Brainstorming Tips

To help you brainstorm ideas for your persuasive argument, here are some tips to follow:

• When you are trying to brainstorm, it is important to ask yourself questions and then write down the answers that come into your head. "Why do I need a raise?" "Why would the company give me a raise?" "Would I give myself a raise in their position?"


• The questions you ask yourself should be open ended so that you can brainstorm in multiple directions. This is a technique often used in improvisation. If you limit the possibilities in improvisation, then the scene will go nowhere. The same applies with brainstorming. Try to stay away from yes and no answers as much as you can.


• As we mentioned, do not shut down any of your own ideas until you are done brainstorming. You never know, but you may actually come up with a better idea by building on the idea you initially thought was dumb. This is very important, because the more confident you are with your own ideas, the better those ideas will be. No ideas are stupid, so don't cancel any of them out until the end.


• Whatever idea comes in your head, make sure you record it. Write it down and then move on to the next idea.


• Just because you only brainstormed for 20 minutes, that should not be the end of it. For the next day or so, keep a pad of paper with you so that you can write down more thoughts that come into your head that can help you with your persuasive argument.


• Some of our best ideas come to us while we are sleeping, so also keep a pad of paper next to your bed in case you wake up in the middle of the night with another idea for your persuasive argument. Don't think, "I will write it down in the morning," because you will have forgotten it by then.