Guatemalan Rain Storm (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) http://bit.ly/dkrB1H

Before the first rainy season in Guatemala, the locals would tell me that I had never seen rain before. I, of course, was hesitant to believe seeing how I’ve been in some torrential downpours. When the first rains hit; however, I realized what the locals meant. Within minutes, the cement-lined streets quickly turned into rivers, filled with water. Within minutes, I was soaked. Not even the gargantuan paraguas (umbrella) that I was holding could save me from the storm. I must have gone through at least 5 paraguas during each rainy season–maybe more.

I learned that I never seen rain before, and any “torrential downpour” I’d previously experienced suddenly became moot. I’ve been searching through boxes at home looking for the pictures I took, but haven’t found them yet. When I do, I’ll post them.

As you begin your brainstorming session, you’ll need a way to document your ideas. I’ve written down different methods that I use, I hope you find them helpful.

Now that you’re all set up and ready to go, you can focus on technique. Remember, brainstorming is about idea generation, not idea examination and organization. Once again, these are all techniques I’ve used at various points and over time have found them quite useful. You can an experiment and find which one you like best. They’re great for different situations. (Explanations and visuals after the break; the visuals were created for this post only–no top secret information in them… unfortunately…)

» Finish reading How to Brainstorm for Success: Part 3 – Let the Rain Come Down at ChrisMower.com. »

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Post tags: Brainstorm, Creativity, How To

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Have you ever been laying down at night waiting to go to sleep, or been on a nice afternoon walk and the ideas just kept rushing into your head? I’ve been there way too many times. I love it when this happens, but what really drives me nuts is when it happens and I’m not prepared. I’ve since learned to always keep a notebook and pen on my bed stand, and I usually have something to take notes on when I’m out and about.

With that in mind, I’ve prepared a few simple preparation ideas that can help you be prepared for brainstorming. To effectively brainstorm, you don’t need to meet all the criteria I lay out below. These are merely instruments and ideas to cater to an ideal mood and mindset that lets the lightning come down.

Gather the appropriate materials.

Technically speaking, all you need to brainstorm is something to write with and something to write on. I have a legal pad holder and a pen set aside for brainstorming, it doubles as my idea book and a brainstorming book.

I prefer brainstorming with a pen and paper so that my mind is free to roam and write ideas down as they come to me, and some of my ideas come as sketches, shapes, or equations or something that is not easily and quickly recorded on the computer. Working with pen and paper lets me quickly sketch those down. I occasionally use a computer to brainstorm, but I’ve found that it’s too distracting and limits what I can add to my brainstorming paper (more about this in part 3).

Some other good materials to have on hand but that are not necessary are sticky notes, rulers, different colored pens (or colored pencils), and a whoopie cushion soft chair. In my point of view, the fewer distractions you have, the more effective your brainstorming session will be.

» Finish reading How to Brainstorm for Success: Part 2 – Preparing for the Storm at ChrisMower.com. »

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Post tags: At Work, Brainstorm, Creativity, How To

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When I was a kid, my siblings and I would frequently ride our bikes to the local store to buy penny candy (hooray for penny candy!). The store wasn’t too far from us, maybe an 8-minute ride one way. We’d hop on our bikes and tear down the country streets. We lived in a small town, and I loved it.

On a rather sunny afternoon the moisture hung in the air, signaling that a storm was on its way. My siblings and I rode to the store anyway, thinking we’d have plenty of time. As we purchased our penny candy, the rain drops began to fall, lightly at first. A few waves of thunder sounded over the falling rain, and we decided to ride home before the real downpour struck.

As we pedaled like mad toward the second street corner–and the last home-stretch before arriving safely home–the rain poured down endlessly, splatting on the pavement, kicking up more water. As we pedaled like maniacs, our bike tires spit streams of water behind us and onto our backs. Our bags full of penny candy were drenched.

Just moments before reaching the second street corner, we were met with a giant “kablam!” as lightning struck a nearby tree, blowing bark off the tree’s trunk and nearly knocking us off our bikes.

At nearly the same time, my parents pulled up in the pickup truck, literally threw our bikes in the back and us in the cab. We all shook and looked at each other with wide eyes, knowing that we were feet from being struck with lightning.

It was a scene fit for the movies (or at least YouTube), and a storm we will all remember.

The storm that sizzles and jumps around in your head while brainstorming isn’t much different than those few insane moments of ours playing “dodge the lightening.”

Let’s look at a few similarities.

» Finish reading How to Brainstorm for Success: Part 1 – An Introduction to Brainstorming at ChrisMower.com. »

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Post tags: Brainstorm, Creativity, How To, Thoughts

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