Bias Spectrum Brainstorm

What participants gain

• Participants will be able to generate a wide range of ideas related to a specific problem or challenge.
• Participants will be able to identify common cognitive biases that can influence brainstorming.
• Participants will be able to develop strategies to mitigate the impact of biases on their ideas.
• Participants will be able to collaborate effectively in a brainstorming session.
• Participants will be able to apply bias-aware brainstorming techniques in their future work.

Materials needed

• Large sheets of paper or whiteboard
• Markers or pens
• Sticky notes (various colors)
• Pre-printed spectrum templates (optional)
• List of common cognitive biases
• Timer

How to run Bias Spectrum Brainstorm, step by step

1. Introduce the activity and explain the concept of the Bias Spectrum Brainstorm (5 min).
2. Define the problem or challenge that participants will be brainstorming about (5 min).
3. Draw a spectrum on the paper or whiteboard, labeling the two ends with opposing perspectives or approaches (5 min).
4. Instruct participants to generate ideas and plot them along the spectrum, based on their alignment with the two opposing perspectives (15 min).
5. Once all ideas have been plotted, facilitate a discussion to identify potential biases that may have influenced the generation of ideas (10 min).
6. For each identified bias, brainstorm strategies to mitigate its impact on the ideas (10 min).
7. Summarize the key learnings and action items from the session (5 min).
8. Encourage participants to think about how they can apply the debiasing strategies in future brainstorming sessions.
9. Thank participants for their active participation and contributions.

Facilitator tips

• Emphasize that there are no 'right' or 'wrong' answers during the initial idea generation phase. Focus on quantity over quality.
• Encourage participants to build on each other's ideas, even if they seem unconventional at first.
• Provide specific examples of cognitive biases to help participants identify them more easily.
• Use a timer to keep the session on track and ensure that all stages are completed within the allotted time.
• Create a psychologically safe environment where participants feel comfortable sharing their ideas and challenging assumptions.

Common challenges

• Participants struggle to identify biases: Provide a list of common cognitive biases and examples to guide their thinking.
• Dominant voices overshadow others: Use a round-robin approach to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to share their ideas.
• Ideas remain too abstract: Encourage participants to make their ideas more concrete by providing specific examples and scenarios.
• The session becomes overly critical: Remind participants to focus on identifying and mitigating biases, rather than simply dismissing ideas.

Running it virtually

Adaptable for virtual environments using collaborative whiteboarding tools like Miro or Mural. Create a digital spectrum and use virtual sticky notes for idea generation and bias identification.

Expected results

A visual representation of ideas plotted along a spectrum, with identified biases and potential mitigation strategies. A shared understanding of how biases can influence brainstorming and strategies to overcome them.

Build a session around Bias Spectrum Brainstorm

METODIC drops Bias Spectrum Brainstorm into a complete session plan with timing, materials, worksheets, and a facilitator guide — for any workshop, meeting, or team session.

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