brainstorming

Grimblaz's avatarfrom Grimblaz

Structured Socratic questioning for exploring ideas and solutions. Use when exploring new features, evaluating approaches, or need to think through complex decisions.

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[Meeting Productivity]

When & Why to Use This Skill

The Brainstorming skill leverages a structured Socratic questioning framework to facilitate deep exploration of ideas, evaluate complex solutions, and challenge underlying assumptions. It helps teams and individuals move beyond surface-level thinking to uncover second-order effects and ensure they are solving the right problems during the early stages of design, development, or strategic planning.

Use Cases

  • Product Ideation: Facilitate structured sessions to explore new feature requirements and define what success looks like from a user perspective.
  • Technical Strategy: Evaluate competing architectural approaches by probing the evidence and assumptions behind each path to avoid premature convergence.
  • Risk Mitigation: Analyze the second-order effects and potential consequences of complex business or technical decisions before implementation.
  • Problem Refinement: Use 'Questioning the Question' techniques to ensure the team is addressing the root cause rather than just symptoms of a problem.
  • Stakeholder Alignment: Explore multiple perspectives (skeptics, users, stakeholders) to build a more robust and inclusive solution.
namebrainstorming
descriptionStructured Socratic questioning for exploring ideas and solutions. Use when exploring new features, evaluating approaches, or need to think through complex decisions.

Brainstorming Skill

Guide for structured exploration of ideas through Socratic questioning.

When to Use

  • Exploring new feature ideas or requirements
  • Evaluating multiple solution approaches
  • Challenging assumptions about a problem
  • Breaking down complex decisions
  • Early-stage design discussions

Socratic Questioning Framework

1. Clarifying Questions

  • What do you mean by...?
  • What is the core problem we're solving?
  • Can you give an example?
  • What would success look like?

2. Probing Assumptions

  • What are we assuming here?
  • Why do we believe this is true?
  • What if the opposite were true?
  • What are we taking for granted?

3. Exploring Perspectives

  • How would [stakeholder] view this?
  • What would a user expect?
  • What would a skeptic say?
  • How have others solved similar problems?

4. Examining Evidence

  • What evidence supports this approach?
  • Are there counter-examples?
  • What data would change our mind?
  • How confident are we in this?

5. Considering Consequences

  • What happens if we do this?
  • What are the second-order effects?
  • What could go wrong?
  • What's the cost of being wrong?

6. Questioning the Question

  • Is this the right question to ask?
  • What question should we be asking instead?
  • Are we solving the right problem?

Brainstorming Session Structure

1. DEFINE (5 min)
   - State the problem/opportunity clearly
   - Identify constraints and goals

2. DIVERGE (15 min)
   - Generate many ideas without judgment
   - Build on each other's ideas
   - Encourage wild ideas

3. CHALLENGE (10 min)
   - Apply Socratic questions to top ideas
   - Identify hidden assumptions
   - Explore edge cases

4. CONVERGE (10 min)
   - Evaluate ideas against criteria
   - Combine complementary approaches
   - Select promising directions

5. NEXT STEPS (5 min)
   - Define concrete actions
   - Assign owners and timelines

Project-Specific Context

[CUSTOMIZE] Add domain-specific questions relevant to your project:

  • Industry-specific considerations
  • Technical constraints unique to your stack
  • Stakeholder perspectives to consider
  • Common assumptions in your domain

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

  • Premature convergence: Settling on first reasonable idea
  • Groupthink: Not challenging popular opinions
  • Analysis paralysis: Endless questioning without action
  • Leading questions: Questions that assume the answer
  • Defensive responses: Treating questions as attacks

Output Artifacts

After brainstorming, document:

  1. Problem statement (refined)
  2. Key insights discovered
  3. Assumptions identified (and which were challenged)
  4. Top approaches with pros/cons
  5. Decision and rationale
  6. Open questions for future exploration