Brainstorming Ideas

ChatGPT's biggest creative advantage is its Volume. It can generate 100 ideas in the time it takes you to write one. While 90 of them might be generic, those remaining 10 are the seeds of genius.

1. Avoiding the "Average" Idea

If you ask for a "business idea," the AI will give you a "dog walking app" or a "coffee shop."

The Fix: Use Constraints and Combining.
"Give me 10 business ideas that combine 'Hyper-Local Farming' with 'Blockchain Security' for 'Low-Income Urban Areas'."

2. The "SCAMPER" Framework

Ask the AI to apply the SCAMPER method to an existing idea:

Substitute
Combine
Adapt
Modify
Put to another use
Eliminate
Reverse

mindmap
    root((Brainstorming))
        SCAMPER
            Substitute
            Combine
            Adapt
            Modify
        Personas
            The Critic
            The Optimist
            The Rebel
        Constraints
            Zero Budget
            24 Hour Limit
            Solo Project

3. The "Un-Googleable" Prompt

Ask for non-obvious connections.

"What is a connection between the way bees build hives and the way we should design high-traffic websites?"

4. The "Lateral Thinking" Role

Ask the AI to act as a legendary creative thinker.

"Act as Edward de Bono. Apply lateral thinking to the problem of 'Reducing plastic waste in oceans'."

Hands-on: The 50-Idea Dash

Pick a problem you have (e.g., "I'm bored on weekends").
Prompt: "Give me 50 creative, non-obvious ways to solve [The Problem]. No matter how crazy the idea is, write it down. Focus on variety."

Scroll through the list. Which one actually makes you pause and think, "I never thought of that"?

Key Takeaways

Quantity leads to Quality.
Use Cross-Pollination (combining two unrelated fields).
SCAMPER is a powerful methodology for AI brainstorming.

Module 6 Lesson 1: Brainstorming Ideas