Mind Map - to explore an idea Take subject and write in centre of page. Create radial lines out for each sub topic. Then split lines (repeatedly) into sub-sub-topics etc. Team Brainstorm 1. Split into balanced groups with either same theme for each team or (more likely) a related but different one. 2. Each team member writes idea on post-it sticker and briefly says what it is then places on wall. No evaluation and all ideas to be accepted at this stage (i.e. even bad ideas provoke new ideas). Each sticker should ideally be labeled with a team number and initials of person. 3. After typically 10mins activity changes and team stops new ideas and clusters ideas into groups, seeking to eliminate duplicates and combining similar ideas. 4. Team appoints rapporteur to present ideas to plenary who then spends some time preparing a brief presentation 5. Do not destroy post-it notes - best if they were placed on removable page, photographed or recorded electronically 6. Each team presents overview to the plenary. 7. Evaluation Phase - Vote on top ideas. A good way is to give every person a number adhesive stars who then go to any note and attach. Ideas with most stars are discussed further or taken away. Idea Evaluation PEST analysis - look at topic according to Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors or in more detail PESTEL adding Environmental and Legal factors or even more LoNGPESTEL adding Local, National and Global factors Prioritisation Divide page into quadrants Horizontal Axis - Low Impact and High Impact Vertical Axis - Easy to Implement and Hard to Implement then add each idea in plotted in the appropriate space - helps to choose the easy to do high impact things and to reject low impact difficult topics Team Presentations Rather than tedious slides or badly written flip charts, try drawing pictures, acting out a scenario that tells the story of the idea or maybe making a model (e.g. using Lego). Rather than all team voting, get some external panel members and try to sell the idea (cf Dragon's Den TV shows) "Speed Dating" Ideas Room is divided between people who have ideas and judges (people can be both). Every few minutes (perhaps as few as 2) ideas people move to a different judge and pitch the idea rapidly - judge scores the idea (privately) at the end of each pitch and scores aggregated at end of session. |