making.cognitive.connections
Practical Cognitive Strategies; Brainstorming
Originally published in Fall 2010 newsletter
The focus of this section of the newsletter is on identifying and using practical cognitive strategies to help with common cognitive issues related to brain injury. The approach I will be taking is to model cognitive strategies that I have seen work with students over the years and then talk about how those strategies can be applied to an individual's day-to-day life. We will focus on the following areas as they relate to various cognitive topics:
- Strategy development—identify strategies that may work for a particular issue
- Strategy evaluation—judge the effectiveness of a strategy as it relates to a particular issue
- Strategy tweaking—adjust a strategy based on the results of its evaluation
You may notice that I refer to "identifying strategies that may work" above. The word "may" is critical here. My experience in working with individuals living with brain injury is that strategies will be unique to the individual and that, based on many factors (e.g., fatigue or stress), the strategies may work beautifully one day and not at all the next. Think about the implications of this for just a moment. Those of us without brain injuries may have to work to find a strategy that helps us with a particular issue, but once we find the right strategy, we tend to use it over and over again. How frustrating would it be to find a strategy that works and then have to continue changing it because it doesn't work consistently?
It would be great if one strategy solved the same problem for everyone, but the reality is:
- One strategy might work for some people.
- A slight tweak of that strategy might work for others.
- Others might require an entirely different strategy to deal with the same cognitive issue.
Another challenge in this area of strategy development is that many individuals living with brain injury focus on using the same strategies or approaches they used prior to their brain injuries. Unfortunately, this often doesn't work. It is understandable that, if something worked for you before, you would try to use it again. The problem arises when an individual with a brain injury can't let go of that strategy, even when it is obviously not working. There may be many reasons for this, such as:
- Impulsivity—The individual may act or react on impulse, without taking the time to evaluate how the strategy is working.
- Memory—The individual may not remember that the strategy no longer works.
- Insight—The individual may lack the insight that the strategy isn't working.
- Holding on to past—The individual may hold on to previous strategies because it ties her back to who she was before her brain injury.
The creativity involved and the challenges associated with strategy development are just some of what makes the field of cognitive rehabilitation so exciting. Let's take a moment to consider a specific example of a strategy—brainstorming—and the challenges that individuals with brain injuries may encounter in using that strategy.
Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a very powerful cognitive strategy that can be used in a variety of areas, e.g.:
- Writing
- Problem-solving
- Decision making
- Organization
Brainstorming was developed in the 1940s and was initially used in business as a way to stimulate creativity among individuals within a group or team. Although traditionally used with groups, it can also be used by individuals to identify possibilities or options associated with a particular issue. Doing a simple online search will reveal that there are many different brainstorming techniques. In fact, many of you may already be well-versed in its practical application.
That being said, I would like to present a brainstorming technique that, while not unique, has proven to be effective for individuals living with brain injury. I applied this technique as I created my online Cognitive Strategy Building class offered through Coastline Community College's Acquired Brain Injury Program. I used a concept mapping program (Inspiration) to visually represent my brainstormed ideas.
Brainstorming Technique—Phase One
- Use either a sheet of paper or a computer program like Inspiration.
- Identify the issue, question, etc. to be addressed, during this brainstorm session, in the center of the page (e.g., What to cover in the Cognitive Strategy Building class).
- Set a timer for 10 minutes.
- Write down as many ideas related to the topic as you can before the timer goes off.
- Write down all ideas that come to mind, no matter how ridiculous or unrealistic.
- Don't edit while brainstorming. For instance, don't correct spelling or analyze ideas during this 10-minute brainstorming phase.
- When the timer goes off, review the information you came up with during the brainstorm session.
Let's take a look at what I came up with during my initial brainstorming session regarding what to cover in the Cognitive Strategy Building class:
As you can see, I came up with quite a few ideas in my initial 10-minute session. I didn't stop myself, even though I wasn't sure I would be able to cover all the general topics listed or even whether they were the right topics. What I did do was ask myself to think about everything I would like to do in the class, regardless of how realistic it might be. Once I completed the ten minutes, I went back and corrected all my spelling (so it would look nice for you), and then considered the various ideas that came to mind.
Potential Challenges to Brainstorming—Phase One
Individuals living with brain injuries may find several challenges to this technique, including:
| Challenges | Specific Strategies |
|---|---|
| The 10-minute limit may cause anxiety. | Emphasize that the 10-minute limit is there to give them the opportunity to at least complete an initial attempt at the task. |
| They may perseverate on one idea and may not be able to let go of that idea in order to brainstorm other possibilities. | Set a second timer that goes off every 90 seconds as a prompt to move on. |
| They may get distracted during the 10-minute period. | Break the 10-minute session into two 5-minute sessions. |
| They may say they don't have any ideas. | Initiate ideas by asking questions related to the topic (e.g., What do other people do to socialize?) |
| They may get off topic because they forget the issue being addressed. | After writing each idea, refocus by reading the initial issue or question. |
We will expand on this technique in future articles, but for now, the important thing is going through the steps to get an initial list of ideas.
Okay, now it's your turn to try some brainstorming!