Tuesday, May 24, 2011

TBKC Live Blog: From Zero to Innovation in 60 Minutes or Less

I wasn't sure what to expect at Tamara Christensen's From Zero to Innovation in 60 Minutes or Less, but I sure wasn't prepared for what I saw...and most importantly...for what I tasted!

In the session, Tamara discussed the 9 tools to creativity.  The nine tools are:

1.  Memorable intros.  Tamara demonstrated this tool by making all of the people in the room introduce themselves by telling one another their favorite smell.  Fresh cut grass, brownies right out of the oven, and even laundry exhaust were discussed.  And I now remember every single person's face and their favorite smell.

2.  Cognitive offroading.  Get off of the normal path.  Take a different route to work.  Think in a different way.

3.  Use visual and kinesthetic storytelling...not just auditory!

4.  Find the problem first, not the solution.

5.  Use problem framing with divergent and convergent thinking.

6.  Forget about yourself.  Ask yourself how others will solve your problem.  What would Oprah do?  What would Bill Rancic do?  What would your mom do?  What would nature do?

7.  Find forced connections.  Find a similarity between two completely dissimilar things.

8.  Praise first.  Acknowledge people for their creativity.

9.  Use shapely reflection upon finding a solution to your problem.  Triangle = three things that stand out to you.  Square = one thing that squares away with you.  Circle = what things are still circulating and questioned in your mind.

My favorite part of the presentation was when Tamara asked us to place a small square of chocolate in our mouths.  We were to have it sit on our tongue until it completely melted away.  About 10 seconds after placing the chocolate in my mouth, my tongue started to explode.  Little did I know that my chocolate had Pop Rocks inside of it!  Other participants had cayenne pepper chocolate and caramelized ginger chocolate.  Everyone in the audience was surprised at the taste.  It allowed our brains to think outside the box.  It helped me realize that sometimes, the unexpected happens.  It let me think creatively.

Thanks, Tamara for an awesome TBKC session!  To learn more from Tamara, stay tuned.  This summer, she will be hosting a Creativity Camp for grown-ups at our own bizperc location!

Think Big!!

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