Before I start this post, I would like to take this time to wish one of my closest friends a “Very Happy Birthday.”
Often times when I am brainstorming, I come to the conclusion that my idea has been done. Even if I feel that it is a brilliant idea, I convince myself that it must be done. No rational but just a gut instinct. That forces me to do some research and often I find that it has been done.
That is the purpose of this post. The real challenge of creativity is not just coming up with great ideas, but it is also the struggle to come up with original concepts. Creativity isn’t just a matter of brainstorming a cluster of ideas, nor is it just the process of innovating. Creativity is hard thinking, it is a struggle to get past what has been done and paint a new canvas. A canvas that when looked at, people think, “now there is an idea, or, why didn’t I think of that?”
How to Get Passed What Others Have Done?
Understand that everyone is creative and fully capable of coming up with great ideas.
Understand that more than one individual has had to problem solve a similar situation.
Understand that creativity is not easy, and if you give yourself the right amount of time, the solution will come.
The Process
Do your research. The number one reason why people fail to come up with original concepts is because they did not effectively do the right amount of research. You are not the only one who is facing this issue, many people have. Therefore, a quick search on a search engine can help you see another point of view. Research will get you in the right mindset to make things simple and more creative.
Keep all your ideas. If you get an idea, sketch it out, or write it down so that you when you reference it, you can recall the entire scope. I have been in brainstorming sessions where people look at their notes and cannot remember their golden nugget. That is the last thing you need. If you believe your idea is no good, still write it down. There maybe someone else that believes the idea can be better or finds a golden nugget within it. Never rule out an idea, especially the day it was thought of.
Come back to your ideas. Spread them out on the wall or the floor. Take a look at each idea. You may find that some ideas you thought of yesterday that were good, seem to be weak today, and often the weak ones from yesterday are your strong ones today. A fresh perspective makes all the difference in the world.
Rule out the ideas that you and another individual cannot salvage. Be sure to keep a rejected pile and never throw away an idea. That idea might be a solution to another problem.
If you cannot find the perfect solution to your problem, go into your archives of previous ideas you had on a different problem. Gems or Golden nuggets maybe in there that can help jumpstart new innovative thoughts.
If you do not have a previous archive change the way you brainstorm ideas. There are many brainstorming techniques you may find in this blog.
It is simple. Research > Concept > View > Modify > Rule Out > View Archives > Implement.
Group Brainstorming Techniques First things first, leave the “I am the most creative out of everyone” or the opposite “I can’t possibly think of any good ideas” attitude at home.
10 greatest mistakes people make while in a brainstorming session.
Leading a Brainstorming session as a group/team is a great way to bounce ideas. But how many people do you need to involve, and when is it to many people? For starters, brainstorming sessions I have been apart of have been as few as one other person to as many as forty people. I have witnessed and been intertwined in groups as upwards to forty or so people, but quickly found that only a select two or three individuals will actively participate, another couple individuals will interject every now and then, and the rest sit there and node, smile, and usually yawn.
A group of say up to six individuals works best. Everyone participates because the environment forces them not to stay quiet. It is easy to make connections with everyone in the room. Bouncing ideas is apart of creating synergy, and that synergy exists in smaller environments. My most successful sessions have been with just another person. Advertising agencies are notorious for this approach. A team of two will concept for a client. But at the same time there will be three to four other teams attempting the same project. Only one idea will win, but it is a way to find more ways to solve a problem.
You know that voice in the back of your head, “How will I ever solve this.” Eventually seconds go by turning into minutes, and all you have really done is questioned your own ability to think creative.
Try and stop that voice before it becomes subconscious where you think your trying to solve the problem, when really you’re repeating the same phrase over and over again. Usually when people are in this state, they always give feedback in the group that goes something like this. “I don’t know.” “I just can’t think of anything today.”
So make it a note as of today, if that voice comes in your head, stop early so you can really focus on the problem rather than creating your own mental problem.
Some people are wonderful at coming up with ideas on fly, and for all of you who have that innate ability, congratulations. However, there are far more individuals who simply do not have the necessary practice to solve problems on the spot let alone do it creatively. That must be kept in mind before calling a brainstorming session. Allow your team to prepare with notes, research, and maybe a few ideas here and there to get the ball rolling prior to the session. One very successful session I was involved in required that we submit our ideas prior to the session. It helps place a focus, and really breaks through the problem of number 9.
Creativity requires a great deal of imagination and many thoughts are processed during that time. The mind can only stay stimulated for a certain period of time. Therefore if your sessions are stretched out to anything more then thirty minutes, it may not be as effective as it could be if split up during different parts of the day or throughout the week.
The mind needs to get away from things in order to come up with the best solution. Some people find their ideas in their sleep. Some of my best ideas have come during abnormal activity, working out, driving, surfing the web, and looking at random images. Allow your team to get away from the problem, it can actually be the best thing you can do.
Brainstorming sessions should have rules but keep them simple. I have been in sessions where the moderator insist that no one walk around, raise your hand to provide input, offer criticism to the previous idea before adding or stating a new idea and frankly the list goes on. Here are a few rules that I use when moderating.
Get up and walk around the room
Do whatever it takes to keep your mind stimulated and stay comfortable
Leave your phone(s) at your desk unless it is an emergency
Bring things to eat and drink
Make the session conversational and open
Criticize ideas after we are done
I’m sorry to say this, but not everyone can lead a successful brainstorming session. Many times brainstorming sessions are treated like meetings with a formal agenda and documentation that must be read and presented etc. I find that the moment there is an “authority figure” in the session, individuals are afraid to present their ideas. Productivity increases when individuals are less afraid to perform or say the wrong thing. Therefore, if you know you are an authority that frightens your team from time to time, maybe you should stick the sessions out, and leave the job to a capable facilitator. Someone who can keep the team on track, take wonderful concise notes, and most of all, can engage the group in an active conversation.
If you have uncomfortable chairs that people just cant sit still after five minutes, consider changing them out. If you have a small room that cramps everyone together, consider expanding (if you have the budget of course), or consider moving the meeting outdoors at a local park. If you have a table that won’t accommodate everyone’s things and begins to look like clutter with everyone’s pad and computers, consider a larger table. If your walls look sterile, no pictures, white, and boring, consider spicing things up. Make the environment as comfortable as possible, it can greatly help increase employee efficiency and well worth the dollars spent for the million dollar ideas coming out of them.
Brainstorming sessions are meant to be fun and exciting. It is your chance to think wild and imaginative thoughts, regardless of the problem (and if for some reason you are reading this and thinking “are you kidding me” you already have the wrong mindset). Learn to relax and let ideas flow, and to listen to others. It can help stimulate your own thoughts and place things in perspective.
Keep this in mind, just because you maybe the leader of the team, it doesn’t mean you have to be the one with the ideas. You are in your position because you understand what works and what doesn’t, because you have good judgment calls, and most of all because of your leadership qualities. That is why it is ok to let someone else have the fame, after all that is the point of the session. So take number three and blend number two together and you will find your team is also more relaxed.
If it is anything that can ruin a brainstorming session, that would be the negative criticism presented while ideas are flowing. Negativity causes people to one, feel like they let the boss down by presenting a weak idea, when in fact could have been salvaged if the remark was more positive. Two, it un-relaxes not just the person being criticized but also everyone in the room. People want to share their ideas, but not if they are going to get shot down. If that is your attitude, do the team a favor and don’t attend the session. Plus on top of all that it makes the environment less conducive. People need nurturing and assurance, regardless of the person. Therefore work as a team and help one another out.
I have seen many ideas from initial concept to final concept. Ideas that I could only wish that I had thought of myself (that’s when you know it is a really good idea). So the initial concept is spectacular, one can see many benefits from going in that route and see how it can/will be effective. But here is the thing, one must understand that the concept is only 40% of the game. Execution of the idea and/or concept is what brings the real results. Execution is 60% of the game.
Regardless of what your creative capacity is, if you simply do not understand how to execute the concept so that it will bring measurable results, the great idea becomes a flawed idea.
Here are a few simple tricks that can help you execute your creative idea. Remember if your idea is golden, it probably is golden because of its simplicity and because it solves a problem. Now executing that idea so that it becomes reality also needs to have simple creative steps. If something seems difficult its because your not thinking simple enough.
One of my friends had a wonderful idea for an Internet Business. His idea was golden, but when it came time to executing it, he was spinning in circles. Creating more work than required, and ended up not going anywhere for the first four months.
Step 1:
Don’t tangle yourself in useless thoughts. Often times you get distracted. You look at other people and how they did things, and try and model yourself after them. I ask why? Your objective is to execute your big idea. Plan from scratch. Do what it will take to execute your plan, not someone else’s. To clarify I am not saying re-invent the wheel, but I am saying just because someone did it one way, doesn’t mean you have to as well. Look at it from the point of view of, “Will this strategy ultimately get me to where I need to be, or is it just icing on the cake?” Creativity starts by innovating.
Step 2:
Make a list of targets. If I told you my big idea was to start a blog on creativity. Well the steps can be simplified of what I need to do. Buy a domain name, get a hosting plan, install wordpress, design a layout, and write some posts. Well that’s the basics. Every problem has steps, small to big. No need to write out paragraphs on how to do it. That’s your job. Rather write out simple steps that need to be taken just like above.
Step 3:
Stop thinking that you can’t do it. If everyone thought that way there would be no fortune 500 companies around. Everyone started from the bottom. If you are at the bottom right now, I say plan to move ahead. Key word, “PLAN.” If your not planning then your never going to execute, and therefore your ideas will go from great to nothing. And great ideas are rare. So if you get one, I say plan and execute it through simple effective steps. Even if you believe you are at the bottom. You have to start somewhere.
