Barefoot Brainstorming

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Innovation

Brainstorming Tool Kit

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Tool Kit

Every month we will be adding items to your brainstorming tool kit. I hope you enjoy the following with your team:

Rory’s Story Cubes – A limitless source of story ideas

Rory’s Story Cubes consists of a set of nine small cubes, much like conventional dice. Each cube features a different image on each side, for a total of 54 images in the entire set. They are meant to inspire storytelling and creative ideas.

These symbols can have a nearly infinite number of meanings. You are free to interpret each symbol however you like – or in whatever way suggests an idea for a story.

Here is one way I love to use them.

Session Kick Off/Introductions

Create small teams of 9. Provide each team with a cup full of the 9 story cubes (you will need a few sets). Ask someone to shake the cup and then randomly distribute 1 cube to each member of the team. No one should look at their cube until it is their turn.

Go around the team and ask each person to randomly reveal 1 side of their cube. Each person is then asked to use that image to create a 30 second story.

The topic for the story could be any one of the following:

  1. How the image relates to them as a person.
  1. How the image relates to what they do for the company.
  1. How the image relates to the weirdest, or funniest thing that has ever happened to them.
  1. How the image relates to what they hope to get out of the session/meeting.

If it’s time to put a modern spin on your next Storytelling workshop – we can help! Contact us today. 

Marilyn

Barefoot Brainstorming

We would love to hear from you! Leave us a comment down below or tag us on social media.
For brainstorming tips, presentation and storytelling skills, or keynote speaking pointers be sure to follow Barefoot Brainstorming on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. OR see us in action on YouTube and Instagram!

Brainstorming Tool Kit

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Brainstorming Tool Kit

Every month we will be adding items to your brainstorming tool kit. I have a story to tell about this week’s item:

As a child in school my teacher Miss Dale used to yell at me to “Stop fidgeting!”

“It helps me to think!”, I would respond.

“No, it doesn’t. That’s ridiculous!”, she would retort. She was completely unwilling to entertain that idea.

Well, it turns out Miss Dale was wrong. Playing, doodling and fidget spinning are all very productive for creative thinking and active listening. When we use our left and right hands, we tap into 80% of our brain!

Can fidget spinners double as brainstorming tools?

fidget spinners

I recently had the privilege of working with The Co-operators in Guelph. It was a group of 20 comprised of Gen X, Gen Y, and Millennials.

The first thing they asked me as I was setting up their team tables with Play-Doh and tactile toys was, “Do you have any fidget spinners?”

Thankfully, after looking around carefully and doing some price-comparison shopping, I had purchased several just the day before. I was only able to purchase 10, so they had to share and they did that very “co-operatively!”

Wow — I was truly amazed by how popular they were, and by all of the crazy tricks the group could perform with them! It reminded me of the kids in school who had perfected the art of spinning a pen or a pencil over their thumb knuckle (Miss Dale also used to yell at them!)

It’s pretty much the same thing — just enhanced when using a fidget spinner. When it comes to fidget spinners, I am a total fan… but then again I have always been a fan of fidgeting!

The ideas the Co-operators teams created that day were incredible. Did the fidget spinners help? I think so… And you can take that to the bank Miss Dale!

Update your team’s brainstorming tools and techniques

If it’s time to put a modern spin on your next brainstorming session – we can help! Contact us today. 

Marilyn

Barefoot Brainstorming

We would love to hear from you! Leave us a comment down below or tag us on social media.
For brainstorming tips, presentation and storytelling skills, or keynote speaking pointers be sure to follow Barefoot Brainstorming on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. OR see us in action on YouTube and Instagram!

A Journey to Innovation

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People running in race

My kids recently suggested that we all run the Sporting Life 10km race on Sunday May 12th so we could spend Mother’s Day together doing something good for our bodies, and good for the kids at Camp Oochigeas.

My first reaction was excitement! I loved the idea. My next reaction was fear. I hadn’t gone for a run in over a year … how was I ever going to be ready for a 10km run on May the 12th?! Then came the excuses … I don’t have enough time to prepare, who will look after the dogs, I am worried about posting a horrible time  … my shoes are too old!

As I boarded this roller coaster of emotions, I realized that this is exactly the same ride that many organizations take as they decide to embark on building a culture of innovation.

At first everyone is very excited about the idea. But then faced with the reality of actually doing it, they are afraid. Excuses are prevalent … we don’t have the right people in place, we don’t have the budget for this right now … let’s wait until next fiscal.

I decided to take a small step and register for the race. It gave me a deadline. I had spent money to register so now I was financially invested. It helped, but I was also very aware that I could still back out.

Then on a cold, rainy Sunday morning I decided to try. I put on my old shoes, made sure my music was loud enough so I couldn’t hear myself heaving to breathe, pulled the brim of my cap down as far as I could … and I took the first few steps.

There was something about the positioning of my hat that made all the difference. I did it to shield my eyes from the rain, but it also forced me to only look at the concrete directly ahead of my feet … not at the horizon line!

When organizations decide to build a culture of innovation, they experience all of the same things, particularly looking too far ahead and not focusing on the here and now, one step at a time.

The run is in a couple of weeks. I am slowly getting ready by adding a tiny bit of distance every time I put on the old shoes. I am fairly certain it will be a long, tough run … I will let you know and post some pictures next month.

In the meantime, please know that you are not alone on your journey towards innovation. The fear and excuses may be rampant, and the weather inclement … so pull your brim down and focus on the next few steps ahead.

With love … and sore feet,

Marilyn

Barefoot Brainstorming

 

We would love to hear from you! Leave us a comment down below or tag us on social media.
For brainstorming tips, presentation and storytelling skills, or keynote speaking pointers be sure to follow Barefoot Brainstorming on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. OR see us in action on YouTube and Instagram!

Alike – How Society Kills Our Creativity

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Alike headline image

Alike, a Pixar-like film by Madrid-based animators Daniel Martínez Lara and Rafa Cano Méndez, is a 7-minute lesson on what happens to your life when creativity is destroyed by the daily grind. 

Society tells us to excel in school, work as hard as we can, and eventually teach our kids to do the same. It’s an endless cycle that leaves virtually no room for creativity.

This short film encourages people to look at things differently … which is truly amazing! It is also about being a parent, and the importance of letting kids create their own journeys.

The critically-acclaimed short film was made entirely with Blender, an open-source 3D rendering program, and is dedicated “to our families, for helping us not to lose our colour.”

Please enjoy, we hope you like it as much as we do!

We would love to hear from you! Leave us a comment down below or tag us on social media.
For brainstorming tips, presentation and storytelling skills, or keynote speaking pointers be sure to follow Barefoot Brainstorming on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. OR see us in action on YouTube and Instagram!

An Innovation Culture or Lipstick on a Pig?

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Pig with lipstick

It is easy for many organizations to say that they support innovation. They discuss how they are going about it, and how they are providing some resources towards the effort … they even paint funky innovation words on their walls! But is it true innovation … or is it ‘lipstick on a pig’?!

Of course all organizations want to foster innovation. It’s how we grow, improve, delight our customers, and keep getting paid.

The talk says ‘go innovate,’ but when the walk clearly supports only taking risks that will ensure success, you are not going to be successful.

In order to drive towards innovative thinking, failure has to be an option. Understanding that the lessons learned from failure lead to success is critical.

You must first start with a clear definition of where you want to be. Then spend time trying to figure out what has to happen to make it true. Don’t focus on the next single improvement, but rather the whole big picture. This approach frees us from the constraints of the current system, and allows for a more open field of possible routes to get to a solution.

Here are a few things you can do to ensure innovation success.

  1. Make everyone responsible for innovation … make it part of everyone’s job.

 

  1. Develop innovation processes that everyone can use.

 

  1. Go beyond developing products … big innovations transform services, processes, or channels.

 

  1. Create teams that support innovation … no one can do this alone.

 

  1. Welcome new ideas … so there is a constant supply.

 

  1. Offer fun and interesting spaces for people to be creative … existing workspace cubbies don’t cut it!

 

  1. Show that innovation is important … walk the talk!

Real innovation is hard. Culture change is hard. But I promise you it’s a far worthier investment than picking out the next shade of lipstick for your pig!

We would love to hear from you! Leave us a comment down below or tag us on social media.
For brainstorming tips, presentation and storytelling skills, or keynote speaking pointers be sure to follow Barefoot Brainstorming on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. OR see us in action on YouTube and Instagram!

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