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Thunder-Thinking…When Lightning Strikes: Part 2
Published May 2003
I find it helpful to appoint one non-participant to act as a recorder, to ensure ideas are captured for future evaluation. This will also ensure participants are not bogged down in the recording process. Focus your energies instead on the creative process.
Avoid these common thunder-thinking blockers, i.e. phrases that kill the creative process and limit open discussion and idea generation. Be wary if you start hearing them from people on your team, family or work associates!
Add your own. Make sure you don't fall into these traps. Too often, we slip into negative thinking during a positive - creative period.
- That is ridiculous.
- You should have passed on that one.
- We don't have the time.
- Pull the other one, it laughs.
- We did all right without it before.
- That's not included in our responsibility.
- Let's form a committee. (My favorite!)
- What will the union (or Management, or…) say?
- Why change it when it's still working?
- It's not in the budget,
- You can't teach an old dog new tricks
- That's not practical.
- That's their problem, not ours.
- Let's get back to reality.
- Has anyone else tried it before?
- We've tried that before.
- Senior management (-) won't agree to it.
- This will cost too much!
- We've never done that before.
- We're not ready for that.
Why does it work? I would think its essential success is with the chain reaction process. Idea stimulation in the host brain as well as the participant's brains. The associative power of ideas generates a two-way current. When you offer up a new idea, your own imagination - along with everyone else's - is stimulated.
People tend to generate more ideas with other people, in social settings, than they do individually. Associative idea generation tests have indicated an production increase of over 65% in social sessions, than in solo efforts.
Competition can work wonders, with mental output increases by up to 50%.
The major difference in the concept of thunder-thinking is its acceptance of ALL ideas. This rules out the possibility of any premature criticism or judgement stifling the creative problem-solving process. Thunder -thinking remains effective when all participants follow the basic rules and guidelines.
Can I hold thunder-thinking or creative problem-solving sessions with only two people? Yes, although the more the merrier. Ideally 5-10 people can become an idea generation machine. It can, however, be done with as few as two people.
"The lightning spark of thought generation in the solitary mind awakens its likeness in another mind," according to Thomas Carlyle. A good partner can stimulate effort in addition to increased associative powers.
There are a few guidelines to keep in mind, which apply to two person creative teams as well as larger thunder thinking groups.
- Ensure there is an incentive for each party. Work to see that values and paybacks are equitable or compatible for each of you.
- Select a specific place and scheduled time to think. Allow time for each of you to rethink the problem. Allow the information to incubate in your subconscious brain prior to each meeting.
- Get together, as planned, to thunder-think the problem. Try to keep it fun and informal... bounce ideas off each other. Keep the atmosphere informal and accepting to ensure the idea flow continues. Consider each idea generated. Go for quantity and record them for future evaluation and decision. I've used a tape recorder to make sure I didn't miss any good ones.
- Take a break ... think alone. Review all your joint ideas to date. Do additional research and formulate your ideas.
- Get back together, review ideas and generate new ones. Start choosing alternatives found satisfactory to both parties.
This is where your judgement, preferences and personal tastes come into play. This will often result in at least one workable idea.
Remember not to argue! This is the deathblow to the power of creative problem solving. Too many potentially good ideas die on the drawing boards or in the embryonic phase if argumentative atmospheres emerge. It's not about right and wrong ... it is about better solutions.
Intelligent discussion is great! Argument is a dream killer and should be avoided at all costs. As phrased by Robert Quillen, "Discussion is an exchange of knowledge, argument is an exchange of ignorance." We want to work with each other to achieve feats not grasped alone. This goal should allow us to supersede our individual egos, to reach better results in our lives.
To read Part 1, please Click Here.
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