Creative people make decisions. Lots of them. The more decisions, the more creative. How do many creative people generate brilliant, unique ideas in a short period? What if we could harness this power? Read on and find out!
Pre-session Survey
- Ask me a question with Google Forms
- What would you like to learn from this workshop?
TPEP (Danielson format) Survey (Optional)
- Take Session TPEP Prioritization Agenda Survey
- What domains and components would you like highlighted through this workshop?
Post-session Survey
- Please fill in the What Works and What Doesn’t Google Form
- Here is a another version of the Teacher Feedback Form
- This will help improve these workshops – THANKS!
Rationale
- “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” – Orson Welles (BrainQuotes)
- Intentional limitation is needed to promote and develop ideas.
- Limit time, material, etc.
Where Good Ideas Come From: Steven Johnson
Scenius, or Communal Genius
How to Get a Great Idea: Matthew Diffee
Story Structure Resources
- The Clues to a Great Story – Andrew Stanton at TED – Screenwriter of many Pixel films
- Every Story is The Same Structure
- “Because our society, each human mind within it, and all of life itself has a rhythm and when you are in that rhythm, it resonates.” – Dan Harmon – Rick and Morty creator
- Use “Therefore” or “But” in between each beat of a story. Avoid “and then”
- Advice from South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker
- People lose focus within 60 seconds if they don’t have a visual cue (reminder)
- Advice from visual literacy expert Dr. Lynell Burmark
Step 1 – Brainwrite Ideas on Paper (Introverted)(RIGHT BRAIN)
Rationale: Right-brain creative idea generation is achieved best with little or no technology and distraction. Also having a visual reminder of what you are brainwriting helps keep you focused. People lose focus within 60 seconds if they don’t have a visual reminder in front of them. Technology like cell phones and computers can distract us from idea-generating tasks short-circuiting the creative process. Paper is helpful because it’s quick to use and allows you to write anywhere and anyway to get ideas recorded quickly in a visible medium. This gives introverted people a chance to more freely express themselves.
- Brainwrite by yourself.
- Write the main topic in a circle in the middle of the paper and then write down ideas related to the topic quickly around the circle.
- Write non-stop for three minutes (3:00).
- Set a timer that is visible to all working on this project.
Step 2 – Brainstorm Ideas (Extroverted) (RIGHT BRAIN)
Rationale: different perspectives can evolve ideas or see patterns or opportunities where another person may not. This gives extroverted people a chance to more freely express themselves.
- Pitch the brainwritten ideas within a small team.
- The smaller the better.
- Too many people can slow down the idea-generation process
- Look for ways to add/refine your ideas.
- Do this for five minutes (5:00).
- Set a timer that is visible to the whole team.
- Add the ideas to a collectively brainstormed sheet.
Step 3 – Brainwrite a Storyboard (Introverted) (LEFT BRAIN)
Rationale: Storyboarding is a great way to establish your story or the logical flow of an idea. Storytelling is one of the best ways to present ideas and teach. All presentations should teach something to the audience, even in a job interview. By sharing information through a story you give the audience a way to understand the information (right brain context). By writing your storyboard on paper you create a rough draft you can share easily with others to find ways to improve your presentation or story without having to invest a lot of time on the computer before sharing.
- Storyboard by yourself.
- Create a storyboard on paper.
- Fold a piece of paper four times. You will end up with 16 small rectangles on one side of the paper.
- Use these 16 cells as sample presentation slides, film shots, etc.
- Organize non-stop your brain-written material in chronological order for three minutes (3:00).
- Set a timer that is visible to all working on this project.
Step 4 – Brainstorm your Storyboard (Extroverted) (LEFT BRAIN)
Rationale: different perspectives can evolve ideas or see patterns or opportunities where another person may not. This gives extroverted people a chance to more freely express themselves.
- Pitch the brain written storyboard within a small team
- The smaller the better.
- Too many people can slow down the idea-generation process
- Look for ways to add/refine your ideas.
- Do this for five minutes (5:00).
- Set a timer that is visible to the whole team.
- Add the ideas to a collectively brainstormed storyboard.
Step 5 – Prepare and Present Ideas
Rationale: Voice and body language heavily influence presentation performance. Understanding the principles of effective presentation delivery is fundamental in conveying ideas to others.
- Watch Body language and presenting and power and poise and presenting
- These two presentations will help you pitch your ideas more effectively
Scott Le Duc 