How to make your Brainstorming Sessions more productive
August 29, 2008
What is the slowest part of any brainstorming session?
It is the person at the front of the group that is recording the ideas. The group can only move as fast as the person who is writing down the ideas.
Not only does the person capturing the ideas dictate the pace of the session but also the content. Have you ever contributed an idea only to find that it is not recorded or the meaning has been changed?
There is a better way. In a Speed Brainstorming Session everyone has a pen and ideally a space on a large white board. This means that everyone can create and capture their own ideas, their own way at their own pace. The advantage of this is that there is no loafing or relying on others and the sheer number of ideas increases in a dramatic fashion. If you have ten people working in speed thinking way then in the first few minutes you have 90 starting thoughts rather than say nine.
The other advantage of this approach is that extroverts or the senior people cannot dominate. Everyone has an equal voice or space to play and contribute their ideas. This in turn means that the divergence of thoughts expands within the group which can lead to breakthrough ideas and a lowering of the chance of ‘group-think’
Old habits die hard but the next time you run an ideas or strategy session ensure that everyone has their own pen. The session will be more productive, enjoyable and quicker.
Ken Hudson
The Two Biggest Barriers To Innovation
August 24, 2008
According to a recent BCG study, the two biggest barriers to innovation are:
1. Risk adverse culture and
2. Overly lengthy development times. Most executives thought that they did a poor job moving from idea generation to initial sales quickly enough.
But what should the astute innovation manager do to increase speed-to-market?
a. Use Speed Thinking - this can help everyone involved in the innovation process to think and act faster and better. Our process of ‘Start, Build, Evaluate and Do’ is ideal at any stage of the innovation process.
b. Fast-track the most important priorities. Not all innovation is the same. Some projects have bigger potential impact than others and should be given the green light.
c. Adopt a ‘Test’ mindset. The aim of innovation is to test new initiatives in the market as quickly and cheaply as possible. By doing so, you will learn what works at a faster pace than your competitors thus giving you an advantage. Paradoxically to succeed you need to fail faster!
d. Measure you speed to market and try and benchmark it against organisations outside your industry. I would select the software industry for example. This industry is built on speed so there are many lessons to be learned for slower moving organisations.
Ken Hudson
The Passion Meter
August 21, 2008
One powerful way of making a decision is to use what i have called the passion meter. This is a meter which measures how passionate you feel about a particular course of action or option.
Passion, I believe is the most important aspect in making and implementing a decision. Passion gives you energy which is what is needed to get anything up and running. If an option makes rational, logical or financial sense it still will flounder without someone, somewhere saying that ‘give it to me i will give it a go and make it happen.’
In the decision-making process, after you have created a number of options than ask yourself: how passionate do I feel about option one on a scale of 1-10? Then repeat for option two, three etc.
In a very short time you will have ranked the options according to passion. Go with the highest scoring ones. You will have a greater chance of making it a success and because you care about it you will do better work.
Try the passion meter and let me know how you go.
Turning off your Brain’s Monitor
August 17, 2008
One of the most common reactions among people who have tried Speed Thinking is that they can surprise themselves with their responses — where did that come from and further, what does that mean?
My theory is that because people are operating at speed they have no time to monitor or control what emerges. I call this operating at the edge of our unconscious.
Now for the first time we may have some evidence that might support this theory. In an ingenuous study with six highly trained jazz musicians, they were asked to play a keyboard while in the confines of a MRI scanner (a MRI scanner is an imaging tool that measures the amount of blood travelling to various regions of the brain as a means of assessing the amount of neural activity in those areas).
The researchers (Charles Limb & Allen Braun) were interested in finding out what were the differences when the musicians were playing a simple melody as opposed to improvising. Research Article: Neutral substrates of Spontaneous Musical Performance: An fMRI stufy of Jazz Improvisation.
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2008/02_26_08.html
What they found was that there were changes in the prefrontal cortex, the region of the frontal lobe of the brain that helps us think and solve problems and that provides a sense of self. The large proportion responsible for monitoring one’s performance (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) shuts down completely during improvisation while the much smaller region at the foremost part of the brain (medial prefrontal cortex) increases in activity. This is the region that is involved in self-initiated thoughts and behaviours such as making up a story. The researchers explain that the suppression of inhibitory, self-monitoring brain mechanisms helps to promote the free flow of novel ideas and impulses. This pattern also resembles the situation when people are dreaming.
The systems that regulate emotion were also engaged and there was increased neural activity in each of the sensory areas including those responsible for touch, hearing and vision. The researchers conclude that there is no single creative area of the brain — you see a strong and consistent pattern of activity throughout the brain that enables creativity.
Whilst this is a single study and the sample size is small it does suggest that the evidence tends to support our theory of what could happen during Speed Thinking. So the message? Try and let go of your own internal filters and monitors and you will be amazed at the results!
Ken Hudson
Can you think too much?
August 16, 2008
I, like of millions of others, have been captivated by the Olympics. There is something about having our finest sportspeople and athletes compete fiercely then shake hands at the end that stirs the imagination.
In flicking through the reports of the
‘China’s New Jersey Net power forward Yi Jianlian blamed the loss on hesitant play down the stretch, saying his team-mates were thinking too much. We started thinking too much and when you start thinking too much you start making mistakes,’ Yi said.
This is such an interesting comment the idea that you can think too much. Presumably what Yi meant what that by thinking too much you ignore your natural instincts, you procrastinate and become hesitant. Suddenly you become overwhelmed with the pros and cons of every option. This feeling reminded of Julia Cameron’s (Author, The Artists Way) insight, thinking is not the enemy, but overthinking is.’
This is one reason why Speed Thinking is a very effective process to help in the decision-making process. In giving little time and perhaps a speed thinking tool you often become focused on the task at hand and sometimes the decision becomes crystal clear. The limited time seems to encourage you to listen to your emotional or unconscious brain and avoid the endless loop of rational analysis. I have also found in my workshops that when you ask people for a decision and in fact demand that they make one in two minutes they always can. They have to rely on their own instincts and not wait for the crowd.
Speed Thinking works on a four step process of Start, Build, Evaluate and Do. The first and last stages are the most important. You have to start and not procrastinate and you eventually have to ‘Do’ something — it could be to research the concept, test the decision or keep doing what you are already doing. But the important point is to do something.
As Goethe told us, ‘whatever you think you can do, or believe you can do, begin it, because action has magic, grace and power in it.’
The world’s fastest crossword?
August 8, 2008
We have just added a new feature to our web site that we are very excited about (see the middle bottom panel). We call it the 2 minute random crossword. The aim is to try and make a connection between two often unrelated objects e.g. it could be a tree and a person. You then place one word which connects the two e.g. living. Then build on this starting point either vertically or horizontally (e.g. lovely) or start an entirely new word (e.g. tall).
It is a crossword with a difference. First there is a time limit. Second there is no prearranged answer — there is no right or wrong. If it makes sense to you then it is ok. The really fun part is that you can create a crossword right before your eyes and your one might be entirely different from someone else.
This quiz illustrates all the features of Speed Thinking. It is fast, you can start anywhere, ideas emerge and you have to make links to often quite different objects. This is a skill that has wonderful practical benefits. For example you may be the first to forge a link that connects an existing product to a new group of consumers.
It is also a wonderful way of keeping your brain sharp.
Give it a go and send me some feedback. If you register (it is all free) then you can keep a record of how well you are going and compare yourself to others.
Best wishes ken
A Book-launch with a difference
August 6, 2008
My second book, The Idea Accelerator — How to solve problems faster using Speed Thinking (Allen & Unwin) was officially launched last Friday at the Accelerated Solutions Environment of Capgemini.
We did things a little bit differently on the day. Rather than have one official launch after work for example (which we did anyway) we had three workshops throughout the day each of 1.5 hours. Our aim was to talk briefly about the book but more importantly to give participants a speed thinking experience they would remember and talk about. There were 25 people in each workshop, containing a mixture of Capgemini consultants, clients and my clients.
We also video taped the sessions and you can see the result by clicking on the link below:
http://www.thespeedthinkingzone.com/speed-thinking-workshop.html
Some feedback from the session is as follows;
I swear we were thinking faster and more creatively. It was a good time too. Thanks Ken. Yes, it was a hit so congratulations. Natalie, Dell.
Ken - thank you so much for the invite. I learnt so much in 120 seconds!!! Certainly has opened my eyes even further, having just finished the book "Blink" all about thin slicing. Definitely a learning tool (speed thinking) we should be investigating further for our sales teams here at Dell. Chris, Dell.
Ken has created Speed Thinking as a resource to help anybody or team to unlock creativity and solve problems. Agency people will love it and will be able to apply it to their jobs and with clients.
Enough, he’s a bloody genius but fortunately his manner and modesty means everyone is engaged, energized and enlightened by his work. Ian, Proto Partners
To experience Speed Thinking and see how it can befit you and your team please email or give me a call — i would love to hear from you.
Ken Hudson