I reckon brainstorms work best when participants’ brains are excited by the sheer range of possibilities available – including unconventional ideas they may never have thought of before.
So, it’s good to put together collections of mind-expanding ideas to get participants thinking optimistically and expansively – bubbling with possibilities – before they start putting their ideas down. Usually we start with a 20-minute show (though sometimes it might be a half-day of expert presentations!), then we have an initial open discussion to get more ideas out there. Only then do we have the brainstorm – which can be amazingly rapid if it’s done in silence.
Hope you find these collections useful …and fun.
1) Public signs with a difference
‘Be visible!’ Public signs are sustained legacies of our efforts – permanently visible reminders of changed social expectations. So making signs attention-getting is vital.
Here’s a collection of public signs that made me blink and think.
https://www.enablingchange.com.au/blog/strategy-2/uncategorized/signs-for-change/
2) Conversation starters, or what engages people?
This is my collection of irresistible engagement tactics. I use these to inspire participants in Changeology workshops. People are always asking for them.
3) A cavalcade of fun video ads
Here’s an amazing diversity of videos – all on the same subject.
If you’re preparing a public information campaign – no matter what the subject – this might be a useful stimulation.
Which approach is the most credible? Most enjoyable? Most memorable?
It was assembled for the Fight Food Waste CRC’s 2021 national food waste summit.
4) Innovating the volunteer experience
The secret to reinvigorating volunteer groups is to reinvent the volunteer experience – to modify what the group actually does.
Here’s a collection of reinvention ideas to put the zap back into volunteer groups, drawn from my Passion Mashing workshops with Landcare and bushcare groups.
http://www.enablingchange.com.au/If_not_then_what.pdf
Enjoy!