Brainstorming is the creative technique you use to generate a flood of ideas around a specific problem, either in a team or on your own. If you want sessions that actually move your project forward, you need a clear objective, zero judgment during the idea flow, and a structured way to evaluate what came out. Here you'll learn the ground rules and the Cubing method, a six-angle approach that turns scattered thoughts into actionable plans.

What is brainstorming and how should you run a session?

A brainstorming session is a space where ideas come out spontaneously, get written down without criticism, and only later are evaluated against the problem you need to solve. Ideas aren't good or bad on their own; they work or don't work strategically for your goal.

There are two non-negotiables that separate a productive session from a frustrating one:

• Don't judge ideas while they're being shared. Just listen and write them down.
• Always start with a clear objective or a specific question to answer.
• Tell participants in advance what the session is about so they arrive with seed ideas.

A common mistake is kicking off a meeting where nobody knows what's being discussed. That kills momentum fast. Share the topic beforehand and you'll see how the quality of contributions changes.

What should you never do in a brainstorming session? Don't judge or filter ideas while they're being generated. Capture everything first, evaluate later. Judgment shuts down creative flow and makes people stop sharing.

How does the Cubing technique work for finding ideas?

Cubing is a method that asks you to look at one problem from six different angles, like the six faces of a cube. You grab six Post-its or six sheets of paper, and each one gets a specific role. It works whether you're alone or with a team.

What are the six Post-its you need to fill out?

Each Post-it pushes you to think about the problem in a different way. Here's what each one does:

1. Describe the problem. Write down what's actually going on. Example from the class: "our podcast needs a refresh."
2. Compare. Look at what others in your industry are doing about a similar problem. The point isn't to copy, it's to understand the scene.
3. Associate. Connect the problem to what it's causing. If your project needs a refresh, maybe the audience is getting bored or drifting away.
4. Analyze. Think of quick, short-term actionable ideas. The example given was "let's do something we haven't done before," which led to creating a Platzi course.
5. Apply. Define where the idea lands. Is it for a new audience, a local context, a global one? In the class example, the application was reaching the Platzi audience.
6. Pros and cons. List what's great about the idea (innovation, freshness) and what it'll cost you (time, production effort).

If you're working solo, give more than one answer per Post-it so your range of options stays rich and interesting.

How much time should you spend on Cubing?

Timing matters because it forces focus. The recommendation from the class is concrete:

• Solo session: at least 15 minutes to go through all six angles.
• Team session: 10 minutes per team member to fill out their own Post-its.

At the end of a team session, gather every Post-it and read them together. Pay attention to which ideas repeated across people and which ones nobody else thought of. That contrast is where the real insight lives.

Why are the analyze and pros and cons Post-its the most important?

The Analyze Post-it is where actionable ideas show up, and that matters because creativity without action turns into a graveyard of unused concepts. If nothing gets executed, the session was decoration.

The Pros and Cons Post-it is equally critical because it surfaces honest feedback about your project. When someone takes the time to point out a strength or a weakness and the team ignores it, that's a wasted contribution. Honor those notes by actually discussing them.

What's the difference between brainstorming alone and in a team? Solo, you give multiple answers per Post-it and spend at least 15 minutes total. In a team, each person gets 10 minutes on their own Post-its, and then you compare answers to spot common patterns and blind spots.

A challenge before you go: run a Cubing exercise on a real project of yours, snap a photo, and share which Post-it revealed a blind spot you hadn't seen before. Drop it in the comments and tell me what shifted.