brainstorming

“Collecting ideas by thinking freely about all the possibilities; used most often with groups” (Writers Inc. 127)

“A process for generating ideas and text by writing down everything that comes to mind about a topic, then looking for patterns or connections among the ideas.” (Everyone's An Author with Readings 988)

“A group problem-solving technique that involves the spontaneous contribution of ideas from all members of the group; also : the mulling over of ideas by one or more individuals in an attempt to devise or find a solution to a problem” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)