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Inspiration, Imagination,
Innovation
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Brainstorming and other idea generation sessions can often be ineffective because they lack spontaneity. The urge for people to censor their ideas (at both a conscious and unconscious level) can be quite strong. This is a simple warm-up exercise aimed at getting participants into the swing of 'raid fire', 'top-of-the-head' idea generation. It also promotes active listening and mutual trust in the group. Get everyone to stand-up in a circle. Now explain that they are going to throw an invisible ball to each other. Already you may experience a barrier because people are frightened of appearing foolish. Gently persevere - the point is to break down these kinds of barriers. Nominate somebody in the circle to start the game. Ask them to throw the 'ball' to someone else in the circle and at the same time make a noise - any noise will do. The 'catcher' of the ball then repeats the noise made by the 'thrower'. They, in turn, repeat this process, throwing the ball to another recipient. This time, they make a new noise of their choosing and, again, the catcher repeats this noise. Aim to repeat this process until participants are freely passing the ball and spontaneously making noises. Depending on the group, this can happen quite quickly or require some perseverance. Some people can find the 'illogical' nature of the exercise difficult. Explain clearly to people what the exercise is for. Strike a balance between empathising with any discomfort they are feeling and gently pushing. Debrief is an important part of this process. Get people to describe how it made them feel and what thought processes they went through. Did they censor the sounds they made? Did they try and think up sounds in advance rather than being spontaneous? Did they feel a need to be particularly funny or rude in the sounds they made? A useful variation on this technique can be to progress from making sounds to generating words, concepts and ideas while throwing the ball. Have fun and try not to drop the ball!
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