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Some of the wrong things we do in brainstorming

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  I think it’s a superhuman ability to be able to listen to the voice in our head while at the same time listening to people around us. That’s why I believe that we should be allowed to immerse ourselves in the creative challenge, alone and focused, before we gather around the brainstorming table. With about 40 years of experience in creative and corporate work, I would know what things work and which ones would result in too much time and pizza consumed. Here’s my list: Starting from scratch.   It’s hard to think when being distracted by a group.  We need time alone to reflect on the problem at hand. Maybe we need to do a little research too. Or time to read books and watch films for inspiration. We would want to have some ideas percolate in our minds before interacting with other people. One of my ad agency bosses used to advise us, “Come to the meeting intellectually prepared.” Looking for the perfect solution.  I have been to some idea meetings that seemed more like meditation sess
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Borrow brains and be more creative

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This is mysteriously effective! To come up with fresh ideas, put yourself in the shoes of other people. Better yet, put their brains in your head. For example, you are an educator who is designing a school. You are likely to build one that looks like another good school. But if you consult with Walt Disney, J. K. Rowling, or Steven Spielberg, you might have a more spectacular campus! Even the method of teaching might be different. This technique of "imagining how others would do it" was taught by Roger Von Oech in his book A Whack on the Side of the Head. Back in the advertising community, my concept team partner was a guy named Mario Monteagudo. “Genius” is not even sufficient to describe him. He won an ad of year award for several years in a row. One time while working on a print ad, he told me he would approach in the styles of five advertising legends he admired. He would add another approach using his own style, of course. The result was six potentially award-winning ads
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The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas

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 The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. This advice came from a man named Linus Pauling.  He was a chemist, chemical engineer, botanist, writer and activist. His credentials are  proof that creativity is about connecting different regions of the brain.  His tip to generate a lot of ideas has these implications: 1.Don’t stop thinking after one idea. The next one you’d come up with     might be better. 2. Every problem has many solutions. It’s best to have the luxury of      choosing the best one considering all things. 3.  Don’t kill bad ideas on the spot. Just write down all thoughts because       some great ideas sound stupid at first. In brainstorming or thinking by yourself, just pour out what’s on your mind. If you keep censoring yourself or weeding out at an early stage, you will stall. Also, don’t tell the other people in the team that their ideas suck. If you do, they will stop thinking. What if the world’s next big idea would actually come from them? In the
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Random start: The best way to start the creative process

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In creative work, the most difficult part is knowing where to start.  Many are terrified writing the first line of song, or  painting the first stroke on a canvas. The inability to start immediately or even decide on a topic causes so much frustration. My 7-year-old granddaughter used to come to my study room complaining “I don’t know what to paint!I don't have an inspiration.” After a few minutes, she would give up. So, I created for her an “Inspiration Generator” box. She only needed to blind-pick a card that would tell her what to paint. As of now, she has finished lots of impressive creations! I would liken it to skydiving for the first time. If you stand on the plane’s door for too long, your mind would go back and forth between going ahead and chickening out. But if the instructor kicked you out of the plane as soon as you stood in the doorway, you’d be enjoying the exhilaration right away. Just skip the overthinking. Roger Von Oech is the author of A Whack on the Side of the
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