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Netcheck

By Garry Platt (November 2007 Issue)
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http://www.brainstorming.co.uk/contents.html
I can remember, not very long ago – about five or six years – when someone contributed to the UKHRD Zone and suggested that we refrain from using the word ‘brainstorming’, as it was no longer appropriate. It was the first time I had ever encountered this kind of rank dogma masquerading as political correctness.

The argument, if you can call it that, was that people who experience epilepsy could be offended by this term. I contacted the British Epilepsy Association to get their take on this and also posted questions on three epilepsy-related discussion forums. Nobody could the follow the reasoning behind this suggestion and no-one could see how a reasonable person could be offended by it.

Since then I have encountered the same suggestion made by various representatives from some organisations, typically public or government bodies. On each occasion I have asked if they find the term potentially offensive – to date no-one has – and when I asked why they promote the idea, they didn’t have a satisfactory answer.

So, long live brainstorming! And at this point I would like to introduce a website dedicated to the subject.

Brainstorming.co.uk actually promotes a piece of software that facilitates brainstorming. But, running alongside this is a large array of links and associated content covering virtually every aspect of the brainstorming technique.

I’ve put on the site ideas and suggestions for brainstorming, and running a formal brainstorming session. There is also a collection of articles, journals and magazines on the process of brainstorming, and recommended reading.

A particularly interesting link takes you to a random word generator. Here you can use this tool to invigorate a creative thinking session by introducing tangential ideas and concepts. It’s a novel idea and, with the increasing presence of Wi-Fi and broadband in the classroom, it should be a viable option for the facilitator/trainer to employ.

One of the really powerful and useful sections of this website is one dedicated to training and learning how to run a brainstorming session. It provides comprehensive guidance. The key methods, variants and knowledge gained here would ensure anyone completing this section would have a firm and positive grasp on this creative thinking technique. So detailed are the entries here, it even explains what flipcharts are (I been wondering for years!)

http://www.crnhq.org/cr_trainers_manual.htm
Conflict resolution (CR) at the individual and organisational level is a common approach and the training of skills in this area is fairly frequent and common. For those wishing to introduce CR or employ its techniques on their own programmes, this website is an absolute must to visit. It contains complete lesson plans, trainer notes and guidance on delivery. The material is free, provided the attribution is left untouched. For anyone involved in the development of this kind of training, it is an absolutely fantastic resource.

http://www.innovationtools.com/index.asp
As an adjunct to the main website referenced in this month’s article, Innovation Tool’s website contains interesting articles, links and some creativity strategies which make it worth visiting.

Garry Platt is a senior consultant at Woodland Grange, specialising in management development and trainer training. He can be contacted on +44 (0) 1926 336621 or at garry.platt@wgrange.com

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