Whilst it seems that MindMapping is the most common brainstorming tool/technique, the Zero Draft method is an ideation technique for individuals often used by writers and is essentially a form of focused free-writing.

For marketers and professionals involved in proposal writing, it can help focus the first stages of a new project by establishing what you currently know and getting your initial ideas out of your brain and onto paper.

Taking your central theme or topic:
1. Write down everything you currently know about the subject.
2. Write down what you need or want to know about the subject, but don’t currently know.
3. Reflect on why the subject is important.

Add anything else that takes your fancy — this is a chance to get whatever’s floating around in your head out into the world.

The Zero Draft method is all about getting everything you can think of relating to your topic down on paper, so don’t be concerned if it looks messy and unfocused. The goal is just to get past the initial block that often plagues creative professionals in the early stages of a new project.