Learn Brainstorming with Dr.House

Many of us know or have heard of the Brainstorming technique, or in the good old minireis: brainstorming. The technique is relatively simple, and perhaps it is precisely because of this that it has become a jargon for a simple group chat. If you are used to brainwash being a nice chat, maybe it is time to learn from our favorite grouch: Doctor Gregory House.

In the series House we see a genius doctor cross-referencing non-obvious data to pull out rare diagnoses and save lives. House has his own process of creativity, much watered down with vicodin, by the way, but what gets underlined from one episode to the next is that the cane supporting his genius is supported by his team. As we follow the series we realize that each satori of the protagonist always comes from a moment of relaxation or a moment debating/conversing about a random subject, almost always related to his own life. So what is Gregory House's secret?

“Came on guys"

1- Choose a topic

It may seem simple, but it is actually one of the most important steps. Throughout the series we see the team working on the possible diagnoses: Cancer, Auto-immune, Virus, Bacteria, among others. This is one of the most important parts, as much as the theme is always the same: diagnose to save lives, the topic is where most of the ideas will come from

“You wanna give me that black marker?”

2- Generate new ideas

As much as House constantly criticizes his team's ideas, because of his toxic behavior, he is not able to diagnose without them. He has already demonstrated that he doesn't even need to be a doctor to help him get these ideas, performing his brainstorming with children on a plane or even with the janitor. The goal is to have as many diverse ideas as possible. It is important at this point to leave the team free and clear of criticism in order to encourage creativity.

At this point it is important to have a note board where everyone can put their ideas and that these ideas can be reviewed. Another technique that House uses in this process is to use analogies, getting out of the context of the diagnosis. Analogies constantly help us to have more creative solutions to complex problems, because they help us to see outside the technical realm, so pick your favorite subject and use it in your brainstorm sessions

“Give me your ideas, so I can mock them and embrace my own”

3- Regroup the ideas

Here's a spoiler and perhaps a lesson in "what not to do". During the regrouping of ideas it is important that the team feels free to discuss the points they find interesting, but without criticism. It is also interesting to have a mediator, who guides the group during the revision and who in no way acts as a dominator or in an arbitrary way. In the series we see that sometimes house criticizes in a jocular and acid way the ideas of his team, and that he always dominates this part of the revision, in the best autocratic style. Perhaps house lacks a non-violent communication,

But we saw that throughout the series he starts to respect more the team's work and the ideas that the members have, giving more and more space for the regrouping to be done in a harmonious way, of course that every time this happens the team suspects that House has taken something heavier than Vicodina, but in fact this is part of his maturing process.

“For a moment there, I though you were smart”

4 - Validate the ideas

Here comes the last and most important part of the Brainstorm: the validation of ideas. During the whole process people were free to think and generate the most diverse issues possible, but now it's time to converge on something useful. In this process the team starts to use validation techniques, such as voting, experts' experience, or even laboratory tests. The validation part can give rise to stages of testing, prototyping, user interaction, or even a combination of all these techniques.

It is worth noting that House is also a lover of Blues and Jazz, and we have discussed before the effect of music on the creation of new ideas, and you get to see a lot of this in the series as well. Following the steps listed may not turn you into a diagnostics wizard, but it will certainly make you more successful in coming up with new ideas with your team.