What's a Concept?

What You Experience

We have learned over the years that we cannot simply laugh and play our way into innovation. But neither does conceptual development have to be painfully serious. It’s open collaboration, diversity of participants, a safe environment, and effective stimuli that incubate big ideas and innovative concepts. There is a vast selection of conceptual thinking techniques that can be selected and customized to specific groups and problems-at-hand. Some of these cover a lot of ground very quickly generating hundreds of ideas. Some focus all of your thinking toward one central point. Each and every one of them will benefit you and your organization.

These are techniques I use with client groups and in my classes.

Brainstorming: Yes, of course, it’s basic, but it’s a good start.
Random Stimulus Response: Anything can trigger a concept. I can prove it!
Mindmapping: It’s like thumbnailing your brain.
Assumption Smashing / What If?: Don’t you assume there is gravity when you get out of bed?
Problem Reversal / The Exactly Wrong Idea: Yeah, like customer service is gonna call YOU.
Forced Analogy and Metaphor: My partner is a No.2 pencil.
The Bizarre(r), the Better: Think ABSURD! Then fix it.
Cleared for Landing: We kept some of the fun. Paper airplanes all over the place.
Attribute Analysis: Like dissecting the frog in biology class, but less messy.
Don’t Sell Me..., Promise Me...: You know this one. You don’t buy cosmetics; you buy...
New and Skewed Perspectives: Spend a few minutes in my shoes.
Lateral Thinking and Six Views of Your Parade: Structured thinking, but revealing.
Life’s Universal Journey: What does rain smell like? Ever “fly” your hand out the car window? 

Ideation Facilitation works best with groups of five to eight people with diverse interests in the project or question-at-hand representing management, subject matter experts, and consumers. A typical productive session will last about three hours, although your particular ideation needs might take one to several sessions. We can work in your office or a neutral ground like a hotel meeting room or office suite.

The benefits are enormous!

Home