Idea Generation Session: How I facilitated 524 ideas from one ideation session (With 3 time-saving brainstorming techniques) by Nils Vesk
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How I facilitated 524 ideas from one idea generation session (With 3 time-saving brainstorming techniques)
by Nils Vesk
How I facilitated 524 ideas from one idea generation session (With 3 time-saving brainstorming techniques)
by Nils Vesk
Last update March 16, 2023

Bonus Material: Free Time Saving Idea Generation Checklist

In one 45-minute idea generation session, I used the brainstorming techniques in this post to facilitate 524 ideas. 8 of those ideas were able to be executed immediately. 19 ideas were scheduled for validation, and 41 were flagged for more investigation.

Today I will show you the method I use to get my clients million-dollar commercial ideas (almost every time).

Once you’re done using it, it’s not uncommon for other people in your organisation to go crazy for your idea generation sessions.

Grab my rapid idea generation checklist below to see how it works.

Then use my methods to run your brainstorming, idea generation or problem-solving sessions.
 
Let’s jump in...
Last update March 16, 2023

Bonus Material: Free Time Saving Idea Generation Checklist

In one 45-minute idea generation session, I used the brainstorming techniques in this post to facilitate 524 ideas. 8 of those ideas were able to be executed immediately. 19 ideas were scheduled for validation, and 41 were flagged for more investigation.

Today I will show you the method I use to get my clients million-dollar commercial ideas (almost every time).

Once you’re done using it, it’s not uncommon for other people in your organisation to go crazy for your idea generation sessions.

Grab my rapid idea generation checklist below to see how it works.

Then use my methods to run your brainstorming, idea generation or problem-solving sessions.
 
Let’s jump in...
The Idea Generation Flywheel: 3 Steps To Exponential Profitable Idea Generation & Problem Solving
There are two types of idea generation sessions. One is linear, and one is exponential. 
90% of people do Linear when running a brainstorming session. Most people can’t even pull that off. With linear brainstorming, you need to spend 10x as much time or run multiple sessions to get your big idea or solution.

With exponential idea generation, sometimes you don’t need to spend any longer than 20 minutes or run any more sessions, and you get 10x more quality ideas.

It took me a long time to figure out how exponential idea generation works.

I learned that you need to have an idea generation flywheel (not a linear session) to do it.

Here’s what that looks like:

When you’re starting out, trusting the flywheel takes some time.

But if you follow the process I show you below, you’ll have more profitable ideas coming out of your idea generation sessions than you ever expected.

The 3-Steps To Using The Idea Generation Flywheel To Get Exponential Profitable Ideas and Problem-Solving
There are three steps to creating an idea generation flywheel session.

  • Step 1: Create a clear focus area for your idea generations session, backed up with some non-negotiable rules (yes, rules) and set up the room (or digital space) for the session.
  • Step 2: Use proven idea generation prompts to get good ideas that can solve the problem or give you growth ideas.
  • Step 3: Use idea multipliers to improve and amplify your ideas to create ground-breaking solutions.
 
Most companies fail at idea generation because they don’t use prompts or rules and end up turning an idea generating session into a critiquing session. Or, as I call them, a ‘Painstorming session.’

Then they wonder why they still haven’t come up with implementable ideas.

Look at all the most successful idea generation sessions. They all have rules (constraints on what you can and can’t do and time limits), prompts that get the mind firing, and multipliers that improve the ideas.
 
Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1: Create a clear focus area for your idea generation session, with non-negotiable rules and a productive room set-up for the session.  
Room Set up

An ideal room set-up is one that:

  • Makes the room feel different to a typical meeting room
  • Stimulates the senses (especially visually)
  • Engages people the moment they walk in or join (if digital room)
  • Has space for people to stand and place posters on the wall
  • Is set up for easy conversations (e.g. sitting around a round table)

In an era of meeting overload, most meetings feel the same – like a waste of time and boring. Having a meeting space that looks and feels like every other hum drum meeting subconsciously tells people there’s no need to do anything different. Research backs up the concept that our physical environment affects our thinking. Dull space equals dull ideas.
 

This is just one of the reasons why most idea generation sessions never reach a tipping point of exponential ideas.

Don’t make your next brainstorming session boring. Hit the Twitter icon below to tweet a link and tag your team (or any other people who think long brainstorming sessions = more ideas).

Boring meeting room brainstorming  ≠ Stimulated innovative thinking. This idea generation strategy by @nilsvesk proves it:

If running a brainstorming session in your standard meeting room isn’t the answer to getting more high-quality ideas, then what is?

Using my Brilliant Brainstorming Space Method:
  1. Think of 3 thought-provoking questions
  2. Stick up posters with the thought-provoking questions
  3. Supply tables with multiple coloured Post-it Notes
  4.  Have colourful fidget toys, e.g. PlayDoh on the table
  5. Have reams of coloured paper on tables
  6. Have multiple flip charts around the room
  7. Have modelling putty (Blu-Tac) for easy sticking of ideas/ posters
  8. Have fun background music playing and have an easily visible timer
  9. Have a visual agenda of the session drawn up on a poster
  10. Have water and a couple of snacks on the tables

There is no one way to set up a room to prime the mind for creative thinking…
But you need to make it feel different (in a positive way) to how the meeting room typically looks. 

Disney greatly advocates having different themed rooms to stimulate creative thinking. I’ve worked with some clients who have had purpose-built themed innovation rooms. One, The Alice in Wonderland Room, had a tiny door to walk through to get in. It really made you change your thinking.

Here’s how I use some of the techniques:

Thought-provoking questions where people have to write up their answers on a poster begin a conversation, albeit an internal one. This means that before the workshop has started, people are already in a creative thinking state and cooperating.

Some questions can include the following:
 “What’s the biggest bottleneck you’ve seen recently in our organisation?” Or “What’s the coolest invention/ innovation you’ve come across from outside our industry lately?”.

Colour pens, colour paper, and colour Post-it Notes stimulate us visually. It signals to the brain, ‘This is different,’ and allows people to think differently.

Visual agenda: Think of a line chart going from left to right with the activities planned as nodes on the chart. A visual agenda enables people to see what’s coming up and what they must do to get through it. It garners trust, transparency and purpose.

Now it’s time to talk about how to create your focus area.

Focus Area
Your focus area is where you want ideas or the specific problem you want to solve. If you don’t clarify what you want, you’ll have all kinds of hair-brained ideas that waste everyone’s time.

This isn’t about trying to solve EVERY problem.

That’s how you end up with no ideas.

To succeed at an effective brainstorming session, look at the most critical problem or most significant opportunity to seize and focus your idea generation on that ONE area.

So where do you want to apply your creative energies? With so many choices, it can help to focus on either a broad or narrow subject to help you be more productive. For example, ‘I want to come up with an idea for a one-of-a-kind business’ is a general choice. In contrast, ‘I want to come up with ideas to improve payments of my outstanding invoices’ is a very specific choice. 

In business, there are times when it’s best to have general ideas, while sometimes it’s better to think specifically.

Here are more general and specific areas to focus your creative effort on.

General idea prompts
 • ‘To help reduce our footprint on the environment.’
 • ‘To generate an idea for a one-of-a-kind business.’
 • ‘To increase our cash flow.’
 • ‘To create a new product.’

Specific idea prompts
 • ‘To create ideas around generating more leads.’
 • ‘To create ideas around gaining more referrals from clients.’
 • ‘To generate ideas for creating more impact in a business meeting.’
 • ‘To generate ideas for eliminating energy wastage.’
 • ‘To reduce the time spent on the phone at work.’
 • ‘To increase the number of hits on our website.’

Now let’s move on to how to create your rules and constraints scoreboard

Rules and Constraints
As counter-intuitive as it may sound, having rules and constraints can help to massively increase our output in a brainstorming session.

Rules help prevent anti-idea-generating behaviours, while constraints that include a time limit and a target help to increase output by overcoming procrastination and excessive thinking.

Let’s look at both of them:

Scoreboard and time limit: Now, a weird and wonderful thing happens when we have a scoreboard. We get competitive and start trying to generate lots more ideas.

Having a scoreboard not only acts as an extrinsic motivator in an idea generation session but also keeps track of your progress.

Set a target for a specific number of ideas and a fixed time frame, e.g. 100 ideas in 10 minutes.

Time limits are essential. Otherwise, we’ll overthink things and start critiquing ideas rather than getting them out of our heads and onto paper. 

A tablet with a countdown clock works well, provided everyone can see it. Another alternative for large groups is to have a countdown clock on a PowerPoint presentation, so everyone can see it counting down.
 
Rules:
Nothing kills a brainstorming session faster than allowing people to criticise or mock someone else’s ideas.

You don’t need too many rules, but one non-negotiable rule I have is:
No slanging of ideas.
 
The following rule relates to selecting and critiquing ideas. This should never be done in between an idea generation session. It’s best done the next day, or in the worst case, after a short break after all idea generating for the complete session is completed.

Critiquing ideas activates an entirely different part of the brain. Think of it like this. The idea-generating part of the brain is triggered like driving in top gear in a car. While critiquing is like pulling on the handbrake and inspecting the car. The two don’t work well together. This is what happens in the linear idea generation approach. You generate a few ideas, and then peoples start critiquing. 15minutes later, you start creating a few more ideas, and the critiquing starts again minutes later, and the output is next to zero.

Early into one of my client engagements, I spent time observing how teams ran their idea generation sessions. Here’s what I saw repeatedly happening across the organisation.

  • Problem defined (usually around 10 minutes)
  • Facilitator asks for participants to share ideas (no technique, prompts or process)
  • First-person shares idea aloud (no writing down of idea)
  • Critiquing on the first idea around the room begins (usually 15 minutes)
  • After 25 minutes, the total output is 1 substandard idea.
     
Now you know how to create the proper room set-up, focus area, and rules & constraints, it’s time to start using prompts to generate your profitable ideas.

Step 2: Use proven idea generation prompts to get good ideas that can solve the problem or give you growth ideas.
In many ways, prompts are the first option for ‘fighting’ the thinking habits you have. Once you have jolted the mind into thinking about a topic, the left patterning brain takes over and starts to ‘join the dots’ to make sense of it.

It’s handy to start your thinking with a prompt unrelated to the topic or area where you want your creative ideas. The weirder this prompt, the more success you’ll have in breaking that habit pattern.

The problem people have when it comes to creating NEW ideas is that most of us use the same thinking process that we use for our everyday activities. The problem with this approach is that the time to come up with an idea is lengthy, and the quality of the ideas may be poor.

The linear idea-generating approach usually starts like this:
“Okay, so what ideas does anyone have to tackle this problem?”
Very few people have any ideas, and even fewer are willing to share ideas aloud.

The ideas shared are then thrown into the lion ring as everyone critiques them.

Consequently, no one starts sharing any more ideas.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

An alternative to using a poorly productive linear approach is to help prime the mind for ideas.

The human brain is an association machine. It can join the dots quickly, but what it sucks at is starting from a new point. Prompts make that possible and allow the mind to create new associations and ideas faster than thinking normally.

    The three types of prompts that are the most consistent are:

    1. Question prompts
    2. Reverse brainstorming
    3. Forced Connections with a random object
       
    1. Question prompts

    Question prompts are the easiest and most effective of all idea generating prompts.

    A question prompt can be as simple as asking the group, “Is there anything we can substitute for improving this product or solving this problem?” And then, give the team a couple of minutes to write down all the potential substation ideas they can generate individually (I’ll explain more about this sharing part in the bonus section).

    There are a host of acronyms that people can use to help make it easy to ask these idea-generating prompts. A common one is SCAMPER, while one of ours is SCRAMBLE™️. Why scramble? Because not only does it mean for a pilot or fighter aircraft to take off immediately for action, but it also means to jumble things together and mix things up. 

    With a powerful acronym, you can always use this tool to help prompt ideas when you’re under pressure. Here’s a quick overview of the acronym: 
    • SUBSTITUTION: What could you substitute? 
    • COMBINATION: What could you combine? 
    • REVERSE: What could you reverse? 
    • ADAPT/ADDITION: What could you adapt or add? 
    • MULTIPLY: What could you multiply? 
    • BREAK DOWN/BREAK UP: What could you break down or break up? 
    • LEVERAGE: What could you leverage? 
    • ELIMINATE: What could you eliminate? 
     
    At first glance, this might seem a little underwhelming. But with these simple yet powerful prompts, you have the perfect arsenal to generate your reinvention ideas. 

    I’ve noticed that with the thousands of students I’ve had, people can get lost. They get lost in deciding where to apply the substitution. After all, you could substitute anything, couldn’t you? 

    To help keep you focused so you don’t substitute everything you can think of, start by applying it to the focus area. Remember to keep your idea generation centred on your key focus area.

    Best practices for a highly productive question prompt idea generation activity are:
    1. Use one prompt at a time
    2. People write down their own ideas (one idea per post-it note)
    3. Have a time limit for each question prompt, e.g. 90 seconds
    4. Do not share or critique ideas during the session
    5. Have the question visible to everyone and applied to the focus area

    Having an idea-generating prompt memorised means you become an idea generating machine. If you’re called into a meeting, you can not only use the prompts for yourself, but you can also use them to prompt other people for ideas. Either way, it will make you look like a genius (well, close to one).
     
    2. REVERSE BRAINSTORMING PROMPT

    Reverse brainstorming involves a few steps, yet it’s guaranteed to create outstanding ideas. 

    This idea generation technique is so successful because it taps into your brain’s negativity bias. The negativity bias has evolved in humans to avoid danger. Your negativity bias continuously looks for threats, risks, and potential mistakes. 
      
    The reverse brainstorming technique is counterintuitive because it gets you to look at all the things you can’t do.
     
    Here’s how to do it:
     
    Grab a sheet of paper and draw two vertical lines parallel to each other so you have three columns and label the columns like this: 


    Next, consider your insights or area of reinvention focus. Start by thinking of all the things you can’t do around the focus area. You’re trying to focus on not solving the problem. Yes, that seems counterintuitive. Go with me on this one. 

    You want to look for all the ways to ensure this problem is NOT solved. Alternatively, you can look for all the things you shouldn’t do. 
      
    In the far-left column, you will list everything you could do to ensure the problem is not solved.
     
    Once your left column list is complete, it’s time to do the opposite. 

    In your far-right column, list as many crazy opposites to each can’t or should not do activities.
     
    Sometimes the complete opposite crazy-to-do activity is not such a bad idea. That’s okay. You can work that out later. Once you’ve gone through each one of your can’t dos and created the crazy opposites, then it’s time to work on your can-do column. 

    The can-do column is when you look at your crazy opposites while considering your insight focus area and ask yourself, “What would I need to do for us to get away with this commercially?” If the crazy-to-do action is doable, leave it as is; if it’s not feasible, what would be a viable version of it?
     
    Best practices for a highly reverse brainstorming prompt activity are:

    1. Make sure you are applying to a specific focus area
    2. Work the left column first, then 3rd column, and only work the middle column after these two
    3. Stretch yourself for the crazy ideas (the crazier, the better)
    4. Go for a high quantity 

    This prompt works so well because it doesn’t feel like you are trying to solve a problem. It works by stealth. Steal it and use it now!

    3. Forced Random Connections

    Edward de Bono, who coined the term ‘lateral thinking’, developed several ways to break the habits and patterns of thought. In particular, De Bono mastered the use of ‘random prompts’ to elicit new ideas. In a nutshell, De Bono discovered that by using a random prompt (such as showing someone a picture and getting them to record their initial thoughts) and then forcing the person to think of a way to link those thoughts to the creative focus area, the result was very fresh creative ideas.

    A random ‘word prompt’ approach is one effective version of this.

    Here’s how to use a random word prompt:
    Use a book or piece of writing, randomly open a page, run your finger down the page and stop on the nearest noun. Even if you don’t like the noun, use it anyway. For example, if the word you find is ‘shark’, you then look for any first thoughts about the word shark. List all the words you can think of, e.g. teeth, danger, blood, jaws, water, cold, movies, blockbuster, Hollywood, fear, fish and chips, and so on. 

    This will create sufficient disruption to your traditional problem-solving approach.

     Now link these disruption-generated words and force yourself to link the words with the area in which you want to be creative. Once you have established the first thoughts, focus on the first association.

    How could you use it to incorporate new concepts?
    Make sure you look for ideas beyond the original prompt and go with any wild associations your mind has. Forget logic!

    There are many different techniques you can use to create prompts. For example, you could create boxes that contain physical prompts, such as colour swabs, pictures, and items with different textures, smells or sounds, all to prompt yourself in the ‘wrong’ direction and get the ‘right’ results

    Best practices for a highly productive random forced connection prompt idea generation activity are:

    1. Use a fiction book instead of a non-fiction book
    2. Make sure you work with a noun
    3. Once you have your associations – forget the original prompt word
    4. Have a time limit for the activity
    Step 3: Use idea multipliers to improve and amplify your ideas to create ground-breaking solutions.

    Most business people stop when they have a couple of ideas. The busy mind says, "We've got a solution. Let's get on with it". More often than not, the solution is sub-par and ineffective in dealing with the problem or opportunity at hand.

    Research shows that we need quantity to create quality. The higher your quota of ideas, the more likely you are to get the breakthrough ideas. The challenge is getting all those extra ideas that get you past the ordinary solutions into the breakthrough solutions stage. That's where idea multipliers come in.

    Idea multipliers are essential techniques to turn one idea into 10 more new ideas. And because you are using some new ideas already as a springboard for the new ones, generating new ideas seems easier and faster. That's why it's so productive and valuable.

    Earlier, I mentioned how the human brain is an association machine. Idea multipliers tap into this superpower to enable us to create multiple variations and improvements on ideas. Meaning you get more effective, profitable ideas and solutions quicker.
     
    There are 3 main idea multipliers that I've found work most effectively:

    1. Brainwriting
    2. Alternatives
    3. Gap filling
       
    Below I will show you the top example of how I use these idea multipliers with my clients to create breakthrough ideas and the best practices for each.
    Brainwriting

    Brainwriting is commonly used as an idea generation technique on its own. I've found, however, through running idea generation workshops with thousands of people over the last two decades, that this technique is used at the wrong time. If used too early in an idea generation session, you lose the multiplying effect it can have.

    The basic concept of brainwriting is this:
    Participants write an idea down on a PostIt Note or small card and then pass it to the person next to them. They then use that idea to either trigger their ideas or look at an improvement. 
     
    If this technique is done early in an idea generation session, I've noticed that the number of quality ideas generated is 65% less than if the activity is done later. Now that you know it's better to use this technique later in an idea session, let's find out how.
     
    Traditionally people would begin by writing down as many ideas as possible (one per post-it note). But we're looking for something other than traditional results. We want exceptional results, so here's how we do it differently:
    Have each person collect their best ideas from earlier in the session (one idea per post-it note). Next, get people to share one of those ideas with the person sitting next to you (if seated at a table, pass them in a clockwise direction).

    Use the previous person's post-it note ideas to help prompt you to generate new ideas. Write down any new ideas or modifications to the previous ideas (one idea per post-it note). 2-3 minutes

    Pass your post-it notes along with the first person's idea to the person next to you (if sitting at a table, pass them in a clockwise direction).
    Using the ideas with post-it notes from round 1 and round 2, use them to help prompt you for new ideas. Write down any new ideas or modifications to the previous ideas (one idea per post-it note). 2-3 minutes.
    Now repeat the activity with another one of the preselected best ideas.
    You can run more rounds if you need more ideas.
     
    What's different here is we are springboarding off our good ideas and creating new ones or helping to transform the good ideas into brilliant ideas.
     
    Best practices for the Brainwriting idea multiplier are:

    1. Frame up to the people in the session to avoid judging and critiquing the other person's idea/s. Use them as a prompt to create new additional ideas.
    2. Encourage people to work quickly by not overthinking what people have written before. Use them as prompts to create or improve on ideas.
    3. Frame up the activity by telling people they are association geniuses capable of creating many ideas, even if they were not yours originally.
    4. State that this is a team effort, and everyone wins. 
    5. Try to have people in a circle around a table, so it's easy to pass the Pot-it notes around in the same direction.
    6. Ask people to write legibly on their post-it notes so people can read them easily.
    Alternatives
    Your ability to create alternatives is a proven marker of creativity and innovation. By building your alternatives muscle, not only can you improve your creativity, but you'll also develop better ideas.

    Professor J.P Guildford designed a test to help people do that many years ago. The Alternative Uses Test he developed (still used today) tests people's divergent thinking and creative ability. It does this by asking people to think of as many uses as possible for a simple object like a shoe, a brick or a paperclip in a short period (1-2 minutes).

    I use this principle with my clients to look for alternatives to the ideas already generated earlier in the idea generation session.

    There are three ways the alternatives method can be applied to existing ideas:
    1. Creating alternative internal components/ steps/ materials/ appearance
    2. Creating alternative applications
    3. Creating alternative ideas to achieve a similar outcome
    Alternatives are similar to brainwriting in that we use our previous ideas to work with as a starting point. Still, through experience with alternatives, I've found getting people to create options based on their own ideas is easier.

    Have each person collect their best ideas from earlier in the session (one idea per post-it note).
    Using one existing idea at a time, internally ask yourself the following questions in this order:
    1. Are there any alternatives to the components/ automation/ usability/steps/ materials/ structure or appearance?
    2. Are there any alternative ways that this idea can be applied?
    3. Are there any alternative ideas that can achieve a similar outcome?
    After asking each question, try to write (one idea per post-it note) as many alternatives as possible.

    Using the alternative multiplier method quickly generates multiple variations and improvements to the base ideas and creates new original ideas.

    The best practices for the Alternatives idea multiplier technique are:

    1. Frame up the activity by telling people they are association geniuses and are capable of creating many alternatives. 
    2. Do a fun priming warm-up, asking people to generate as many alternative uses for an everyday object, like a shoe or a phone.
    3. Encourage people to work quickly by not overthinking. 
    4. Have the 3 alternative questions visible for everyone, so they stay focused.
    5. Use a timer and have a time limit.
    Gap filling

    Gap-filling is a powerful way to help strengthen existing ideas and create new ones.
    The reality is there will be gaps in the ideas that people generated earlier in the session. By filling the gaps, we create superior solutions and new ideas simultaneously.

    There are two main gap-filling approaches you should use:

    1. Filling the gap between the idea and the outcome you're trying to achieve
    2. Filling the gap in the existing idea
    Here's how to put them into practice to exponentially increase the quality of your ideas:

    Have each person collect their best ideas from earlier in the session (one idea per post-it note).
    Using one existing idea at a time, internally ask yourself the following question:
    • What ideas can I generate to fill the gap between this idea and the outcome we're trying to achieve?
    Now write out as many ideas as possible to fill the gap between the idea and outcome (one idea per post-it note).
    Repeat the activity for other top ideas.

    Next, look over your top existing ideas and ask yourself the following question:
    • What ideas can I create to fill the gap in this existing idea?
    Now write out as many ideas as possible to fill the gap between the idea and outcome (one idea per post-it note).
    Repeat the activity for other top ideas.

    Using the gap-filling multiplier method quickly generates multiple improvements to the base ideas and creates new original ideas. It means higher quality, higher quantity and higher results.

    Best practices for the Gap filling idea multiplier are:

    1. Frame up that in this activity, you're looking for ideas to improve the ideas by addressing shortcomings and filling the missing gaps.
    2. Explain that you are not looking for one perfect fix but rather rapid repairs (think of a duct tape repair on the fly).
    3. Create a time limit and use a timer.
    4. Don't overthink it. Look for the apparent gap and the first few ideas to fix it.

    Want to see what outsourcing and execution hacks we use with our clients? I have created the world's most comprehensive innovation program that can help you to accelerate your business results by mastering low-risk innovation to get more money, gain industry recognition, and be in demand. Find out more about The Breakthrough Innovator Program here.

    Want to see what outsourcing and execution hacks we use with our clients? I have created the world's most comprehensive innovation program that can help you to accelerate your business results by mastering low-risk innovation to get more money, gain industry recognition, and be in demand. Find out more about The Breakthrough Innovator Program here.

    Now You Try It
    Are you going to be linear or exponential? 

    If exponential idea generation is your thing, I’ve put together a step-by-step idea generation flywheel checklist to help you get started.
    So you don’t get overwhelmed, I recommend you:

    1. Download the checklist.
    2. DELETE any items you don’t think are a good fit for your business.
    3. ADD any items you think are a good fit for your business.

    If you’re just starting out with running idea generation sessions: Start by using only a couple of prompts and one multiplier. Build up your experience with a couple of the techniques versus attempting to use all at once. The checklist will help make sure you have the room set up. DO NOT omit doing the room set up, otherwise you will be shooting yourself in the foot and limiting the number of ideas you can generate. Doing one thing well, is more important than doing everything poorly.

    If you’re more experienced with running ideation sessions: Focus on mastering the idea generation multipliers to amplify your results. Challenge yourself to reduce the time for the sessions and be surprised at how many more  quality ideas are generated in less time.

    As you use the idea generation flywheel, more and more people will start to see how effective it is, and consequently your solutions and results will accelerate.

    Now I’d like to hear from you:

    • Which idea generation multipliers are you going to try first?
    • Are you starting out, and going to focus on just one multiplier?
    • Or are you ready to take your content promotion game to the next-level with all three multipliers?

      Either way, let me know by sending us some feedback at nils@ideaswithlegs.com.
       

    Good luck!

    Nils Vesk
    March 01, 2023

    Now You Try It
    Are you going to be linear or exponential? 

    If exponential idea generation is your thing, I’ve put together a step-by-step idea generation flywheel checklist to help you get started.
    So you don’t get overwhelmed, I recommend you:

    1. Download the checklist.
    2. DELETE any items you don’t think are a good fit for your business.
    3. ADD any items you think are a good fit for your business.

    If you’re just starting out with running idea generation sessions: Start by using only a couple of prompts and one multiplier. Build up your experience with a couple of the techniques versus attempting to use all at once. The checklist will help make sure you have the room set up. DO NOT omit doing the room set up, otherwise you will be shooting yourself in the foot and limiting the number of ideas you can generate. Doing one thing well, is more important than doing everything poorly.

    If you’re more experienced with running ideation sessions: Focus on mastering the idea generation multipliers to amplify your results. Challenge yourself to reduce the time for the sessions and be surprised at how many more  quality ideas are generated in less time.

    As you use the idea generation flywheel, more and more people will start to see how effective it is, and consequently your solutions and results will accelerate.

    Now I’d like to hear from you:

    • Which idea generation multipliers are you going to try first?
    • Are you starting out, and going to focus on just one multiplier?
    • Or are you ready to take your content promotion game to the next-level with all three multipliers?

      Either way, let me know by sending us some feedback at nils@ideaswithlegs.com.
       

    Good luck!
    Nils
    Nils Vesk

    
About Nils Vesk


    He's the founder of Ideas With Legs.

    His  clients call him a Reinvention Renegade. Nils Vesk is an international authority on innovation and the inventor of the ‘Innovation Archetypes Process’.

    Around the globe, leading companies such as Nestle, HP & Pfizer turn to Nils to share his proven innovation techniques for formulating commercial insights, ideas, extraordinary customer experiences and irresistible products.

    Nils unpacks the million-dollar innovation principles used to create rapid growth for the future.

    Nils is the author of a number of books including "Ideas With Legs - How to Create Brilliant Ideas and Bring Them to Life", and "Innovation Archetypes - Principles for World Class Innovation".

    
About Nils Vesk

    He's the founder of Ideas With Legs.

    His  clients call him a Reinvention Renegade. Nils Vesk is an international authority on innovation and the inventor of the ‘Innovation Archetypes Process’.

    Around the globe, leading companies such as Nestle, HP & Pfizer turn to Nils to share his proven innovation techniques for formulating commercial insights, ideas, extraordinary customer experiences and irresistible products.

    Nils unpacks the million-dollar innovation principles used to create rapid growth for the future.

    Nils is the author of a number of books including "The Reinvention Sprint", "Ideas With Legs - How to Create Brilliant Ideas and Bring Them to Life", and "Innovation Archetypes - Principles for World Class Innovation".

    We've helped these renowned firms and many more

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