# Alternative word for "brainstorm"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 29, 2018, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092 "2018-05-29T22:06:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/21 "2018-06-01T00:23:11Z")
[Round table](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/round-table). ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/22 "2018-06-01T12:28:39Z")
What’s wrong with just ‘workshop’? Having said that, we do ‘bootcamps’ for an intensive session. Also ‘grenade brief’, where we all get into a room and try and crack a brief quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/23 "2018-06-01T15:42:34Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#): > > I don’t care for the word “brainstorm.” As a former epilepsy patient, the word has negative connotations for me. Looking at a thesaurus hasn’t given us any words we do like. So, does anyone have any suggestions for a better word that has the same idea of people collaborating and suggesting ideas that all can discuss? What about Green Needle? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/24 "2018-06-01T15:46:04Z")
Mind Maelstrom ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/25 "2018-06-01T15:50:11Z")
Noodleshower? ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/26 "2018-06-01T20:54:33Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > What’s wrong with just ‘workshop’? > > Having said that, we do ‘bootcamps’ for an intensive session. Also ‘grenade brief’, where we all get into a room and try and crack a brief quickly. “Grenade brief” sounds like a dismal marketing failure from Calvin Klein. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/27 "2018-06-01T20:56:35Z")
This thread is so meta. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/28 "2018-06-01T21:30:45Z")
mind map/mapping. A little more specific than brainstorm though. ---
**Author:** ![Jon\_in\_PDX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Jon\_in\_PDX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jon_in_PDX)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/29 "2018-06-01T22:07:26Z")
Perhaps replace the somewhat vague if familiar idea of “brainstorm” with a process metaphor the people in your organization are already familiar with. One might be metalworking: setting the stage for discussion would be prospecting, collecting mostly worthless ideas would be mining, isolating the better ideas would be smelting, etc. Well, okay, so the acronym for that process might get you in trouble. Construction? Establish site, excavate/demolish, lay the foundation, frame, etc. Writing? Assignment, vomit draft, editing, etc. Moonshining? Mash, ferment, distill, etc. Pretty much any process that produces a lot of waste or byproducts will work. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/30 "2018-06-01T22:56:40Z")
> [@Jon\_in\_PDX](#): > > Perhaps replace the somewhat vague if familiar idea of “brainstorm” with a process metaphor the people in your organization are already familiar with. One might be metalworking: setting the stage for discussion would be prospecting, collecting mostly worthless ideas would be mining, isolating the better ideas would be smelting, etc. Well, okay, so the acronym for that process might get you in trouble. Construction? Establish site, excavate/demolish, lay the foundation, frame, etc. Writing? Assignment, vomit draft, editing, etc. Moonshining? Mash, ferment, distill, etc. Pretty much any process that produces a lot of waste or byproducts will work. While I appreciate the thought, moonshining would not go over well in an elementary school. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/31 "2018-06-01T23:04:41Z")
Very often, people just clam up and say nothing at such events, defeating the purpose. Bad ideas and random ideas stimulate new discussions and new approaches, and often lead to better solutions in the end. Maybe call it a “Bad Ideas Totally Can Help” session? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/32 "2018-06-01T23:43:39Z")
Group Light Bulb (LED) ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/33 "2018-06-02T00:05:31Z")
Think. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/34 "2018-06-02T02:32:53Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Think. Thinking is not the essential part - I mean, certainly humans are the ones participating so there will be thinking going on - but in brainstorming the valuable part is the blurting, not the careful thought. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/35 "2018-06-02T04:45:49Z")
Filter-Free Fantasy Flow ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/36 "2018-06-02T05:26:37Z")
I assume that, whatever name is chosen, we all know that [Group Brainstorming Is a Waste of Time](https://hbr.org/2015/03/why-group-brainstorming-is-a-waste-of-time). > [@](#): > > A meta-analytic review of over 800 teams indicated that individuals are more likely to generate a higher number of original ideas when they don’t interact with others. Brainstorming is particularly likely to harm productivity in large teams, when teams are closely supervised, and when performance is oral rather than written. Another problem is that teams tend to give up when they notice that their efforts aren’t producing very much. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/37 "2018-06-02T05:37:07Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I assume that, whatever name is chosen, we all know that [Group Brainstorming Is a Waste of Time](https://hbr.org/2015/03/why-group-brainstorming-is-a-waste-of-time). Thanks for that - I didn’t know. I think teaching elementary school students that getting all your ideas good and bad onto the table is “a thing” would still be useful, even if only for when they’re working alone. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/38 "2018-06-02T19:55:58Z")
I went to one focus group where they used the term “whiteboarding” for the process as they wrote all the ideas on those easels where you flip the pages over the top to go to the next sheet. They had to drop the term “flip chart” since someone complained their wife was Filipino and “flip” is a derogatory term. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/39 "2018-06-02T20:13:47Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > I went to one focus group where they used the term “whiteboarding” for the process as they wrote all the ideas on those easels where you flip the pages over the top to go to the next sheet. > > They had to drop the term “flip chart” since someone complained their wife was Filipino and “flip” is a derogatory term. > > Dennis Oh My Gawd! [/Higgins] I’m surprised they didn’t disallow “whiteboarding” too as being racist. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092/40 "2018-06-02T20:58:06Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I assume that, whatever name is chosen, we all know that [Group Brainstorming Is a Waste of Time](https://hbr.org/2015/03/why-group-brainstorming-is-a-waste-of-time). Meh. If your goal is to get the maximal quality of ideas out of a group, according to that article, it’s not the best approach without very careful curation of the group. But that doesn’t mean it’s a waste of time. It’s just not suited for that (admittedly its designed) purpose. My third graders will be brainstorming on Monday, despite that article. They’re writing letters to next year’s students, and each letter should contain at least three cool things you get to do in third grade. Our brainstorming session will be to come up with ideas for what to write about. I could give them a list–but as the article mentions, brainstorming results in greater buy-in from group members. If I just say, “Choose three of the items on the list I pass out,” students are likelier to check out. I could let them work independently, and maybe get a greater total of good ideas. **But I don’t care about this greater total**. I care about teaching kids how to write. This approach strikes a balance between required topics and independence. My creative, motivated kids don’t have to do anything from what’s on the list, they can branch out. My kids who get stuck easily on assignments can choose something from the brainstorm list. Brainstorming may not be the best approach for a company working in a competitive environment trying to extract maximum utility from employees. But there are other contexts in which it’s ducky. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-word-for-brainstorm/815092.md?page=1)