When you need to develop ideas, don't just focus on generating a large quantity of them. The originality of them is even more important. That's when you should consider Jeffrey Baumgartner's anti-conventional thinking technique.
What is a realistic level of participation in idea generation events? Jeffrey Baumgartner sheds some light on this important issue.
Brainstorming can be effective if it is performed properly. In this article, Jeffrey Baumgartner explores some of the weaknesses of traditional brainstorming and explores several potentially fruitful alternatives.
At precisely the time when leaders need creative managers, we're all so overworked that we don't even have time to think. Here are some tips to help you counteract the forces of 'mass distraction' and cultivate your creativity.
If you want to make the most of your creative potential, you need to learn how to override your inner censor so that it does not stifle your most imaginative ideas. Here are several techniques you can use to do this.
Imagine showing up to work each day truly happy that you are there, getting energy from your colleagues, having fun in meetings, feeling like what you do counts. It is possible. You just have to create the conditions that help you to spark your creative genius.
Creative communication is critical to making your product or service stand out in the minds of your customers. Sam Horn explains how in this fascinating interview.
There is a right way and a wrong way to run a brainstorm or ideation meeting. A little preparation pays dividends. It is very important to separate the two phases of the meeting, recommends Paul Sloane.
Creative problem solving isn't just brainstorming, although that's what many people may associate it with. It's actually a well-defined process that can help you from problem definition to implementing solutions, according to Jeffrey Baumgartner.
What does improvisation have to do with the needs of business today? Plenty, says improv expert Jay Rhoderick, who shares some practical strategies for using it to break out of our rutted thinking and generate new insights.
A morphological matrix is a powerful tool for generating ideas, based on potential variations in a problem's characteristics.
Twitter can be a powerful tool for developing breakthrough ideas. In fact, it's one of the best tools for exposing you to new ideas, insights and trends. Unfortunately, it has gained a reputation as a place where narcissistic people talk about the glorious minutiae of their lives - such as, "Guess what I'm having for breakfast?" There is some of that, of course, but it is also a vibrant community where people share some amazing ideas and resources.
A creative exercise called 'break the rules' can help to illuminate the the number and level of restrictions on how you work. It can also be the basis for new ideas, according to Paul Sloane.
When many people brainstorm, they tend to get into the bad habit of stopping with the "first right idea." In other words, at the first sign of a promising idea, they decide that they're done brainstorming, and mentally "pack it up" and move on to another task. But this isn't very productive from a creative problem-solving standpoint. Here's why.
Continuous innovation is not easy and if you keep using the same method you will experience diminishing results. Try innovating how you innovate by employing some of these ideas from Paul Sloane.
