creative problem-solving

Befriending Your Job

Inspired by a blog post by Kim Schneiderman, I thought of developing an exercise and try it out on myself.

“Scripts are conditioned responses to recognizable situations. They are the subtle, often unconscious, cues we pick up from society about how we should be living our lives. If we were computers, scripts would be our software. […]

I often encourage clients to identify self-defeating scripts by writing imaginary dialogues with their antagonists, whether it be a troubling person or situation, a negative script, or an obstacle to success. Continue reading →

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25 Rules for a Perfect Brainstorm | InnovationManagement

25 Rules for a Perfect Brainstorm | InnovationManagement.

A nicely structured article that touches on how to organize a brainstorming session. From planning to hiring cartoonists that will display ideas in a visual-friendly way, it’s all in there.

One practice that was not mentioned in the article and can lead to a better session is to have a warmup brainstorm before the actual session. Take a fun topic and allow 15-20 min for people to get in the idea generation mood. Continue reading →

Round-Robin Brainstorming

This variation of brainstorming implies little verbal intervention between the members of the group and thus limits the influence of stronger personalities. Many of us encountered in brainstorming sessions people who seemed to monopolize the discussion. When this happens, reconciliation is in the hand of the facilitator.

To avoid having the discussion hijacked by a handful of people, the Round-Robin brainstorming method was invented. How does it work?

  1. All team members sit around a table. Each has an index card to record ideas on their own individual card. This is the start. Continue reading →

Reverse Brainstorming – half as popular, twice as fun – II

This is the second and last part of our Reverse Brainstorming series. Previously we went through the initial preparation, getting the participants accustomed with the process, contributing to the atmosphere and actually doing some work. The fun part. Now, we have to make something out of all these ideas. Buckle up, we go! Continue reading →