Category: Brainstorming and Ideation

Go Wide, Go Narrow…..

In his book, The Creative Shift, Andrew Robertson, Chairman of advertising giant BBDO, gives this succinct guidance for brainstorms and idea meetings: Go Wide, Go Narrow, Go Deep, Go Public. Go Wide. Use divergent thinking to generate a great number of ideas including absurd and silly ideas. No criticism or judgement allowed at this stage. Go Narrow. Sift the ideas down to a shortlist... Read More--

Suggestion Schemes Bounce Back

Employee suggestion schemes may sound old fashioned but they remain one of the best sources for ideas for improvement, cost saving and innovation. Bosses are increasingly turning back to their staff to find more suggestions. Employee suggestion schemes are not new. Toyota started with the concept in 1951 and now receives over one million ideas a year. The Sony PlayStation was the result of one... Read More--

Ten Tips to Improve your Curiosity

Image by Alexas_fotos on Pixabay 1. Ask questions: Keep asking questions, even if they seem silly or obvious. Children are always curious about the world and are always asking questions. Be more childlike. 2. Read widely: Reading is the best way to expose yourself to new ideas and perspectives. Make an effort to read books, articles, and blog posts on a variety of topics, even if you don't... Read More--

Tri-Force Ideation – A Strategic Approach to Brainstorming for Business Innovation

In the fast-paced and competitive world of business, innovation is not just a luxury; it’s a necessity. Companies must continually evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of their customers, outpace competitors, and adapt to new market dynamics. One powerful method I use for generating innovative ideas is called Tri-Force Ideation. It involves focusing on three key elements: Strengths,... Read More--

Status Bias Inhibits Innovation

Status bias is the term used to describe the unfortunate fact that communications such as ideas, proposals and papers are often judged not on their merits but on the status of the originator.  Researchers at the University of Innsbruck in Austria carried out a study in which they sent out the same academic paper to three groups of reviewers.  The first set of reviewers were told the... Read More--

Where do Innovative Ideas Come From?

  Cities around the world suffer from a common problem – a shortage of affordable, decent quality housing.  Cutworks Studio, a design company based in Paris and Amsterdam has developed an approach called PolyBlocs – modularly constructed residential sites consisting of individual block rooms which can be stacked in different ways to create an array of sizes and shapes.   The basic... Read More--

Boost Creativity by Thinking in Pictures

Image by Levelord on Pixabay   Please try these little thinking exercises: a) Recite a line from a poem – any line, any poem. b) Sing along in your head to a tune you heard recently. c)  Calculate 60% of (4 + 7 +9). d) Remember a scene from a film and give it a different ending. If you completed the exercise then you used your brain in four different ways.  You employed: a) Word and language... Read More--

Five Reasons Why You Should Think Like a Criminal

Image by Ryan McGuire on Pixabay   Have you seen the movie, The Day of the Jackal?  In this 1973 film directed by Fred Zinnemann, Edward Fox plays a professional assassin, the “Jackal”, who is hired to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle.  It is a compelling thriller in which it is hard not to admire the cunning and guile of the ruthless killer.  In the end you feel disappointed... Read More--

Harness the Random with this Method

The use of chance is a key element in lateral thinking.  How can you deliberately introduce chance into your creative thinking?  The Random Word method is very good.  Here is another brainstorm method for you to try – Roll the Dice. It works well with groups of 4 to 6 people and is excellent for forcing unusual combinations of ideas and settings.  If you have more people you can divide into... Read More--

A Remote Innovation Brainstorm Method

Gibbard and Tamborello   In 2001 two musicians, Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tambrello,  wanted to collaborate on some new compositions.  The problem was that they lived hundreds of miles apart at opposite ends of America’s west coast.  So Tamborello composed some rhythms (or ‘beats’) and sent them to Gibbard on CD by post.  Gibbard added some instrumentals and vocals and returned... Read More--