strengths, adapt to the market, and collaborate with partners. And our tool is the perfect canvas to create your marketing mix and share with teams and across your organization.

Research Topic Brainstorm Template

Desk Research, Brainstorming, Ideation

Coming up with a topic for a research project can be a daunting task. Use the Research Topic Brainstorm template to take a general idea and transform it into something concrete. With the Research Topic Brainstorm template, you can compile a list of general ideas that interest you and then break them into component parts. You can then turn those parts into questions that might be the focus for a research project.

Six Thinking Hats Template

Ideation, Brainstorming

The Six Thinking Hats by Dr. Edward de Bono was created as an alternative to argument, it is designed to help teams explore and develop ideas collaboratively. Use this template to boost creative thinking and get different perspectives so you and your team can make better-informed decisions.

SCAMPER Model

Ideation, Operations, Brainstorming

Is your team in a rut? Have you had a lingering problem that can’t seem to be solved? First introduced in 1972, SCAMPER. is a brainstorming method developed by Bob Eberle, an author of creativity books for young people. This clever, easy-to-use method helps teams overcome creative roadblocks. SCAMPER walks you through seven questions that are meant to encourage your team to approach a problem through seven unique filters. By asking your team to think through a problem using this framework, you’ll unlock fresh, innovative ways to understand the problem you’re trying to solve.

Sticky Note Packs Template

Brainstorming, Meetings, Workshops

Use Miro’s Stickies Packs template to facilitate your brainstorming and group sessions. Use them to organize your ideas, collaborate as a team, and encourage participation from everyone involved.

Reverse Brainstorming Template

Ideation, Brainstorming, Team Meetings

Reverse brainstorming is a technique that prompts a group to think of problems, rather than solutions. Because we naturally think of problems, it’s a great way to get a group to anticipate problems that may occur during a project. To engage in reverse brainstorming, start by identifying the problem, and then think of things that might exacerbate it. Ask your team to generate ideas around ways in which the problem could get worse. Reverse the problems into solutions again, and then evaluate your ideas.

Mind Map Template

Planning, Mind Mapping, Education

We see you, visual learners. You grasp concepts and understand data easier when they're presented in well-organized, memorable graphics. Mind mapping is perfect for you. This powerful brainstorming tool presents concepts or ideas as a tree — with the central subject as the trunk and your many ideas and subtopics as the branches. This template is a fast, effective way for you to start mind mapping, which can help you and your team become more creative, remember more, and solve problems more effectively.

Brainwriting Template

Education, Ideation, Brainstorming

Brainstorming is such a big part of ideation. But not everyone does their best work out loud and on the spot, yelling out thoughts and building on others’ ideas. Brainwriting is a brilliant solution for them—creative thinkers who happen to be more introverted. This approach and template invites participants to reflect quietly and write out their ideas, and then pass them to someone else who will read the idea and add to it. So you’ll get creative ideas from everyone—not just the loudest few.

Concept Map Template

Education, Mapping, Brainstorming

Use the concept map template to create new ideas, structure your thoughts, and bring your innovations to life. It allows you to explore connections between concepts and let your creativity flow in an organized format. As a result, you’re able to visualize how to bring your new ideas to reality and how various concepts relate to each other.

Idea Funnel Backlog

Design, Brainstorming, Agile Workflows

An Idea Funnel Backlog enables you to visualize your backlog and restrict the number of backlogged items at the top. In doing sos, you can prioritize items on your list without having to engage in unnecessary meetings or create too much operational overhead. To use the Idea Funnel Backlog, break up the funnel into different phases or treat it like a roadmap. Use the Idea Funnel Backlog as a hybrid model that combines your roadmap and backlog into one easily digestible format.

Mood Board Template

Design, Brainstorming, Ideation

When you’re kicking off a creative project, it’s sometimes important to communicate the mood you’re trying to evoke — but it’s so hard to do it with words. So create a mood board and use images, color palettes, textures, and typography. Mood boards are also perfect for gathering inspiration and sketching out and pitching ideas, and they’re not just for designers — your content writers, sales teams, and product teams can use them too, and this template makes it easy for all of you to get started.

Mad Sad Glad Retrospective

Brainstorming, Ideation

It's tempting to measure a sprint’s success solely by whether goals and timelines were met. But there’s another important success metric: emotions. And Mad Sad Glad is a popular, effective technique for teams to explore and share their emotions after a sprint. That allows you to highlight the positive, underline the concerns, and decide how to move forward as a team. This template makes it easy to conduct a Mad Sad Glad that helps you build trust, improve team morale, and increase engagement.

T-Chart Template

Ideation, Operations, Strategic Planning

T-Charts can help you compare and contrast two different ideas, group information into different categories, and prove a change through “before” and “after” analysis. T-Charts are visual organizational tools that enable you to compare ideas, so you can evaluate pros and cons, facts and opinions, strengths and weaknesses, or big-picture views versus specific details. Designers and content creators can use T-Charts to turn possibilities into actionable ideas. T-Charts are useful for discussing differences and similarities with your team or clients and can help you to reach a decision together.

Perceptual Map Template

Marketing, Desk Research, Mapping

To shape your messaging, tailor your marketing, improve your product, and build your brand, you have to know your customers’ perceptions — what they think of you and your competitors. You can gain those insights by exploring a perceptual map. This simple, powerful tool creates a visual representation of how customers rank your price, performance, safety, and reliability. Put this template to work and you’ll be able to size up your competition, see gaps in the market, and understand changes in customer behavior and purchasing decisions.

Lotus Diagram Template

UX Design, Ideation, Diagrams

Even creative thinkers occasionally need help getting their creative juices flowing. That's where a lotus diagram comes in. It'll empower you to run smoother, more effective brainstorming sessions. This creative-thinking technique explores ideas by putting the main idea at the diagram center and ancillary concepts in the surrounding boxes. This template gives you an easy way to create Lotus Diagrams for brainstorms, as well as an infinite canvas for the endless ideas generated.

Disney Creative Strategy Template

Business Management, Ideation, Brainstorming

Know who knew a little something about coming up with ideas that set imaginations alight? Walt Disney. And he inspired the Disney Creative Strategy, an approach that establishes three types of thinkers—dreamers, realists, and critics—and gives each the space to do clear thinking. Your team will go through an engaging exercise of adopting the three mindsets, where they’ll focus on a specific aspect of the idea. The Disney Creative Strategy has a way of yielding brilliant ideas and great products. That’s why it’s used successfully by organizations of all kinds and sizes.

Double Bubble Map Template

Diagramming, Mapping, Brainstorming

Double Bubble Map Template serves as a powerful tool to facilitate teamwork and streamline idea exploration. This adaptable template empowers teams to brainstorm, analyze, and compare concepts with ease, making it an invaluable asset for enhancing creativity and fostering clarity among team members.

KWL Chart Template

Education, Brainstorming, Retrospectives

Sharing and learning new knowledge is the fuel in the tank of any ambitious team or organization. A KWL chart is a graphical organizer that powers the learning process. This easy template lets you design and use a KWL, with three columns: Know, Want to Know, and Learned. Then you and your team will fill in each column by following three steps: Take stock of what you know, document what you want to get out of your session, and finally, record what you’ve learned.

Synoptic Table Template

Brainstorming

Reduce complexity and bring clarity to your teamwork with the Synoptic Table Template by Miro. Break down abstract concepts into clear, manageable components.

Semantic Map Template

The Semantic Map Template is a helpful tool that helps teams efficiently process and structure complex information. Its intuitive design promotes shared understanding, allowing multiple users to contribute and refine ideas simultaneously. This collaborative approach streamlines brainstorming sessions and creates a synergistic environment where collective intelligence thrives. By visually mapping out concepts and their interconnections, the template ensures that every team member is on the same page, which improves group dynamics and leads to more cohesive and comprehensive outcomes. The Semantic Map Template is a valuable tool for team-based project management and learning, thanks to its ability to foster collaboration and enhance productivity.

Mandala Chart Template

Planning, Brainstorming, Goal setting

The Mandala Chart Template helps you visualize the relationships between a central theme and its sub-themes. One of the key benefits is how it fosters a holistic understanding of any topic. This perspective ensures every detail is noticed, making it an invaluable asset for those aiming for comprehensive insight and thorough planning or a better understanding of their goals.

Card Sorting Template

Desk Research, UX Design, Brainstorming

Card sorting is a brainstorming technique typically used by design teams but applicable to any brainstorm or team. The method is designed to facilitate more efficient and creative brainstorms. In a card sorting exercise, you and your team create groups out of content, objects, or ideas. You begin by labeling a deck of cards with information related to the topic of the brainstorm. Working as a group or individuals, you then sort the cards in a way that makes sense to you, then label each group with a short description. Card sorting allows you to form unexpected but meaningful connections between ideas.

What? So What? Now What? Template

Agile Workflows, Retrospectives, Brainstorming

The What? So What? Now What? Framework empowers you to uncover gaps in your understanding and learn from others’ perspectives. You can use the What? So What? Now What? Template to guide yourself or a group through a reflection exercise. Begin by thinking of a specific event or situation. During each phase, ask guiding questions to help participants reflect on their thoughts and experience. Working with your team, you can then utilize the template to record your ideas and to guide the experience.

Product Vision Template

Product Management

Bring value to your users and develop better products using this Product Vision Template. Help teams craft a killer product vision statement and improve your business and customer experience.

UX Presentation Template

Presentations, UX Design

Create a stunning UX presentation with Miro’s memorable slide deck. Customize your slide deck to display your UX research in the perfect format for your audience. Add charts, images, and visuals to present your findings.

Join thousands of teams collaborating and doing their best work on Miro.

About the Brainstorming Templates Collection

Brainstorming is a crucial part of the creative process, and Miro's brainstorming templates collection is designed to make this process seamless and effective. Whether you're working on a new project, solving a complex problem, or simply looking to generate fresh ideas, our templates provide a structured approach to brainstorming. With various templates tailored to different needs, you can easily find the right one to kickstart your brainstorming session.

Why you'll love our brainstorming examples

Using Miro's brainstorming templates offers many benefits that can improve your team's creativity and productivity:

Structured approach : Our templates provide a clear framework, ensuring that your brainstorming sessions are organized and focused.

Time-saving : Pre-designed templates save you time, allowing you to dive straight into the brainstorming process without having to set up a structure from scratch.

Collaboration : Miro's templates are designed for collaboration, enabling team members to contribute ideas in real time, regardless of their location.

Versatility : With a wide range of templates available, you can find one that suits any type of brainstorming session, from mind mapping to SWOT analysis.

Visual appeal : The templates help visualize ideas better, making it easier to understand and build on each other's ideas.

How to use the brainstorming templates in Miro

Using Miro's brainstorming templates is straightforward and user-friendly. Follow these steps to get started:

Select a template : Navigate to the Miro template library and choose a brainstorming session template that fits your needs. You can browse through various categories to find the perfect match.

Customize the template : Once you've selected a template, customize it to suit your specific requirements. You can add, remove, or modify elements to tailor the template to your session.

Invite team members : Share the template with your team members by inviting them to the board. Miro allows for seamless collaboration, so everyone can contribute in real-time.

Start brainstorming : Begin your brainstorming session by adding ideas to the template. Encourage team members to use sticky notes, comments, and other Miro tools to share their thoughts.

Organize and prioritize : After generating ideas, use Miro's features to organize and prioritize them. Group similar ideas, highlight key points, and create action plans.

Save and share : Once the session is complete, save the board and share it with stakeholders. You can export the board in various formats, such as PDF or image files, to ensure everyone has access to the final output. Additionally, you can generate a shareable link to the board for easy access.

Follow-up : After the brainstorming session, it's crucial to follow up on the ideas and action plans generated. Assign tasks to team members, set deadlines, and schedule follow-up meetings to track progress. Miro's task management features can help you keep everything organized and ensure accountability.

Reflect and improve : Finally, take some time to reflect on the brainstorming session. Gather feedback from participants on what worked well and what could be improved. Use this feedback to refine your approach for future sessions, ensuring continuous improvement in your brainstorming processes.

By following these steps, you can make the most out of Miro's brainstorming templates and drive effective, collaborative ideation sessions with your team.

Top 8 Brainstorming Templates in Excel, Google Sheets and PDF

• Updated on July 16, 2024

Brainstorming sessions are one of the core activities of a create process. All innovations start with ideas. You’ll need to create hundreds of ideas before finding the glittering one. And brainstorming templates are great helpers to organize all the ideas you and your group create.

Thus we have gathered you some of the best brainstorming templates you can use for your business, projects, or contents.

The best part of these templates is you can both take them as reference and also edit them with new ideas.

Also, these brainstorming templates may be provided in spreadsheets, slides or pdf formats. You can easily edit Excel or Google Sheets templates, as well as documents with a pdf editor tool .

1. What are Brainstorming Templates?

2. how to conduct a brainstorming process, 3. brainstorming templates, business brainstorming template, product brainstorming template, marketing brainstorming template, project brainstorming template, writing brainstorming template, novel mind mapping, story brain storming, essay brainstorming template, 4. conclusion.

Brainstorming templates are structured frameworks to organize and capture your ideas on your brainstorming sessions.

These templates will help you or your team to generate large of ideas and organize all your thoughts so that you can find the best answer to your questions.

Brainstorming templates could be in any platform: Simple paper, pdf, Excel, Google Sheets, complicated software, and so on. You can use different chart makers mind maps , conceptual maps, tables or even flowcharts to organize your ideas.

To increase your productivity and creativity , these templates will help you to provide a visual representation of the main concepts, encourage collaboration and participation in your team, identify the patterns among your ideas.

You can create your brainstorming maps on a piece of paper, or list all the ideas. But these are not the best ways, of course. Thus, using these templates will let you a sleek-design idea mapping .

The idea visualization tools are usually designed to list your ideas in a messy way and then organize them around some central topics. But to find the most creative thoughts you should be well-prepared for an effective session. So the templates are not enough, you should use an effective brainstorming process.

Here are the main steps to conduct a brainstorming:

• Build your brainstorming team
• Plan your brain storming session
• Capture notes on the ideas with a brainstorming template
• Share your mind map with the team
• Vote for the strongest ideas
• Define your actions

These are the main steps of an effective brainstorming session . Firstly, you’ll organize your session. Then you’ll take your captures. And finally, you’ll define your action steps and print your pdf’s. Now let’s see some examples from the top brainstorming templates.

Firstly, the brainstorming ideas here will you examples of some of the most common mind maps prepared for business or content creation needs.

You’ll find examples of ideas from brainstorming sessions for business, product launch, marketing, project management, writing, novel and story structures, and essay preparation.

Firstly, we’re starting with a general business idea mapping. This template will show you the main concepts of a business initiative.

You’ll find headlines around Operations, Resources, Financial Planning, Market Analysis, Procut/Service, Sales Strategy etc. You can add new ideas around them, or you can just easily edit the main concepts.

You can download this file in pdf, Google Sheets or Excel formats.

>> Download Business Brainstorming Template

Product management is one of the core activities of any business. Especially start-ups give lots of thought on the product development.

If you have a product idea, you should decide on which features to add, which markets to target, which tools to integrate with, etc. This process needs a good research. You should always think about pros and cons of each aspect.

This example of product brainstorming template gives an comparison between two products and lists all the thoughts on each product idea.

As this is a fully customizable file, you can edit the boxes to form your own mapping. This is available in both excel and pdf.

>> Download Product Brainstorming Template

Evidently, marketing is a huge area with different channels and prospects. So while designing your marketing strategy or marketing campaign , you will decide on the target audience, channels, positioning, promotional activities etc.

Marketing needs creativity, so if you gather your team together and input the pros and cons of any marketing idea, then you’ll come up with a general pattern in your strategy.

You can use this template as a basis for all your marketing campaigns. Thus, you can organize your ideas from all aspects. And this professional design file will let you see the whole story under each marketing effort.

Additionally, you can always make customizations according to your branding.

If you’re a marketing agency , this will also help you to explain your campaign proposal to the client.

>> Download Marketing Brainstorming Template

Firstly, managing a project might be a overwhelming process, especially when you’re working with a big team and huge budgets.

So if you do not organize it from the beginning, you might have to do lots of changes on the way. Which will, in return, cost you and your team time and energy in addition to possible motivation loss.

In order to find the best project process, we highly recommend you to organize a brainstorming session to discuss the the scope, the design, the content creation, the development, the launch and possibly the maintenance aspects of the project.

Also, this project brainstorming template file will let you organize all the creative ideas in a visual presentation.

Lastly, this template provided in Excel , Google Sheets and pdf formats is also easy to share with colleagues and teams.

If you need to personalize or modify the PDF version of this document on a Mac, you might wonder how to edit PDF on Mac Preview . Fortunately, the process is quite simple. Open the PDF document with Preview, the default PDF viewer on macOS. Once opened, select the ‘Markup Toolbar’ icon, which resembles a pencil tip, to access editing tools. This toolbar allows you to add text, insert signatures, highlight areas, and more, directly within your PDF file. This capability ensures that even PDF documents can be easily tailored to meet your specific needs, all without requiring any additional software installations.

>> Download Project Brainstorming Template

Evidently, writing is a long journey of creative thoughts. So, whatever your genre is, you have to organize all the aspects before defining your tone of writing.

Besides, you’ll have to decide on the theme, genre, characters, techniques, plots etc before starting your first words.

Once you’ve decided on the main topic and structure of your text, then it’s time to create ideas around this. Additionally, it’s very important to see the connections between the ideas.

Lastly, this template will do a lot of work on organizing your ideas with a sleek-design mind mapping.

>> Download Writing Brainstorming Template

Novel is piece of creative text, exploring different mindsets of life around a set of characters.

So writing a novel involves breaking the established patterns and thinking out of the box. But it’s not about writing the ideas as a list. You should have a structured framework. That why it is important to explore different techniques to overcome the creative blocks.

It’s a common mistake to think about a novel writer sitting on the computer and start writing from the very first sentence. No, that’s not the point. Novel writers usually spend most of their time organizing their thoughts around the main topics that they want to talk about.

So this template will help writers to organize their ideas around the main themes, writing style, main and supporting characters, genre, and the plot.

With this editable file , you can track your milestones in a use-friendly diagram .

>> Download Novel Brainstorming Template

Storytelling is one of the most important skills in our technology world. Whichever tool or platform you’re using, you need storytelling to address your target audience. Especially if you’re in marketing business.

Similar to novel brainstorming, you should here also define your main topic and enhance your creativity around the main areas. This brainstorming template will let you draw your idea map for your story.

Also, you do not need an extra software to use this template. You can download the Excel , Google Sheets or pdf version , and edit it according to your needs. Colors and sleek-design will help you to see the patterns among the different elements of your story.

>> Download Story Brainstorming Template

Most students and even academists have difficulty to write a well-structured essay on a particular subject. This is because they usually do not have a clear path for their thoughts.

This brainstorming template example designed for essay writing will help you to identify the patterns and connections between your ideas on the essay topic.

You can easily prioritize the research activities, organize your readings, find MBA essay help and form your text structure.

And if you’re working with a group of essay authors, then you can make the brainstorming session with the help of this file. Also, it’s shareable and customizable.

>> Download Essay Brainstorming Template

Finally, we have given some from our brainstorming templates above. This collection is for startups, businesses, marketing people and content creators.

All these templates are:

• Also customizable
• Ready-to-use
• In Excel, Google Sheets & PDF formats
• Instant download

So, you can edit these free files according to your needs. But if you want to create your own brainstorming mind map from scratch, Someka’s Mind Map Maker will help you make dynamic mind mapping diagram.

Thus, you can input all your data list, and then create your mind map chart.

Or alternatively, you can use graphic buttons to form your brainstorming map.

Additionally, using the settings tab, you can customize your idea boxes with different sizes, connector types, colors, shapes, and directions.

– This is the main sheet of Someka’s Mind Map Maker in Excel –

Finally, generating brainstorming maps with ready-to-use template will save you time in addition to creating synergy throughout your team.

Recommended Readings:

Visio Alternative for Mac: Diagram Makers

Complete List of Things You Can Do With Excel

Top Workflow Templates for Business Needs

Related Posts

Run better brainstorming sessions with customizable templates for the most popular brainstorming methods. Kickstart brainstorming and ideation, collect creative ideas from team members, and level-up problem-solving with your team. Get started with Mural’s templates.

Circular canvas

Pros and cons list

Learning experience canvas

Storyboard the student journey

Vision board

Thumbnail sketching

Team wellbeing and emotions check-in

Syllabus builder

Storywording

Storytelling

Facebook storyboarding

Silent circuit

Round robin

Rose, thorn & bud

Roadmap: one quarter

Resume & cover letter brainstorm & feedback

Research paper outline

Rapid mind mapping

Problem solving

Probability/impact matrix

Mind map brainstorm

Meta think kit

Meta storyboarding

Lightning demos

Innovators' compass

Image of the future collage

Ideation sprint

Brainstorm & Idea Prioritization

Present an idea

How might we brainstorm

Go broad to go narrow

Get to the bottom of the stack

Experience diagramming

Creative Matrix

Crazy eights

Conducting a brainstorm

Business model canvas

Alternative worlds

Async brainstorming

6-3-5 Brainwriting

100 ideas in 30 minutes

Idea Wheel: How to Brainstrom Greater Ideas

In a world teeming with ideas and information, organizing thoughts can often be a herculean task. Enter the Idea Wheel - a versatile graphic organizer designed to simplify the brainstorming process. By presenting ideas in a visually segmented manner, the Idea Wheel combines the essence of both spider maps and circle maps, fostering creativity and structured thinking.

What Is an Idea Wheel?

The Idea Wheel serves as a powerful tool for categorizing and refining thoughts. Starting with broad categories, it funnels down into more specific concepts, thereby aiding in the organization of your ideas. Whether you’re an educator, a business strategist, or a creative professional, this tool can significantly enhance your brainstorming sessions.

The Idea Wheel is a sophisticated graphic organizer designed to streamline your brainstorming sessions by segmenting ideas into more manageable parts. Essentially, it is a fusion of a spider map and a circle map, combining their strengths to create a visual tool that enhances clarity and organization.

Unlike other types of graphic organizers , the Idea Wheel provides a more structured method of categorizing thoughts. It starts with the broad idea in the center and progressively expands to more specific concepts as it moves to the outer layers. This hierarchical structuring helps in breaking down complex ideas into simple, easy-to-understand segments.

• Ready to use
• Fully customizable template
• Get Started in seconds

The Key Components of the Idea Wheel

Central idea.

At the heart of the Idea Wheel is the Central Idea. This is the core concept or topic you are brainstorming about and serves as the focal point for all subsequent thought processes. Placing this idea at the center ensures that all surrounding categories and subcategories remain connected to this core theme.

Whether it’s a new business strategy, a creative project, or problem-solving for a specific challenge, the central idea acts as the foundation upon which the entire wheel is built. This structure helps keep focus and prevents the brainstorming from drifting away from the main objective.

Primary Categories

Radiating out from the central idea are the Primary Categories, which represent the broader aspects or themes connected to the core concept. These categories offer a high-level overview, breaking down the central idea into more manageable and distinct sections. Each primary category addresses a different angle or perspective of the topic.

By clearly outlining the major themes, it becomes easier to tackle complex ideas and start organizing them into coherent segments. For example, if your central idea is “Product Launch Strategy,” your primary categories might include Marketing, Product Development, Customer Research, and Competitor Analysis .

Sub-Categories

Branching out from the primary categories are the Sub-Categories, which provide a more granular look at the topic. These are the finer details that give depth and specificity to each primary category. Sub-categories help you dive deeper into each aspect of the idea, enabling more detailed exploration and analysis.

For instance, under a primary category like Marketing, sub-categories could include Social Media, Email Campaigns, Influencer Marketing, and SEO. These detailed segments ensure that no important elements are overlooked and that every critical component is thoroughly examined.

Visual Connectors

Visual Connectors such as lines, arrows, or other linking elements can be used to illustrate the relationships between the central idea, primary categories, and sub-categories. These connectors visually demonstrate how all elements of the Idea Wheel are interconnected. They allow you to map out the flow of thought and easily identify correlations, dependencies, or cross-relationships between different parts of the wheel. By making these connections visible, it becomes easier to understand the hierarchy and structure of the idea, facilitating better organization and a clearer vision.

Here’s an Idea Wheel template to try out:

When visualized, the Idea Wheel resembles a wheel, with the central idea as the hub and the primary categories and subcategories as the spokes. This graphic organizer aids in better understanding and organizing thoughts systematically, making it easier to address all aspects of a concept.

When to Use an Idea Wheel

The Idea Wheel is a versatile tool that can be applied across various contexts, ranging from personal brainstorming sessions to complex business planning. It’s particularly effective in situations where a broad concept needs to be broken down into smaller, more manageable components or actionable steps. Here are several common scenarios where an Idea Wheel proves valuable:

Business Strategy

Mapping out business goals, project milestones, or marketing strategies. By visually connecting goals to actionable tasks, businesses can better manage their plans and make informed decisions. Whether you’re launching a product or developing a new market entry strategy the Idea Wheel helps structure all the moving parts.

Creative Thinking

Developing storylines, characters, or themes for a book, script, or any creative project. The wheel allows writers and artists to visually explore relationships between various elements, ensuring a cohesive final product. It’s also useful for brainstorming new ideas or solving creative blocks.

Organizing thoughts for a research paper, lesson plan, or study session. Students and educators can break down complex topics into more understandable segments, helping to clarify learning objectives and making the content more digestible for presentations or essays.

Problem-Solving

When dealing with a complicated problem, the Idea Wheel can help you break it into its core components and identify potential solutions for each aspect. Whether you’re troubleshooting a technical issue or resolving a personal conflict, this tool aids in systematically approaching challenges from different angles.

Team Collaboration

During group projects or team meetings, the Idea Wheel fosters a more structured brainstorming process. By visualizing ideas together, teams can identify key areas of focus, assign tasks, and ensure that every team member is aligned with the project’s goals and objectives.

Product Development

In the early stages of product ideation, an Idea Wheel can help map out features, customer pain points, and potential innovations. It allows product teams to explore various angles of the product, from design to user experience, ensuring that no critical aspect is missed.

Event Planning

When organizing events, the Idea Wheel helps break down the process into categories such as venue, catering, marketing, guest lists, and logistics. By mapping out these components, planners can ensure that all aspects are accounted for, leading to a more successful event.

Whether you’re an individual looking to clarify your thoughts or a team collaborating on a project, the Idea Wheel streamlines the brainstorming process, helping you organize, explore, and execute ideas more efficiently.

How to Use an Idea Wheel for Brainstorming

The Idea Wheel is a simple yet powerful tool that can make your brainstorming sessions more organized and effective. Whether you’re working on a solo project or collaborating with a team, this step-by-step guide will walk you through the process of creating your own Idea Wheel.

1. Define Your Central Idea

Start by identifying the main topic, problem, or question you want to explore. This is your central idea —the core focus of your brainstorming session. Write it down and place it right in the middle of your Idea Wheel. Think of this as the foundation for everything else that follows.

For example, if you’re brainstorming for a marketing campaign, your central idea might be “New Product Launch.”

2. Identify Primary Categories

From the central idea, think about the broader categories or themes directly related to it. These are your primary categories —the main pillars that break down the central idea into manageable chunks. Draw sections outward from the central idea, each representing one primary category.

If we continue the example from above with the central idea of “New Product Launch,” your primary categories could be “Marketing,” “Product Features,” “Target Audience,” and “Sales Strategy.”

3. Detail Sub-Categories

Next, take each primary category and break it down further into sub-categories . These sub-categories should surround each primary category, allowing you to go deeper into the details. Breaking it down like this ensures that every aspect of the brainstorming process is covered without overwhelming yourself with information all at once.

For example, under “Marketing,” you could add sub-categories like “Social Media,” “Email Campaigns,” and “Content Strategy.”

4. Use Visual Connectors

To ensure clarity, use visual connectors —lines or arrows—to link your central idea to the primary categories, and the primary categories to their sub-categories. This helps create a clear visual structure, making it easier to see how everything is interconnected. It also helps prevent ideas from feeling scattered, as everything stays anchored to the central idea. It’s like creating a roadmap for your thoughts!

5. Refine and Consolidate

Once your Idea Wheel is filled with ideas, take a moment to review it. Look for any overlapping ideas or redundant categories and combine them where appropriate. If you notice any gaps, now is a great time to add new categories or sub-categories. This step helps you refine your brainstorm and make sure that your final Idea Wheel is clear, cohesive, and actionable.

Benefits of Using an Idea Wheel

The Idea Wheel offers various advantages that can significantly enhance the brainstorming and creative process. Here are some notable benefits:

Enhanced Creativity Through Structured Visualization

The organized structure of the Idea Wheel helps to channel creativity effectively. By visually dividing ideas into categories and sub-categories, it becomes easier to identify connections and explore new perspectives.

Improved Engagement and Comprehension

The visual nature of the Idea Wheel activates different cognitive functions, making it easier for all participants to engage. This can be particularly beneficial because the visualization aids in simplifying complicated ideas.

Streamlined Idea Generation and Organization

The hierarchical structure of the Idea Wheel allows for efficient idea generation and organization. It simplifies complex concepts and ensures that no potential ideas are overlooked. This can make brainstorming sessions more productive and goal-oriented.

Enhances Collaboration and Team Contribution

In team settings, the Idea Wheel is perfect for collaborative brainstorming. It allows every team member to contribute ideas, which can then be structured into a comprehensive map. This not only fosters teamwork but also ensures that no ideas are overlooked.

Increases Efficiency, Ideation, and Prioritization

Breaking down big ideas into smaller components helps to speed up the brainstorming process. You can quickly see how everything fits together, making it easier to prioritize tasks or concepts.

Incorporating structured visual tools like the Idea Wheel into your brainstorming sessions can lead to more efficient, engaged, and better outcomes, whether in creative or professional settings.

7 Tips for Effective Use of the Idea Wheel

Maximizing the utility of the Idea Wheel requires strategic practices and an awareness of common pitfalls. Here are some essential tips to help you get the most out of this powerful brainstorming tool :

• 1. Set Clear Objectives: Start by clearly defining the problem or topic you’re brainstorming. Know what you want to achieve with your session.
• 2. Avoid Clutter: Avoid over-complicating your Idea Wheel. Stick to concise categories and subcategories to maintain clarity.
• 3. Color Coding: Use different colors for different categories and subcategories to make the Idea Wheel more visually appealing and easier to understand.
• 4. Collaborative Efforts: Encourage team members to contribute. Tools like Creately offer interactive whiteboard collaboration, making it easier to gather diverse perspectives in real time.
• 5. Utilize Templates: If you’re new to Idea Wheel creation, consider starting with predefined templates available on Creately to save time and ensure a professional look.
• 6. Use Prompts: Stimulate creative thinking by using brainstorming questions or prompts.
• 7. Review and Iterate: Brainstorming is iterative. Regularly review and refine your Idea Wheel to incorporate new ideas or insights.

Conclusion: Unlocking Creativity and Problem-Solving with Idea Wheels

Harness the power of the Idea Wheel to streamline your brainstorming sessions. This tool enhances creativity, improves engagement, and aids comprehension through a structured visual approach. Its ability to categorize and refine ideas makes it invaluable in educational, business, and creative contexts.

Tools like Creately facilitate the creation of the Idea Wheel, offering interactive whiteboard collaboration and customizable templates that make brainstorming sessions more productive and engaging.

Start incorporating the Idea Wheel into your brainstorming sessions today to unlock your team’s potential. Utilize resources on Creately to further enhance your visual collaboration techniques. Experience the transformational benefits and elevate your brainstorming to new heights.

FAQ about Idea Wheels

What is an idea wheel and how is it used, how can i create an idea wheel for my project, what are the benefits of using an idea wheel for brainstorming, how can an idea wheel help with business strategy development, can i use an idea wheel for content creation and seo planning.

Join over thousands of organizations that use Creately to brainstorm, plan, analyze, and execute their projects successfully.

More Related Articles

Yashodhara Keerthisena is a content writer at Creately, the online diagramming and collaboration tool. She enjoys reading and exploring new knowledge.

• TemplateLab

Mind Map Templates

33 free mind map templates & examples (word,powerpoint,psd).

A mind map is a tool used to explore an idea or concept and its related topics. Mind map diagrams visually present information in a non-linear way, and there is no often no specified structure to follow when mind mapping.

The aim of a mind map template is to develop a deeper understanding of a central concept and generate related information from one idea. Mind maps are typically used for brainstorming and are a popular method with students when exploring concepts.

Table of Contents

• 1 Mind Map Templates
• 2.1 Differences between a Mind Map Template and a Concept Map Template
• 3 Mind Map Examples
• 4.1 Mind Mapping for Students
• 4.2 Brainstorming
• 4.3 Mind Mapping for Business
• 4.4 Improve Collaboration Across Teams
• 5 Free Mind Map Samples
• 6.1 Spider Map Template
• 6.2 Bubble Map Template
• 6.3 Brace Map Template
• 6.4 Flow Map Template
• 6.5 Multi-Flow Map Template
• 7.1 Steps to Create a Mind Map
• 8 Benefits of a Mind Map Template

We provide a range of free mind map templates for you to download and customize for your mind mapping sessions and brainstorming process.

What is a Mind Map?

Mind maps are diagrams used in a range of industries to help people brainstorm and organize their ideas. A mind map template can be an incredibly useful resource regardless of how complex the initial concept is.

Many people choose to create a mind map template to explore ideas at a deeper level and to help them form connections between a specific concept and its related ideas. Used correctly, mind maps can extend the thought process and inspire creativity, allowing you to discover new ideas as a result.

Differences between a Mind Map Template and a Concept Map Template

• Focus on one central topic
• Work better for quick note-taking and brainstorming

Concept Maps:

• Deal with a variety of different concepts at once
• Visualize concepts in a more thorough and detailed way

While both diagrams have useful features, mind map templates are a great tool for focused, intense study of a central topic.

For example, you may use a mind map template to study a particular aspect of a novel . If you are studying a novel in class, then you can create a mind map template for each of the main characters. The topics that would stem from each character could be their intentions, their appearance, key quotes, and their main relationships in the story.

Mind Map Examples

How to Use Mind Maps

Mind mapping for students.

Mind maps are commonly used by students for studying or planning an essay. A mind map is highly customizable, meaning you are not restricted to a specific structure when brainstorming ideas. With this in mind, students at any level can use mind maps as part of their study routine.

A mind map is:

• Useful for all subjects
• Customizable
• A form of note-taking
• Great for brainstorming

When studying for an exam, you can edit a mind map template to organize information using branches that link to different topics. Mind mapping can be as detailed or as simplistic as you like, depending on what you are studying.

Brainstorming

You can easily add ideas as they come to you with a mind map template. For example, if you are copying your notes into a mind map template, perhaps a new idea arises. You can simply add this to the mind map template without feeling like it ruins the overall presentation of your ideas.

The visual layout of mind maps can help you to easily remember information. If you choose one section for a specific topic related to your main concept, then you can use the positioning of the topic to help you recall information.

It is also useful to use a specific color for different branches for this reason. Mind mapping is a staple study tool because of how the visual layout improves the recall of information.

Mind Mapping for Business

Mind maps can be used in business, either as part of a brainstorming process or as a part of a presentation during a team meeting .

Regardless of what your business is, you can use a mind map template to:

• Help improve your marketing strategy
• Brainstorm new ideas for the company
• Focus on strategic planning
• Train staff members on a specific process

Improve Collaboration Across Teams

The brainstorming aspect of mind map diagrams is favored by business people, as it can easily be used as part of a collaboration with a team. A mind map template is therefore useful when project planning or improving marketing strategy.

Brainstorming as a team can help to:

• Increase creative ideas
• Improve overall marketing strategy
• Improve current features of the business
• Allow a range of employees to have their say during a team discussion

Mind map templates can also be used as part of a formal presentation to help easily display ideas to colleagues, a team, or clients. Mind maps can also be used in online meetings.

Free Mind Map Samples

Which Mind Map Template Should You Use?

There are several types of mind maps for you to use, depending on the topic you are researching. These include:

• Multi-Flow Map

Whilst the key features remain the same for each template, mind maps are versatile tools that you can use for a range of purposes.

Spider Map Template

Possibly the most common form of mind map, the spider map template begins with the main concept in the middle of the page, with related ideas connected by branches, like a spider web. Spider map templates are great for brainstorming ideas related to a particular concept.

Benefits of a Spider Map Template

• The branches structure is clear and useful for studying
• Customizable with color and images

Spider mind maps give a simplified overview of a central concept, making them a go-to choice for students and researchers.

Bubble Map Template

Bubble maps will often use one word as the central concept, with related adjectives branching out from this. For example, ‘sun’ would be the central concept, with ‘yellow’ and ‘hot’ as words in the outer circles.

The bubble mind map template structure includes space for the central idea in the middle circle, with outer circles arranged for the related adjectives. Bubble maps are therefore particularly useful when writing an essay or planning a story, as they take one simple concept and allow you to expand this creatively into more specific or nuanced ideas. You can also add images to your bubble mind map template to customize the layout.

Benefits of a Bubble Map Template

• Useful for essay and story planning
• Helps to inspire creativity
• Images can be used to add reference points

Brace Map Template

A brace map template is used for developing a deeper understanding of a specific concept, giving you a closer insight into one central concept. A brace map template allows you to understand how something works, particularly physical objects.

The structure of a brace map is still simple, however. You simply write the name of the object on the left-hand side of the page and draw the brace next to this, which you can adjust based on its related parts. Images are also useful to add to a brace map template, as they provide reminders of concepts related to the main idea.

Benefits of a Brace Map Template

• Can expand knowledge of a specific concept
• Simple structure
• Useful for science and math-based topics

Flow Map Template

Flow maps are used present ideas in a coherent sequence. They are designed in a flowchart style, with one concept leading to the next using arrows. They can be displayed horizontally or vertically.

Aside from being a useful study tool, flow maps work great as part of a presentation to highlight a sequence clearly. This can be applicable to businesses when displaying a proposed strategy, or for students who are explaining a timeline of events.

Benefits of a Flow Map Template

• Helps to sequence ideas
• Works well for presentations

Multi-Flow Map Template

Multi-flow diagrams work best for establishing cause-and-effect relationships between a central concept and its related topics.

Multi-flow map templates are designed with the main concept in the middle, similar to most mind map formats. However, a multi-flow map will typically have the causes of this concept branching out from the left-hand side, and the effects of this concept branching out to the right-hand side.

The arrows in the mind map template will flow from left to right to represent a journey from cause to effect. This is a particularly useful type of mind map when researching historical events, novels, or scientific concepts.

Benefits of a Multi-Flow Map Template

• Establishes cause-and-effect relationships
• Useful for a range of topics, including history and science-based concepts

How to Create a Mind Map Template

A real benefit to using a mind map is that they are simple and free to create. Using a mind map template makes this process even easier, and allows you to customize the mind map to your liking.

You may wish to create mind map diagrams on a computer using Google Slides or a word processor. While this may be more time-consuming, the features of online tools are particularly good for a presentation with an audience.

You can follow the same steps for designing your mind map template, whether on paper or online.

Steps to Create a Mind Map

• Choose your main concept This is the reason for creating your mind map. Perhaps you have to study a specific topic for a test or you have an important essay to write. Decide on your main concept to form the basis of your mind map.Most mind map templates will be designed horizontally to allow for more space, so turn your page sideways. You can then write the main idea in the middle of your mind map. This is usually inside a circle, but you can choose a different shape if you prefer. If you have chosen a different type of mind map than a spider map, then lay the main idea out accordingly.
• brainstorm related Information Depending on your chosen style of mind map, the way that you map out ideas will differ. However, this is a crucial part of mind map creation, so be sure to choose your related ideas appropriately. If you are studying for a test, you can use past exam papers or lecture notes to help you decide which ideas to prioritize within your mind map template.In a spider map, the related ideas will branch out from the main idea. You should draw a line to link the related idea to the central idea. You can use a different color to represent different categories, perhaps writing the title of that particular section, or the whole section, in one color.
• Add information to each section of the mind map template As you explore concepts further, you can add additional branches to your mind map. Try to add detail whilst keeping your notes brief.You do not need to write in full sentences, as this may take up too much space. Keep it simple but prioritize key concepts that you think are relevant to remember or present to your audience.
• Use color, images, and curved lines Your mind map should be visually appealing, whether it is for studying, or for presenting to an audience. A mind map template is customizable, so you can add images and colors to help display your ideas in an engaging and memorable way.The lines that connect each section, often known as ‘branches,’ should be curved to help give you more space to write. Curved lines also allow for flexibility if you want to add more ideas to your mind map.If you’re a creative person, having a colorful mind map design can make each mind-mapping session a fun process. When I’ve suggested mind mapping to students, they often end up enjoying the process of mapping out their thinking because of the creative aspect of using different colored branches for their mind map diagrams.

Benefits of a Mind Map Template

You can download a free mind map template to begin mapping out your thinking. Mind map templates allow you to explore ideas about a concept and structure your thinking in a clear way.

Seeing a mind map template as a blank canvas can seem daunting, but the final product will result in an understanding of the bigger picture after a creative brainstorming process. You can print and edit a free mind map template to help with your study or research process.

Happy mind mapping!

More Templates

Seating Chart Templates

Travel Planner Templates

Birthday Calendars

Staffing Plan Templates

Payment Schedule Templates

Bubble Map Templates

Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Everyday AI > How to brainstorm new ideas with AI

How to brainstorm new ideas with AI

They say two heads are better than one, but what about artificial intelligence (AI)? Whenever you’re in a brainstorming session, AI is a great tool to spark creativity. No matter your project or goal, try these AI brainstorming strategies for all things in life to get unique ideas, develop existing ones, or just for fun.

Ask open-ended questions

The best way to kick off your AI brainstorming sessions is to start with regular open-ended questions. Open-ended questions are broad and can’t be answered with a single “yes” or “no.” Asking these questions to AI can result in diverse perspectives and suggestions you may have never considered.

Try open-ended questions like:

• What type of characters might appear in a medieval fantasy novel?
• What are some unconventional ways to reduce food waste?
• How do I get started filming a short indie horror movie?
• How do you celebrate a Golden Retriever’s birthday ?

Get the most out of your documents with Word

Elevate your writing and collaborate with others - anywhere, anytime

Explore different viewpoints and scenarios by role-playing with AI. Like acting, role-playing involves the portrayal of a certain type of role or character. This can be especially helpful if you’re writing characters since it can give you a feel for how different personalities or people would react in situations. Try the following AI prompts:

• Pretend that I’m a waiter at an upscale Italian restaurant. You are the customer, and you received the wrong meal. How would you react?
• Imagine you’re an alien ambassador from Mars meeting humans for the first time. I’m the human leader. How would you introduce your species and establish peace?

Making lists is a straightforward yet effective brainstorming technique as all the ideas are laid out for you and you can pick and choose. AI can generate a generous number of ideas, solutions, or strategies in a few seconds. Try prompt examples like:

• My brother and I want to start a rock band. Can you create a list of 20 band names that involve geology?
• Generate a list of 50 superhero names for my hamster.

Create a mind map

A mind map is a visual brainstorming tool that helps you organize ideas and see the connections between them. Begin with a central idea or theme. Then, ask AI to generate related subtopics or branches. These can all be organized into a visual mind map, either digitally or on paper. Think of a mind map as a blueprint for your ideas to execute projects in the real world. For example, if your main concept is launching a podcast, AI could list tangents like finding equipment, coming up with a podcast name, and creating the actual content. Use these base prompts for starting a mind map:

• What are some creative ways to expand on the main idea of [concept]?
• Create a mind map for the main concept of [concept].

Explore ‘what if?’ scenarios

“What if?” scenarios are great for getting yourself to think outside the box, challenge assumptions, foresee outcomes, and explore different solutions. Pose a hypothetical situation to AI and have it speculate on outcomes, reactions, or challenges. Here are some example prompts:

• What if money didn’t exist in today’s world? How would economies function?
• What would happen to mankind if AI systems could replicate themselves?
• What would happen if a powerful solar storm knocked out the internet on Earth for a month? What conflicts would unfold?

The next time you’re in a creative boost, remember these brainstorming techniques and explore more everyday AI ideas.

Get started with Microsoft 365

It’s the Office you know, plus the tools to help you work better together, so you can get more done—anytime, anywhere.

Topics in this article

More articles like this one.

Live a more sustainable lifestyle with AI

Start living more sustainably with eco-friendly tips, digital-waste-reduction ideas, and more from AI.

How to use AI to organize a talent show

Ever wondered how to create a talent show? Use the power of AI and get inspired by creative talent show ideas with decorations, flyers, and themes.

How to organize a class party using AI

Organize the perfect party and lighten the planning load, so you can focus on enjoying the moment with your students. Learn how AI can make class party planning easy.

How to find your next computer using AI

Find the computer that works perfectly for you. Leverage AI to analyze specifications, use your budget, and more to help you purchase your next computer.

Everything you need to achieve more in less time

Get powerful productivity and security apps with Microsoft 365

Explore Other Categories