Semantic intuition is a technique that can inject fresh energy into a group that is starting to feel brain dead toward the end of a brainstorming session, according to Mattimore. It prompts participants to create new ideas by having them combine several categories of key words to create a name for a new idea – even though they have no idea what the newly-named idea IS yet. The first step is to select the three categories of words that are related to your challenge. For a consumer product, Mattimore suggests that three possibilities would be places in a store, kinds of promotional appeals and benefits of the product or needs of the customer. Next, generate variations on each of these category words. Next, randomly combine one word from each list and spend time brainstorming around the mini-story they suggest. Mattimore points out there are no “rules” to using this technique. Don’t be afraid to let the keyword prompts take you far afield from them. And don’t be concerned if you generated an idea that only uses two of the three words. The point of semantic intuition is simply to get you to think differently.

Ask participants to focus on generating bad ideas only. They should consider everything that couldn’t work before you ask them “What can we do to make these ideas work better?”