Business Edge
Brainsparking to Innovation

I pondered this and decided that first, I needed to change the paradigm. Instead of brainSTORMING, why not brainSPARKING?

In other words, if we could do the right things to spark new ideas, the rest would take care of itself. In an effort to get you to take the pressure off of your people when you insist they come up with instant ideas, here are six brainsparking techniques to consider and try during your next staff meeting.

1. LET YOUR FINGERS DO THE SOLVING

I have had clients turn to the local yellow pages for great idea sparkers. Try opening the book to any random page. Then close your eyes and point to any listing or advertisement. When you open your eyes, you must study the ad or listing closely and explore the way this relates to your own challenge.

Ask the group what they have in common or what they don't. Perhaps you could create a list of these similarities and differences and pin them up to see if they lead to solutions. You may be surprised.

2. PICTURE PERFECT

Another very effective brainsparking technique involves the use of symbolic metaphors to gain a new perspective on your challenge.

Each member of the group is asked to bring a picture or an object that has personal meaning or interests them. The item doesn't have to relate to what you are working on together, but it must be significant to the one who brings it. One by one, each participant is asked to find the connection between their item and the challenge at hand.

At first, it may seem as if this makes no sense because the object and the challenge may seem to have nothing in common. But once each person is encouraged to find similarities, they will naturally go beneath the surface of both to find where they may connect.

Virtually most everything under the sun is interrelated if considered deeply enough. And it is just this analysis that you are trying to stimulate. Looking at the challenge from a new perspective may be the first step in finding a solution.

3. JUMP, SKIP, AND HOP

This technique puts everything in reverse and begins with the end foremost in your mind. The most important aspect of this method is that the focus on the desired result or solution you need to achieve comes first. Then you work back to determine the best path to get to this end.

Sometimes, if you have the end result in mind, you simply need to work backwards in small increments to see what will be required.

For example, a two-year plan to increase sales by 13 percent may seem like a large task. But, if divide the time into three periods of eight months, the increase is less than five percent per period.

Ideas for programs and incentives to get to this smaller goal are easier to generate than just looking at the big picture.

4.THE DREAM TEAM

Everyone loses their inhibitions when they dream, so why not schedule "nap time" as a brainsparking exercise? You don't need pillows and blankets, but you will need to get everyone to find a space for a 20-minute time out.

Their task will be to imagine what it would look like if their challenge was already solved. Questions to ponder include aspects such as: Where would they be? Who would be around them? What would success feel like? How would they behave?

After the rest period, the group will reconvene and share what they dreamed. Perhaps the answers are a lot closer than anyone imagines, or perhaps the key person that can make the change isn't easily thought of in their consciousness but may appear in the dream.

As in all the techniques, the basic goal is to get team members to go further than they normally do and explore new ideas and concepts. With the incentive of how success feels and looks, expect at least a few people to offer very creative solutions.

5. WORDS! WORDS! WORDS!

This is a fun way to generate partial ideas and turn them into amazing solutions. Initially, the results can seem outlandish and totally unconnected, but they usually spark usable answers if you keep an open mind.

With this technique, you need to identify the values of your challenge and list them at the top of a sheet of paper. For example, if you were trying to invent a new cereal, your values might include: INGREDIENTS, CHARACTERISTICS, PACKAGING, and CONSISTENCY.

Next, brainspark all of the values and list possibilities under each one. Now, match and rematch--straight across, on the diagonal, zig-zag, and at random. Try to generate all ideas based on the combinations you have selected.

The possibilities are endless and this technique encourages you to try a variety of solutions.

This is only the beginning of the creative process. I always tell people, "There's no such thing as a good idea unless you do something about it." Taking the ideas and solutions you develop and actually taking the risk of implementing them is a whole other story.

Keep in mind, that creativity is actually contagious. If you make creativity and an open mind a priority in your business, those around you will be likely to try out new behaviors as well. Practice what you preach and always look for that one extra solution that goes outside the lines a little bit.

For more business-building tips, attend the next Business Edge conference at International Vision Expo West in September. For more information, visit the show Website at www.visionexpo.com.

To reach the author, e-mail jeff@jefftobe.com.