Growth
Top Brainstorming Tools, Techniques & Templates for Startup Teams
Written by
Lineke Kruisinga
Published on
May 25, 2025
Written by
Published on
Brainstorming is all about coming up with fresh ideas and solving problems in creative ways. To make your sessions successful, you need the right mix of tools, techniques, and templates. These help your team stay focused, organized, and inspired. In this article, we’ll talk about different brainstorming methods, the best digital tools, helpful templates, and tips to run better sessions.
Brainstorming is simply coming up with ideas to solve a problem or create something new. We all do it, sometimes without noticing when we face everyday challenges. But in a work setting, brainstorming becomes even more important. When you sit with your team in a meeting or join a Zoom call to discuss a project, you’re likely brainstorming together. That’s often how the best ideas come to life.
It’s how businesses develop fresh ideas and improve. Every successful project or strategy usually starts with a simple brainstorming session. Working with others helps you see things from new angles, push past mental blocks, and build stronger, more creative solutions. While you can brainstorm alone, doing it as a team opens up even more possibilities.
Another creative approach is reverse brainstorming. Instead of asking, “How can we solve this problem?”, you flip the question and ask, “How could we make this problem worse?” This surprising method helps teams spot hidden risks and challenges they might overlook. By identifying what not to do, you can often uncover fresh solutions and avoid common mistakes.
👉 Want to learn more? Check out our glossary on reverse brainstorming
Storyboarding
Storyboarding is when you draw out your ideas or problems so everyone can see them clearly. A fun way to do this is using sticky notes: have each team member write down ideas, then stick them all on a whiteboard. You can move the notes around to see which ideas connect or stand out. This works great for visual thinkers, especially in marketing or project planning.
Stream of Consciousness
This is a simple exercise where you write down whatever pops into your head without worrying if it’s good or bad. Just grab a pen and paper and let your thoughts flow freely. This can help break mental blocks and spark new ideas, especially useful for writers or creative teams.
SWOT Analysis
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. You make a chart with these four sections and fill them in as a team. This helps you see the good and bad sides of an idea early on, so you can improve it before moving forward.
Zero Draft
With a zero draft, you write down everything you know about a topic and what you still need to figure out. There’s no structure — just get all your thoughts on paper. This helps you get a clear starting point for your project and can guide the next steps.
Brain Netting
When your team works remotely, brain netting (online brainstorming) is a great solution. Everyone adds their ideas to a shared online space, whenever they want. This helps collect thoughts over time and can even be done anonymously, so people feel more comfortable sharing.
Group Sketching
Instead of writing, group sketching is about drawing your ideas and letting teammates add to them. Passing sketches around encourages teamwork and makes ideas more visual and less overthought. It’s a fun, hands-on way to build creative energy together.
Reverse Brainstorming
With reverse brainstorming, you start by thinking about the problem or what you don’t want to happen. For example, if you want to attract new customers, first list out the kinds of customers you don’t want. This helps sharpen your focus on what really matters and avoid future mistakes.
There are so many great tools out there to help make brainstorming easier and more productive. Here’s a simple overview of some of the best ones for different needs:
For Mind Mapping: Coggle
Coggle is a simple tool that helps you map out ideas visually. You can create colorful mind maps, connect ideas, and even invite teammates to work on them together. It’s easy to use and offers a free plan, but it only works in your web browser.
For Whiteboarding: Miro
Miro is like a giant online whiteboard where your team can draw, write, and stick notes together — even if you’re not in the same room. It has ready-to-use templates and AI tools to help organize your ideas. It might take a little practice to use, but it’s great for team collaboration.
For Flowcharts: Lucidchart
Lucidchart is perfect if you like to organize your ideas in clear steps or diagrams. You can drag and drop shapes and create neat flowcharts. It’s known as one of the top diagram tools and makes it easy for teams to work together on the same project.
For Video Brainstorming: Zoom
Zoom isn’t just for meetings — it’s also great for brainstorming. You can share screens, use the built-in whiteboard, and read people’s facial reactions. It’s a familiar tool for many teams and works well when you want real-time discussion.
For Team Chat: Slack
Slack is perfect for sharing ideas through messages. You can brainstorm in group channels or one-on-one chats, react with emojis, or use “huddles” for quick audio or video talks. It’s great when you want to brainstorm without the pressure of live meetings.
For AI Support: ChatGPT
ChatGPT can help you when you’re stuck. You can ask it for ideas, feedback, or even help drafting plans. It’s like having a virtual brainstorming partner that’s ready anytime.
For Visual Ideas: DALL·E 3
If you need images or visual inspiration, DALL·E 3 is an AI tool that can turn your text prompts into pictures. It’s great when you need quick visuals but don’t have design skills.
For Notes: OneNote
OneNote lets you freely jot down ideas, type, draw, or add pictures — all in one place. It’s handy for keeping track of all the thoughts shared during a brainstorming session.
For Automating Workflows: Zapier CanvasZapier Canvas helps teams plan out how to connect different tools and automate tasks. It’s useful when brainstorming ways to make your work faster and smoother using automation.
Other Ideas
Don’t forget that sometimes the best brainstorming happens with just paper, sticky notes, or even a walk outside. Combining offline and online tools can help spark even more creativity.
Brainstorming templates are ready-made guides that help you organize your ideas. Instead of starting with a blank page, these templates give you a framework to follow, making it easier to stay focused and cover all the important points. They save time and help your team work more smoothly.
Mind Map Templates:
Let you connect ideas visually, showing how they link together.
⏩️Template
Flowchart Templates:
Help you map out steps or processes in a clear, ordered way.
⏩️Template
S.C.A.M.P.E.R Templates:
Use prompts (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse) to push your thinking in new directions.
⏩️Template
Concept Maps:
Show relationships between ideas, concepts, or topics in a visual layout.
⏩️Template
Sticky Notes Pack:
A simple but powerful way to quickly gather lots of ideas — often used in group sessions where each person adds their thoughts on sticky notes.
⏩️Template
Quick Retrospective Templates:
Look back on what went well, what didn’t, and what could be improved after a project or meeting.
⏩️Template
Where to Find Templates
You can find brainstorming templates online for free or inside popular tools like Miro, Lucidchart, or Notion. Many websites offer downloadable PDFs or digital versions you can fill in. Just search for the type of template you need, and you’ll find plenty of options to get started.
Using templates makes brainstorming easier, faster, and often more fun!
To get the most out of your team’s brainstorming, there are some key things you should do — and some things you should avoid. Good brainstorming takes practice, so keep these tips in mind to help your sessions go smoothly.
Set clear goals: Go into the session knowing what you want to achieve. What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? What outcome do you hope for? Having clear goals keeps everyone focused.
Be prepared: Choose a brainstorming method or template before you start. A little planning helps avoid confusion and makes sure you use the time well.
Encourage building on ideas: In brainstorming, it’s great when people build on each other’s thoughts (this is called “piggybacking”). Working together often leads to stronger, more creative solutions.
Don’t get attached to one idea: Even if an idea sounds great right away, stay open-minded. The goal is to explore many ideas before picking the best one.
Don’t set strict expectations: You can’t force a “perfect” session. Putting too much pressure on the outcome can block creativity. Brainstorming should be relaxed and fun!
Avoid lack of structure: Going in without a plan can lead to awkward silences or messy discussions. Make sure everyone knows the topic and purpose before you start, so the session stays productive.
Successful brainstorming happens when you combine the right tools, techniques, and templates that fit your team’s style and needs. There’s no single “perfect” way to brainstorm, what works for one team may not work for another. That’s why it’s important to stay open and try out different methods until you find the ones that bring out the best ideas. Keep exploring, stay flexible, and remember that the goal is to create a space where everyone feels free to share and build on ideas. With the right approach, your team can unlock fresh, exciting solutions every time.
Also good to read:
⏩️ Does your idea have what it takes to be a start-up success?
⏩️Inside Startup Culture: Crafting an Innovation-Driven Work Environment
⏩️These 7 Best Notion Templates for Startups Will Streamline Your Business
⏩️Employer Branding Tools & Techniques: Building a Talent Framework
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