Brainstorming is best when all the suggestions are listed. Having many suggestions isn't necessarily better, but it's best not to negate anyone's contribution because it stifles the process. The best ideas will surface later in the process of selecting the idea, solution, or cause.

Think of brainstorming like solving a crossword puzzle. If you were doing a hard puzzle by yourself, you may not get all the answers to complete the puzzle. If you asked a few close friends and family to help, you will be more likely to be successful. If you asked all the people attending a National Football League championship game, about 90,000, the number of answers would probably be unmanageable. 

A brainstorming session can be invigorated by asking these "W" questions: Where did you hear that idea? What do you mean by that thought? When would that happen?

A good brainstorming session should go as fast as the recorder can put the ideas on the list.

Wild ideas often create "companion" ideas from others that may not be so wild, but wouldn't have come to them if someone hadn't been so outrageous. 

To help evaluate the brainstorming process, it's important to know which one of the three categories the responses should be listed under. "T" stands for Totally in our control. "P" stands for Partially in our control. The third category is for those responses that are not in anyone in the brainstorming group's control and probably should be passed along to others in the company who do have some control. Ranking the responses makes it easier to decide which issue to tackle first, which is commonly the one that the group has the most control over. 

There are numerous brainstorming methods including classic, creative, and lateral thinking.