A quick creative thinking tool

There's no need to make idea creation a big deal.

You don't need a quiet space or allocated time or a fresh notebook. You don't even need to think that you're partcularly creative!

I enjoy using Bob Eberle's SCAMPER model to help with creativity and innovation - no matter the situation.

Each letter of the word 'scamper' takes you through a different thinking process. 

Substitute. Combine. Adapt. Modify. Put to another use. Eliminate. Reverse. 

Take your problem, situation or current view and think of how you could substitute something...combine with something...adapt it...and so on.

I've used the model while traveling over the past few weeks, while problem solving, while brainstorming - alone and with others. 

This week I'm sharing the visual template I use in workshops to isolate some different thinking under each of the 'scamper' letters.

I write directly on the page and make little notes to segment my thinking, yet keep it on the same page. Teams and groups can work together through the model too.

Next time you have some ideas to create, some solutions to innovate or a new approach to curate, go and 'scamper'.

You are the punchline

As my home town Melbourne Australia kicks off the international comedy festival this week, I reckon you've got to ask yourself - "how much fun am I to work with?"

I'm not suggesting you kick off the day with an opening five-minute gig to warm up your colleagues, or deliver a 'lunch time laugh' gig over the public address system.

But I do think you need to 'play well with others' - and often that is about relaxing, laughing and seeing the funny side of things; seeing the funny side of what you've done. 

In this article from Forbes on workplace humour, the difference between false humility and humour that benefits others is a hallmark of leaders with humour. 

In short, you are the punchline. 

Your mistakes, failures, challenges and muck-ups. 

In training teams in facilitation, collaboration and visual thinking skills, I love to share mistakes and challenges. Like the time I tried to draw a giraffe (I have no artistic training by the way) and it looked more like a lama... or when I was guest speaking and left my lapel mic switched to 'on' when it should have been 'off' ... 

Today, these mistakes and challenges make great learning stories and bring laughter to the room, shift the dynamic and impact the environment in a positive way. 

As a leader you're responsible for the environment you're creating in your team. 

How much fun is it to work in your team? Can you handle the hecklers? Do you need some new 'material'?

<Insert applause>

Plan for Awesome Collaboration

This article from Inc. on Collaboration Gone Wild seems to be wallowing between privacy and meaningful collaboration. 

Interruptions, asking colleagues questions or having a quick problem solving chat are on the 'light' end of collaboration. 

For my mind, serious collaboration isn't about interruptions or taking off your headphones to answer a question in a partion-less workplace. 

Planned collaboration is powerful and productive. Just plan for it. 

• Right environment - quiet, noisy, spacious, cozy, indoors, outdoors, meeting room, quirky community theatre ...
• Right tools on hand - visual flip charts, white boards, ipads, props and toys, markers, post its, refreshments, space for activities, equipment, prototypes ...
• Right facilitator - leading, directing, enabling, designing, moderating, defining, capturing...
• Right people - obvious choices, 'out there' thinking people, 'in here' thinking people, industry experts, other industry experts, users, customers, colleagues, friends...

Spontaneous collaboration can be a glorious, wonderful and refreshing thing that gives you a bonus outcome you weren't hoping for. 

But mostly we need to plan for a great collaborative experience. And sure, there will be times when wearing headphones could be just what individuals need to change the pace and their state of mind for the next activity or step in the collaboration.

Don't expect it will 'just happen' or that it is always the right approach to interrupt or distract. Plan for some serious and fun collaboration and you'll hit some awesome heights.  

Please don't throw lollies

Please don't throw lollies. I can walk over and pick them up out of the plastic packet all by myself. Look, watch me, I can.

*Cringe*  I was in a training session last week – or perhaps that should read, ‘boring presentation’ by a presenter who introduced the topic by saying ‘Now I hope you all don’t ‘fall asleep’ during this!’

So there we were, looking forward to a boring presentation and the opportunity of falling asleep. Before the presenter spoke, she held up a large bargain bulk bag of lollies and sang in Mary Poppins style “I have lolllliiiieeeeeesssss!”

“I’ve got bribes!’ she further explained! “This will keep you awake!”

As if a bag of lollies is going to make my interest levels peak through 32 mind-numbing PowerPoint slides in a darkened room. What did peak was my blood sugar level, just by looking at the pink and yellow shapes inside the bag.

Why isn’t she trying to make that presentation more interesting, engaging and helpful? Why isn’t it more palatable than the cheap lollies?

She delivered the presentation. She never needed the lollies. It cheapened the presentation; it lowered the professionalism and it made us feel like we needed to listen or we’d be very naughty. We are adults you know. So are you, presenter.

Some people I have consulted and worked with argue that you need damn good coffee and pastries to get people to some presentations. But surely you don’t need to throw lolllies at us when we look bored!

‘Oh but it’s FUN!’ shouted Amy from the Learning and Design team. ‘Lighten up! It’s fun! You’re too serious!’

It wasn’t fun for Gavin from Accounts who sat in the accident and emergency department waiting room with his eye bleeding out of its socket. No, Gavin wasn’t laughing when a bullet hard lemon barley sugar with kiddy wrap went flying through his left eye. The visual, yes that’s a laugh. The Safety Team said ‘No more throwing lollies. You may hand them around.’

If you want your session, meeting, presentation or training to be fun you don’t need to throw lollies at me or anyone else. What you do need to do is design the session with engaging activities, designed for the purpose, designed for the people in the room. They’re called an audience. Even better when you call them ‘participants’.

What are you doing to make your meetings, conversations, workshops and learning experiences creative, collaborative, engaging and transformative?

*Gavin isn’t his real name. And he didn’t need to go to Accident and Emergency either. He’s ok. 

Collaborate + Improvise = Survival

"In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed." - Charles Darwin

Just loving what Darwin was saying here - we've got to be able to play well with others, and be able to handle what happens... make stuff up! 

That's innovation, collaboration, creation, being responsive, adapting, reiterating, going again.

Working with a client last week and the team needed to truly 'play well with each other' to create a new range of solutions. There were voices from clients and customers, users and stakeholders added into the mix. 

Then it was 'on'. Let's go! Some improvisation games, some creative thinking, some visual thinking and a range of other techniques and tools helped bring the crew together and get the best out of them. 

(Oh, and it had to be fun. They wanted fun. They said 'fun' as part of their working agreement for the day.)

The team wants to take the approaches we used to other parts of the business to shake things up a bit and to get more out of their meetings, workshops and interactions.

It involves getting up off your feet, moving around, talking to people, writing stuff, drawing stuff, playing with stuff and generally firing up your brain. 

Mmmmmm - good stuff!