Soap Box

I think there is a flaw with traditional brainstorming.

Often, the brainstorming process demands that you throw out whatever is in your head, regardless of whether you are passionate about the issue or not.

Since the fuel to sustain you and others through a difficult change is passion to see the vision become reality, why would we want to leave passion out of brainstorming?

Hence, next Tuesday, I’m experimenting with a pre-brainstorming exercise called Soap Box Presentations.

Before a large group starts its brainstorming, I’m giving any passionate group members a chance to take the stage in front of the whole group and share an issue they are passionate about.

Borrowing from Toastmasters International’s playbook, soap box presenters will be following the O-R-E-O method (Opinion, Reason, Example, Opinion) and will, using only three to five minutes, be allowed to make their case as to what the group should work on this next year and why.

I’m hopeful that these short opportunities to share their passion will plant the ideas into the heads of all the members, and maybe lure the others to join these passionate people in their work.

Next Tuesday will be the first experiment, so I’ll have to report back to you on how it goes.

Meanwhile, have you ever tested an improvement on the traditional brainstorming methods?  If you have, what did you do and how well did it work to start you toward a big change and a big win?