Brainstorming
Guidelines for Brainstorming and enhanced techniques for creativity
By Kordell Norton
Copyright 2007, all right reserved
Creativity represents a miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its apparent opposite and enemy, the sense of order imposed on the disciplined adult intelligence.
Brainstorming.
Just the name conjures up images of lightning bolts of new and genius thought, as clouds of smoke billow out of the ears of those deep in their pondering..
If creativity is “the inventing of the new or the re-arranging of the old in new ways”, then brainstorming is a masterful tool in calling the creativity of individuals and groups.
Usually done in a group so people can play off of each others ideas, the rules of brainstorming are simple.
The Rules of Brainstorming (The Do’s)
- Don’t criticize the ideas generated.
- Make the ideas wild, many and make the session fast paced.
- If your group is very creative then you may want a couple of people acting as recorders so they can capture the ideas.
Brainstorming Don’ts
- Don’t let anyone work off of notes. It does not allow others to participate as the person with notes reads their ideas. Any synergy, as new ideas spawn additional ideas, are lost in the lack of spontaneity. Notes are the equivalent of taking turns. Ideas won’t wait to be managed and corralled . . .they need to explode as they present themselves to the mind.
- A brainstorming session should only last 60 minutes. The mind and body start to tire and the creative process suffers.
- Hey you . . .boss. Put a sock in it. Do not go first. Who wants to contribute after the boss has given his ideas on what needs to be done?
- Brainstorming should not be done off site. Why? If you get in the habit of only solving problems when you leave the office, then like Pavlovian dogs you will not gather impromptu to brainstorm the solutions to the day to day challenges.
Then there are the mental enhancements to the Brainstorming process. Although there are hundreds of additional tools for the mind, I have covered some of the more common methods to add to the brainstorming session. Either during or after the initial avalanche of ideas start to trail off the group would start to go through the processes below, to re-awaken the creative mind.
Plus’ing
“If you are not the lead dog, the view never changes” (Old Eskimo Maxim)
Walt Disney said that, “I can invent faster than ‘they’ can copy.” For any product, service or experience, there needs to be an on going effort to add to, to refine, change, and expand things. To Plus It.
When you have a unique and valuable idea or product, you will know that it is good when the competition tries to steal it.
When McDonalds created it’s Big Mac, it was not long until other started making their own branded signature sandwiches. The Whopper and countless other imitations sprung to life. Understanding this, McDonalds “plussed” their business and invented the fast food breakfast.
How could you plus your offering so that when others copied it, you would add to and then they would have to copy you again . . .and again.
Blue Ocean
United Airlines, Delta, American, and Continental fought it out for years. One came out with a frequent flier program and the others imitated with their own little addition and nuance. Another came out with an Executive Club and of a sudden the terminal was filled with travel suites with the amenities to make travel easier. On and on the copying went. Food service offerings, reserved seating, hub connections.
Then came along Southwest Airlines. Seeing them selves as competitors to the bus lines, they cut out all of the amenities. They kept low price and super customer service, the two things that the other big airlines had neglected. The flying customer had a clear choice of value that they would pay for by not considering all the offerings of the big airlines but by looking at what South West was NOT offering.
To slug it out in a market with the competition results in a ocean battle ground who’s waters are stained red with blood. Southwest chose to instead to said into waters where there were no competitors. A blue ocean.
Question. What could you take out of your product, service and offerings to spur new thoughts of creativity?
Personality
By giving a personality we can literally add life to inanimate objects and services. Mr. Goodwrench, Betty Crocker, Mickey Mouse, Mister Coffee, Ronald McDonald. Is there a person, creature or character that could be employed for the brainstorming? What kind of thing is involved with/through/around your brainstorm? Wouldn’t that personality act as a way
of bringing a symbol and life to your efforts?
On thing that personalities bring are the addition of themes. If you were having a Star Wars event . . . what personalities would be involved?
So which comes first . . . the personality or the theme?
5 Sensing
There was a fourteen year old boy who went to work at Disney on weekends. His creativity was notorious. For his two day contributions he was paid very, very handsomely. He had the ability to take ideas and concepts and add to them. One of his most ingenious creations was the concept of 5 Sensing.
Most of us think in terms of VISUAL mental images. When we take the thing that we are brainstorming and think of it in terms of the other 4 senses . . . then our thoughts track in a entirely new way. By applying the sense of smell, taste, touch, and sound as well as our sight we add ‘sensination’ to our thinking.
How could you make the item you are brainstorming better through the sense of smell, taste, touch, sound?
Down the Drain
The son asks his father, “Dad, where does the water go in the sink?” The father replies. . . “down the drain.” But a momentary thought occurs to this father. Getting a flashlight, he sows the boy the pipes under the sink . . .they go under the house to see the drain pipes as they exit and travel toward the street and storm drains. Next we see father and son on their knees with the flashlight lighting the deep sewer drains just before they get in the car and drive to the sewage treatment plan. From that time forward the son thinks in terms of not only the water going “down the drain” but also what happens after that.
Most of life is a series of events. When we think about those sequences, we often come up with new and innovative ideas. What happens before the customer/guest participates in our product or service? What happens after? Can we generate new ideas on how to impact those pre and post experiences?
PerspectivesTwo men stand on opposites sides of a curved wall. One see the wall to be concave, the other sees it convex. Each is correct. Each sees an entirely different set of qualities and benefits.
What would happen to your thinking if you took a whole different view and perspective of the thing you are brainstorming? What if you were 20 years older? Or 20 years younger? What would you think if you had unlimited funds? What would happen if you turned the creation upside down? How about inside out or backwards?
Think Backwards
In any action or plan there is always an objective. The creative process is enhanced when you think backward toward that objective. If the objective is to build a bomb . . .what is backward to a bomb? If you want the car to go faster, wouldn’t you want to take your foot off the brake? If the product is a bathtub, what happens when you turn the bathing experience backward?’
Hitch Hiking
Hitch hiking is taking an idea or thought and adding onto it with thoughts, concepts and wild and crazy ideas.
Someone says, “we ought to make special picnic tables” to which another says, “why don’t we do something special for the seating part of the table? Perhaps we can make it so the user can take the seat with them?”
DRASTIC
Don’t forget to read the book Throwing Gas on the Fire – creating drastic change in Sales and Marketing by Kordell Norton. A great source for creative ideas. Visit www.KordellNorton.com for more details.
About Kordell Norton - The Top Line Guy
Your organization has a strong interest in the "top line" for growth. As a consultant, speaker, author, Kordell Norton works with corporate, association, education and government organizations who want to focus on branding, sales, marketing, strategic planning/leadership, team building, and customer service.
Kordell was an executive with several multi-billion dollar corporations with executive suite positions in sales, HR, marketing and call centers. As a certified Graphic Facilitator, he uses highly visual processes, along with humor, and entertaining methods for powerful, high energy presentations.
Author of Throwing Gas on the Fire - creating drastic change in Sales and Marketing
He can be reached at (330) 405-1950 or at kordell@kordellnorton.com or at his website - www.KordellNorton.com