16 Essential Tips that Lead to Powerful Innovation Sessions
By Lynda Curtin

Ideation is the complete process - decide where ideas are needed, generate ideas, evaluate ideas, plan and carry out next steps. This is much more powerful and practical than traditional brainstorming - where anything goes and very often nothing happens as a result.

1. Understand what the client wants to end up with. For example: one product idea to prototype. Then plan to meet the end result.
2. Break the solution limiting, time wasting habit of coming up with the one best problem statement. Instead, generate multiple focus statements. Pick a few to work with during your session. Go broad. Set yourself up for a wider range of powerful solutions to choose from. You can even choose more than one solution! 
3. Use “top of the head” as an ideation starting point and do a brain dump of all the ideas that already exist. Be sure to capture all of these existing ideas. This important step prepares the mind to be able to generate fresh new ideas.
4. Once you have generated "top of the head" ideas move to using formal idea generating tools: random entry, provocation, challenge and concept triangle, for example. These idea generating tools are specifically designed to quickly jump start "out-of-the-box" thinking.
5. Do several rounds of idea generation using idea  tools to multiply your innovative options.
6. Invite people outside your area of expertise to your ideation sessions. Tap the talent inside and outside of your organizations. Customers and suppliers are great! 
7. When working with teams, regularly mix people into new groups to help inject fresh thinking. 
8. Change the size of groups - 2, 3, 4, and 5 people per group. Mix it up.
9. Plan for multiple solutions. Develop a wave of ideas approach - as one idea is implemented, the next idea is already well on the way to implementation.
10. Listen for laughter! If you do not hear any, something is out of sync. Stop. Take a break. Regroup. Reschedule. 
11. Try to schedule ideation sessions first thing in the morning before the demands of the day take over and sap the energy of your group.
12. Develop an idea evaluation template. Break into small groups. Have each group evaluate a different idea/s.
13. Plan sufficient time for idea presentations to the big group. There is tremendous energy and intense interest.
14. Plan next steps - actions, dates, who is doing what. Do not let the group go until you complete this or you will have just wasted everyone's time. 
15. Create a thinking plan and be prepared to adjust it as you move your thinking forward. Remember you are in a design mode. Tinker along the way.
16. Provide good food, lots of water and music. Have fun.

©2001. The Opportunity Thinker. 

Lynda Curtin is an expert ideation facilitator, professional speaker, trainer and author in the fields of business creativity, marketing and speaking. To book Lynda for your event call 818-507-6055 or email info@LyndaCurtin.com For more information on her programs go to www.LyndaCurtin.com

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