Brainstorming isn’t just about coming up with great ideas—it’s about bringing people together. Research by Northern Illinois University shows it can make teams feel more connected.
However, unstructured brainstorming can get messy fast. Ideas get lost, sessions drag on, and everyone leaves more frustrated than inspired. That’s where brainstorming templates can save the day.
Google Docs makes it easy to organize your thoughts. Whether planning a big campaign, mapping out your thesis, or brainstorming the next game-changing product, these templates help you stay on track and bring your ideas to life.
Ready to turn brainstorming ideas into clear, actionable plans? Let’s get started!
Free Brainstorming Templates for Google Docs
- What Makes a Good Brainstorming Template?
- Google Docs Brainstorming Templates
- 1. Google Docs Simple Business Brainstorming Template by TEMPLATE.NET
- 2. Google Docs Mind Map Template by HubSpot
- 3. Google Docs Financial Planning Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET
- 4. Google Docs Sales Plan Brainstorming Template by TEMPLATE.NET
- 5. Google Docs Process Flow Brainstorming Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET
- 6. Google Docs Life Plan Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET
- 7. Google Docs Hiring Process Mind Map Brainstorming Template by TEMPLATE.NET
- 8. Google Docs Simple Character Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET
- Limitations of Using Google Docs for Brainstorming Templates
- Alternative Brainstorming Templates
- 1. The ClickUp Brainstorming Template
- 2. The ClickUp Brainstorm Ideas Template
- 3. The ClickUp Sprint Retrospective Brainstorm Template
- 4. The ClickUp 5 Whys Whiteboard Template
- 5. The ClickUp Squad Brainstorm Template
- 6. The ClickUp Business Brainstorming Template
- 7. The ClickUp Innovation Idea Management Template
- 8. The ClickUp Project Mapping Template
- Brainstorm Better and Collaborate Smarter with ClickUp
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Makes a Good Brainstorming Template?
For a good brainstorming template, Google Docs provides a clear, organized structure to capture and visualize ideas. The features that make your brainstorming template efficient are:
- A creative brainstorming technique: Brainwriting, Five Whys Analysis, Crazy Eights, and Round Robin are popular. Choose the best mind map templates to keep your team inspired
- Clear structure: It gives you an easy-to-follow layout for organizing the main idea, key points, and connections without overwhelming you
- Visual representation: Whether it’s mind maps, flowcharts, or diagrams, visual tools make it easier to connect and expand on concepts
- Organization and trackability: The template must be able to manage topics, track progress, and save everything neatly for your next steps, like project planning and execution
- Integration with other tools: The template should work well with Google Slides and project management tools so you can share or present your ideas easily
Summarize this article for me pleaseGoogle Docs Brainstorming Templates
👀 Did You Know? With the Google Docs Offline extension for Chrome, users can create and edit documents without an internet connection. Once connectivity is restored, the changes are synced automatically, ensuring uninterrupted productivity.
Now, let’s check out the list of top brainstorming templates that can help you create ideas and simplify your brainstorming process!
1. Google Docs Simple Business Brainstorming Template by TEMPLATE.NET
Looking for a perfect starting point for organizing your business ideas? The Simple Business Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET is a straightforward template for strategizing new projects, outlining goals, or brainstorming campaigns. It helps you break down a central topic into smaller, actionable components.
The template has a clean layout with the main idea at the center. You can branch into different aspects like goals, strategies, or tasks from there. You can also use its built-in text boxes and shapes to map out connections, assign priorities, and add finer details.
Ideal for: Business professionals needing an easy way to map out business goals
2. Google Docs Mind Map Template by HubSpot
Sometimes, organizing your ideas can feel like trying to piece together a jigsaw puzzle without a picture for guidance. The HubSpot Mind Map Brainstorming Template will help you bring order to your thoughts. It offers a flexible and customizable layout perfect for brainstorming sessions, project planning, or personal goal-setting.
You can customize the template by adding your ideas, changing questions, and inserting text boxes, arrows, and shapes according to your needs. The template is also simple to use—open it in Google Docs, adjust the sections as needed, and start building your mind map.
Ideal for: Teams and individuals looking for a flexible, easy-to-use template to organize research topics and map out content ideas
3. Google Docs Financial Planning Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET
Having a clear plan can make all the difference when managing your finances—and that’s exactly what the Financial Planning Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET offers. This template has categories such as budgeting, investments, expenses, and savings, allowing you to create a comprehensive financial plan.
The template’s intuitive structure makes connecting your short-term goals with your long-term aspirations easy, helping you prioritize and stay on track. You can download it in Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Docs, and Apple Keynote Format.
Ideal for: Individuals and businesses aiming to organize financial strategies, track expenses, and plan budgets
4. Google Docs Sales Plan Brainstorming Template by TEMPLATE.NET
How do you turn a sales strategy into a clear, actionable plan your team can rally behind? With the Sales Plan Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET! You can visualize every aspect of your sales process, from lead generation to closing deals, all in one cohesive framework.
This template starts with your central sales goal and branches into essential components like target audience, sales channels, revenue targets, and timelines. Each section is pre-structured to guide your planning, making it easy to identify gaps and prioritize your and your team’s efforts.
Ideal for: Sales teams and managers needing to break down and strategize key elements of their sales plans
👀 Did You Know? Silent brainstorming (or brainwriting) is often more productive than traditional brainstorming. In typical brainstorming sessions, a minority can dominate 60-75% of the conversation, whereas brainwriting allows for more balanced contributions from all participants.
5. Google Docs Process Flow Brainstorming Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET
Every team needs clarity and efficiency. The Process Flow Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET delivers both in a simple, visual format.
This Google Docs mind map template clearly represents your workflows and helps you break down complex processes into manageable steps. Its intuitive design ensures that every workflow element is easy to follow.
From writing about quality management to organizing a decision tree, it simplifies repetitive processes.
Ideal for: Project managers who are looking to map out project workflows or outline development cycles and design processes
Also Read: 6 Process Mapping Examples & Strategies
6. Google Docs Life Plan Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET
Your dreams deserve a plan. Think of your life as a story, and this Life Plan Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET is the outline. With it, you can plot your future chapters, from career goals to personal growth.
It features a central theme, such as personal growth or career aspirations, with branches that expand into categories like health, relationships, finances, education, and hobbies. Using the template is simple. Download it, personalize the sections to match your ambitions, and start filling in your goals.
Ideal for: Individuals creating a balanced and goal-oriented personal or professional roadmap
7. Google Docs Hiring Process Mind Map Brainstorming Template by TEMPLATE.NET
Recruitment can feel like a maze, with endless resumes, interviews, and feedback loops. Recruitment doesn’t have to be a logistical nightmare. TEMPLATE.NET’s Hiring Process Mind Map Template ensures your hiring workflow is as efficient as possible.
It eases the hiring process by organizing the different stages of recruitment, such as job posting, candidate screening, interviews, onboarding, and feedback.
Ideal for: HR professionals and recruiters seeking a clear structure to manage and outline recruitment workflows
8. Google Docs Simple Character Mind Map Template by TEMPLATE.NET
Crafting a compelling character is an art, and TEMPLATE.NET’s Simple Character Mind Map Template makes it easier for the artist in you. Instead of staring at a blank page, this template guides you through building multidimensional characters for a novel, screenplay, game, or other creative project.
Add details to your character, like its personality traits and backstory, ensuring consistency and depth throughout your creative process.
You can download this template in Google Slides, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF, Google Docs, and Apple Pages to create effective mind maps.
Ideal for: Writers and creators developing well-rounded characters for stories, games, or projects
🧠Fun Fact: Brainstorming was popularized by Alex F. Osborn, an advertising executive, in his book Applied Imagination: Principles and Procedures of Creative Thinking. He introduced it in 1953 to help his team generate creative ideas more effectively.
Summarize this article for me pleaseLimitations of Using Google Docs for Brainstorming Templates
While Google Docs is a versatile word processor, it does have some limitations when it comes to creating and using brainstorming templates:
- Limited visual tools: Google Docs brainstorming templates lack advanced mind-mapping features that are essential for visualization and ideation during brainstorming sessions
- Integration constraints: While Google Docs perfectly integrates with Google Workspace Apps, it doesn’t seamlessly integrate with project management tools
- Limited customization: The customization of templates is limited to basic formatting
These limitations can affect the efficiency and effectiveness of your brainstorming process, especially if you are a project manager dealing with complex projects or larger teams.
Also Read: 10 Best Tools for Design and Thinking
Summarize this article for me pleaseAlternative Brainstorming Templates
ClickUp is a comprehensive Google Docs alternative for organizing ideas and encouraging creativity. It’s not just a productivity tool—it’s an all-in-one platform designed to improve team collaboration, planning, and achievement.
Here’s what Jodi Salice, Creative Director, United Way Suncoast, has to say about using ClickUp,
Here’s a list of some of ClickUp’s best brainstorming templates.
1. The ClickUp Brainstorming Template
You have a lot of great ideas, but you’re struggling to connect them and see the bigger picture. How do you visualize the relationships between your thoughts and turn them into actionable steps?
The ClickUp Brainstorming Template simplifies idea generation and collaboration. Whether mapping out a new project, strategizing for your team, or simply trying to organize your thoughts, this template offers the structure and flexibility you need to stay focused and productive.
Here are some key features of this template:
- Pre-built categories: Organize your ideas into logical sections right from the start, saving you time and effort during brainstorming
- Tracking tools: Monitor the status of each idea with built-in tracking tools to ensure you follow through with execution
- Multiple views: Switch between List, Timeline, and other views to gain different perspectives on your progress and outcomes
- Drag-and-drop functionality: Move tasks and ideas around with ease to prioritize and connect related concepts
Ideal for: Teams and individuals who are looking to easily break down complex ideas and organize their brainstorming sessions into actionable tasks
2. The ClickUp Brainstorm Ideas Template
The ClickUp Brainstorm Ideas Template is your go-to tool for productive and organized brainstorming. Whether you’re collaborating on a team project or mapping out a creative campaign, this template helps capture and nurture every idea.
With features like an interactive whiteboard view, you can move, group, or expand ideas visually in real time. The voting feature lets your team effortlessly prioritize impactful ideas, while custom tags simplify organizing concepts by category or relevance.
This template integrates with ClickUp tools like Docs, time tracking, and task dependencies, helping you turn ideas into actionable plans.
Ideal for: Collaborative teams aiming to capture and refine ideas in real-time for better productivity
3. The ClickUp Sprint Retrospective Brainstorm Template
Are your sprint retrospectives feeling like a formality rather than a productive exercise? The ClickUp Sprint Retrospective Brainstorm Template is built to help teams reflect on their sprints, identify improvements, and better plan for the future—all in one organized space.
This template provides a structured framework for jotting down what went well, what didn’t, and what could be improved. With its collaborative features, every team member can contribute, comment, and align on the next steps in real time.
Look out for these features to improve team collaboration:
- Pre-built retrospective sections: Includes dedicated spaces for ‘What Went Well,’ ‘Challenges,’ and ‘Action Items’
- Progress tracker: Visualizes areas of improvement based on team inputs and retrospective discussions
- Automated follow-ups: Automatically generate tasks for improvement points identified during retrospectives
Ideal for: Agile and cross-functional teams seeking to find ways to work as a smarter team
4. The ClickUp 5 Whys Whiteboard Template
Sometimes, asking just five “Whys” might uncover surprising insights, but if you’re lucky, it’ll lead to even more questions!
No wonder the ClickUp 5 Whys Template guides you through asking why a problem occurred and drilling deeper until you uncover the true cause. It helps teams identify problems and transform them into opportunities for improvement.
It even offers a clean, organized layout where you can use virtual whiteboards to document each “why” and its corresponding answer.
These features can help you find solutions effectively with:
- Focused framework: Clear structure to document each “why” and its response, helping teams systematically analyze problems without losing focus
- Root cause tracker: A unique field to document each “why” and its associated findings systematically
- Dynamic cause-effect links: Visually map relationships between the root causes and their impact areas
Ideal for: Problem-solving teams focused on resolving recurring challenges and establishing a culture of continuous improvement within the team
5. The ClickUp Squad Brainstorm Template
Your squad just finished a great brainstorming session, filled with exciting ideas. But now what? How do you turn those ideas into actual tasks and track their progress?
The ClickUp Squad Brainstorm Template provides a dedicated space for squads to gather ideas. The visual layout makes it easy to connect and expand on ideas, while built-in tools like task assignments and status updates ensure that brainstorming doesn’t stop at the idea phase—it moves seamlessly into action.
The template has the following features:
- Squad-specific views: Provides filtered views tailored to individual squad objectives or roles
- Feedback integration: Built-in tools to incorporate real-time feedback from all squad members
- Action tracking: Convert selected ideas into tasks with deadlines and assigned responsibilities for seamless execution
Ideal for: Creative squads and teams that want the team members to share different perspectives and move towards the same goal
6. The ClickUp Business Brainstorming Template
The ClickUp Business Brainstorming Template offers pre-set sections to focus on key areas like objectives, strategies, and actionable steps so nothing gets overlooked.
These features make the ClickUp Business Brainstorming template ideal for you:
- Revenue goal tracker: Add financial metrics to brainstormed ideas to evaluate their potential impact on business goals
- Strategic planning matrix: Categorize ideas into short-term, long-term, or high-priority plans
- Stakeholder collaboration: Invite stakeholders to contribute or review ideas without altering the core brainstorm
Ideal for: Business leaders who are looking forward to refining a business strategy, planning a product launch, or solving a critical problem
7. The ClickUp Innovation Idea Management Template
Want to turn more of your team’s ideas into reality? The ClickUp Innovation Idea Management Template is designed to help you capture, organize, and nurture your team’s best ideas. It lets you easily customize and group ideas by category, feasibility, or team responsibility. This structured approach improves the idea submission and review process, simplifies workplace collaboration, and promotes creative thinking.
The template includes an impact assessment tool to rank ideas by feasibility, innovation potential, and business value. The innovation funnel filters raw ideas into viable solutions through multiple evaluation stages while trend highlighting flags high-impact or recurring ideas for further exploration.
Ideal for: Innovation-driven teams wanting to capture, categorize, and track creative ideas efficiently
8. The ClickUp Project Mapping Template
Ann Handley once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” The ClickUp Project Mapping Template allows for creative planning while staying organized, turning abstract ideas into actionable steps.
With features like dependency mapping, you can easily spot bottlenecks, while resource allocation fields ensure you’re on track with the necessary tools and people. Milestone progress indicators allow you to monitor key achievements and track task contributions.
Perfect for teams of all sizes, this template keeps your project on course and everything in one place by centralizing important resources like documents, links, and reference materials.
Ideal for: Project managers and creative teams breaking down complex projects into clear, manageable workflows
Summarize this article for me pleaseBrainstorm Better and Collaborate Smarter with ClickUp
Great ideas deserve more than a fleeting moment. They need structure, collaboration, and a clear path forward. Even the brightest concepts can lose momentum without the right brainstorming software.
Your brainstorming sessions should work for you, not the other way around. Whether you’re uncovering the root cause of a problem, mapping out an innovative strategy, or aligning your team on project goals, ClickUp comes with the structure and flexibility to adapt to your unique needs.
Sign up for a free ClickUp account today and experience how productive brainstorming can be.
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
