Think More Innovatively

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com Why would you ever want to come up with a bad idea? Because, just maybe, a good idea is hiding inside! Bad2Good is a highly effective (and fun!) problem-solving technique that is perfect when you're tackling an especially tough, serious challenge. If you or your team has ever said to yourselves, “We just can’t come up with any good ideas,” then Bad2Good is the technique you'll want to use. Because when you can’t come up with good ideas – why not come up with bad ones? And MAKE them good! In this episode, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer explain Bad2Good, and provide detailed instructions for just how to do it the next time you need some good ideas!

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com If you’ve participated in group brainstorming sessions, you’ve probably had the experience of one or two people controlling all the conversation – while others in the room just sit and say nothing. We call those people the “silent thinkers,” and BrainWriting is a group problem-solving technique specifically designed to help “level the playing field,” so everybody in the session has an equal opportunity to share ideas and contribute to finding a solution. BrainWriting is simple, but extremely effective. And best of all, it’s done in silence. No conversation, no arguments, no debates. Just positive collaboration that leads to bigger, better, more innovative ideas! In this video, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer introduce BrainWriting and provide detailed instructions for how to do it the next time you have to generate ideas with your team. Complete instructions for BrainWriting and 19 other problem-solving techniques are included in our book, SmartStorming: The Game-Changing Process for Generating Bigger, Better Ideas - available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and through our website at https://www.SmartStorming.com/book.

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com When it’s time to generate fresh, new, innovative ideas for solving a problem or capitalizing on an opportunity, what’s the best way to go about it?  Free association (just randomly “thinking up” ideas) is a valid approach, but it’s not always the most effective. In fact, there are countless problem-solving techniques that are designed to help you or your team think in a variety of different directions – and open your mind to new, unexpected possibilities. One of our favorite techniques is called “Idea Sprinting,” a fast-paced, beat-the-clock technique that helps free your mind, eliminate self-consciousness and judgment, and get lots of “idea starters” on the table very quickly. In this episode, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer introduce Idea Sprinting, and provide detailed instructions for just how to do it the next time you have to generate ideas.  Complete instructions for Idea Sprinting and 19 other problem-solving techniques are included in our book, SmartStorming: The Game-Changing Process for Generating Bigger, Better Ideas - available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and through our website at https://www.SmartStorming.com/book.

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com When you encounter a new challenge or a fresh opportunity, what's the first thing you do? You probably ask yourself, "How am I going to tackle this?" In other words, you ask yourself a question. Creative problem-solving is, at its essence, the art of asking great questions. The more thought-provoking the questions you ask, the more insightful or imaginative the answers will be. Innovative thinking - the kind that solves challenges and creates game-changing products, services, and processes - is often sparked by simple, but powerful questions that begin with the words "What if…?" In this episode, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer discuss just why questions are so important, and reveal how asking the right question can direct your team's thinking in new, more innovative directions. s challenges and creates gam

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com When trying to think more innovatively while solving a problem or capitalizing on an opportunity, you might believe your mind either works - or it doesn't. But in fact, when generating ideas, your mind (and the minds of those you're collaborating with) actually works in two very different and distinct ways: it can diverge outward, in a broad, 360-degree, blue sky exploration of ideas; or it can converge inward, narrowing focus in an effort to judge and select ideas. Learning to identify and leverage these two thinking styles is key to innovative problem-solving success! In this episode, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer discuss the differences between divergent and convergent thinking, and how to use each most effectively.

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com Wait, doesn't everybody think more innovatively today? If so, then why do we still hear that old cliché, “We have to think outside the box!” Just what IS the box we have to think outside of? How can we escape it whenever we need to? And who put that box there anyway? Why do so often hear laments like “We just keep recycling the same old ideas,” “We’ve tried everything before,” “We don’t have the money we need” or “The boss/our customers will never go for that!” In this episode, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer reveal just what that big bad box actually is, and a simple technique to help you break free of its innovation-squashing restraints.

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com Most people don't really like rules. Just telling someone to "follow the rules" can be a turnoff. After all, don't rules really mean that you can't do whatever you want? But establishing some rules for better idea generation really makes a lot of sense! Rules help define what types of interactions are productive and acceptable, and what types are not. And in an idea generation session - whether we're working with others or even by ourselves - being productive is essential. In this episode, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer explore the value of rules in idea generation, and reveal some of the most important ones to follow

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com Why is it sometimes so hard to come up with a good idea - often, just when we need it most? What are the most common impediments to innovative thinking? Do we just lack the necessary talent or skill? Do we really have to wait for the right moment, when inspiration strikes? In fact, we all have the ability to come up with fresh, innovative ideas, anywhere, at any time. But unfortunately, there are a number of things that can get in the way. The question is, what can we do about it? In this episode, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer talk about those things that make it difficult, if not impossible, to think innovatively.

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com What are the most common 5 Traits of Highly Creative Thinkers? What qualities do the world’s greatest innovative problem solvers share? You just might be surprised. But the more important question is, how many of those traits do you possess?

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com Are you creative enough to be a successful innovator? Coming up with a continuous supply of fresh, innovative ideas sounds like it would require a lot of creativity! But what does it actually mean to be "creative?" Do you need some special, innate talent or skill? In this episode, SmartStorming partners Keith Harmeyer and Mitchell Rigie talk about the true meaning of creativity, and whether you have what it takes!

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com The relationship between innovation and creativity is puzzling to many of us. Is it necessary to be "creative" in order to innovate? And just because something is creative, does that make it innovative? Which one comes first - creativity or innovation? In this episode, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer discuss the relationship between innovation and creativity - and the difference. And why, if you don't understand the distinction, you're probably not doing either one very well.

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com What makes a good idea good? Sometimes a good idea is easy to spot. Sometimes, not so much. Just think of all the "new and improved" products that have been introduced to the world, that ultimately failed. Obviously, all ideas are not created equal. But how do you know which ones are the good ones... and which ones are not so good? In this episode, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer discuss what qualities an idea must have in order to be considered "good."

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com Ideas and innovation are very closely related. In fact, you can't have one without the other. Innovation always starts with a challenge to address, a problem to solve, or an opportunity to take advantage of. But the first "ingredient" in the innovation recipe is always an idea! In this episode, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer discuss the importance of ideas in the innovation process.

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com Why innovation matters to you is something many people just don't understand. We often tend to think of innovation as something big technology companies do - like Apple, Google and Facebook. But today, each of us must think and act like an innovator if we hope to remain relevant and successful in our work. In this episode, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer discuss the importance of innovation to YOU.

To learn more visit https://SmartStorming.com So just what IS innovation? We all know innovation is important. We hear the word every day. But how can we possibly think more innovatively if we don't really understand what innovation actually is? In this episode, SmartStorming partners Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer share their simple, practical definition.