Several brainstorming books and hypnosis CDs for creativity activities are available these days. But then, there are other ways to seek inspiration while working with other people without using all these. Here we have some ways of working with others. The more classic solution is trying to set up and building a formal creativity session. One of the advantages of having a training course or a problem solving workshop is that is ‘allows’ the participants to leave their normal duties and responsibilities on hold for a while, to focus on a certain topic or issue. Note that aside from the fact that it provides a "representative” space, it also gives a physical and tangible place or location where traditional methods on creativity activities take place.
This ‘allowing’ element might be unclear in methods where the participants don’t come together physically. An example of this is the postal method—where people work together over some computer systems. Delegating creativity activities. There might be certain times when you have to “borrow” some substitute creative time from a social network of reliable family, friends, colleagues and even consultants and you have to ask them to assist you in solving your problem for you. Let’s face it. There may be trying times in your very hectic schedule when you are plagued by extreme pressure, stress, anxiety, upcoming deadlines or fatigue and there would be others who are not.
There is no shame in accepting the fact that you need another person’s help. It could even boost and strengthen friendly bonding and camaraderie with one another. Who knows? Someday he may need your valuable help when the need arises, and when the time comes, of course you would be willing to accept and return the favor, right? Developing tactics in ‘guerilla’ creativity. As leaner as several organizations become, the formal creativity sessions become more difficult to set up because the opportunity cost of such sessions increases. One solution for this is to interleave a type of ‘scattered creativity’ into other activities.
In this manner, you would not be able to use the more detailed formal techniques, so you just have to incorporate creative activity practices prudently into your conversations in ways that are almost inconspicuous. For example, if you are unable to hold a formal brainstorming session with a few colleagues, maybe you could combine an aspect of brainstorming into your next few hallway chitchats, lunch breaks or bus journeys. By setting these creativity activities to be on the back of your activities, the added time-cost assigned especially to creativity could be in a lesser degree. Sometimes in a very ordinary situation, some sparks of creativity could arise.
Here is one idea for that. One basic procedure of guerilla creativity –In and Out listening. The next time you are faced with a problem you want ideas for, try adopting ‘in and out’ thinking by practicing to listen in one-to-one context. First and foremost, listen closely and intently so that your partner feels at ease with you and begins to open up, leading to their own train of thinking. Now as you are listening, try also to let your inventiveness soar and fly around to whatever your partner is saying, both hearing them and let yourself create relations between your own problems and their words.
You could be able to acquire quite favorable ideas from common talks if it works well. This could prove a very good strategy when sitting and relaxing in alfresco cafes and bars where there abound various welcoming distractions.
The author of this article Amy Twain is a Self Improvement Coach who has been successfully coaching and guiding clients for many years. Amy recently decided to go public and share her knowledge and experience through her website http://www.innerzine.com. You can sign up for her free newsletter and join her coaching program.