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	<title>creativity &#8211; Creative Sensei</title>
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		<title>Creators &#8211; Terri Nakamura &#8220;Blogging on Instagram&#8221;</title>
		<link>https://creativesensei.com/creators/terri-nakamura/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2022 14:51:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[book authors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creators]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[instagram]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>Terri Nakamura is a millenial in a boomer's body. She was quick to embrace Instagram, be called an Influencer, go back to college and write a book "Blogging on Instagram" when her peer group is thinking about retiring. In our conversation we talk about social media, book writing, creative blocks and more. This time is [...]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com/creators/terri-nakamura/">Creators &#8211; Terri Nakamura &#8220;Blogging on Instagram&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com">Creative Sensei</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Terri Nakamura is a millenial in a boomer&#8217;s body. She was quick to embrace Instagram, be called an Influencer, go back to college and write a book &#8220;Blogging on Instagram&#8221; when her peer group is thinking about retiring. In our conversation we talk about social media, book writing, creative blocks and more. This time is audio only.</p>
<p>Before you dive in, make sure to scroll down later to grab your copy of the Instagram guide Terri has created for the readers of this blog. I hope you enjoy it!</p>
<div class="video-shortcode"><iframe title="JTPR Creators - Terri Nakamura Blogging on Instagram" width="1380" height="776" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zJVPB4zSDPM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h3>The Author</h3>
<p>Terri Nakamura is a successful entrepreneur, content creator, and award-winning graphic designer. She’s an early adopter of social media and has been a technology influencer, a social media influencer for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and was named one of the 100 most influential tech women on Twitter by Business Insider. Terri recognized the potential of using Instagram as a blogging platform, leading her to write her first book on the subject, Blogging On Instagram: Engagement Writing On One of the World’s Best Social Media Platforms.</p>
<p>Terri lives in Seattle in a 130-year-old Victorian house with her cats Hunter and Grey, and her husband Kahuna Dave. In addition to writing, designing and keeping up with social media, she is co-founder and President of Alki Surf Shop, Seattle.</p>
<h3>The Book</h3>
<p>“If you are a writer, blogger or social media marketer, you will find blogging on Instagram the most gratifying channel for expression and interaction.”</p>
<p>Most of us see Instagram strictly as a tool for sharing photo or video content but, after blogging for many years, author Terri Nakamura noticed that her blog-style posts on Instagram would consistently deliver increased feedback and engagement. Realizing an opportunity, Terri moved to curate more long-format content for Instagram, finding success and genuine connections along the way.</p>
<p>Blogging on Instagram: Engagement Writing on One of the World’s Best Social Media Platforms is your personal guide to effective engagement writing on Instagram. Meticulously detailed and descriptive, the book teaches how to craft images and captions to foster real interaction; growing your follower base organically while consistently delivering value to fans. Terri brings in research from social media industry leaders as well as the voices of influencers both large and small who love using Instagram to blog. Explore their stories and more as Terri invites you into the world of blogging on Instagram.</p>
<h3>Get the book here</h3>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/3sFrSxP">Blogging on Instagram: Engagement Writing on One of the World’s Best Social Media Platforms</a> &#8212;  (affiliate link, if you use it, you pay the same price but I get a small fee that helps support this project)</p>
<h3>The Gift</h3>
<p>Here is the generous gift from Terri Nakamura to all readers of this blog. She has created this Instagram guide exclusively for you, to help you make the most of Instagram as a creator. If you find it useful, please spread the word and follow @terrinakamura in her digital homeland (Instagram).</p>
<p><a href="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Begoña-Pino-—-©-Terri-Nakamura-giveaway-R1-.pdf">Begoña Pino — © Terri Nakamura giveaway R1</a></p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Contact Terri Nakamura</h3>
<ul>
<li>Web: https://www.terrinakamura.com/</li>
<li>Instagram: @terrinakamura</li>
<li>links: https://linktre.ee/terrinakamura</li>
<li>email: terri.nakamura@gmail.com</li>
<li>phone: 206.973.7291(Seattle, US)</li>
</ul>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com/creators/terri-nakamura/">Creators &#8211; Terri Nakamura &#8220;Blogging on Instagram&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com">Creative Sensei</a>.</p>
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		<title>Top five activities to boost your team creativity</title>
		<link>https://creativesensei.com/tool/boost-team-creativity/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Mar 2022 18:21:29 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[process]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tool]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brainstorming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[braiwriting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ideation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[improvisation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[play]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[storytelling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[team]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://creativesensei.com/?p=1637</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>If you want to boost your team creativity but feel overwhelmed with too many options, you are not alone. There are tons of creativity techniques which you may find in classic books like Michael Michalko’s Thinkertoys, Gray’s Gamestorming, or almost any book by Edward de Bono. You can activate team creativity in so many ways [...]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com/tool/boost-team-creativity/">Top five activities to boost your team creativity</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com">Creative Sensei</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you want to boost your team creativity but feel overwhelmed with too many options, you are not alone. There are tons of creativity techniques which you may find in classic books like Michael Michalko’s <a href="https://amzn.to/3Lbr0aL"><i>Thinkertoys</i></a>, Gray’s <a href="https://amzn.to/3wux6iu"><i>Gamestorming</i></a>, or almost any book by <a href="https://amzn.to/3wys1pc">Edward de Bono</a>. You can activate team creativity in so many ways it is easy to get lost.</p>
<p><strong>Here you can find the top five activities to guide your first steps activating your team creativity: improvisation, story dice, provocation, brain-writing and SCAMPER. These cover playful approaches to warmup the creative muscles, generate and expand disruptive ideas.</strong></p>
<p>I have included them in my book <a href="https://jointheplayfulrevolution.com">Join The Playful Revolution</a> &#8211; How To Bring Creativity and Play to the Workplace, where you can find some more detailed descriptions of some techniques such as brain-writing. You will also find a couple of bonus techniques not included in the book, for your eyes only. I hope you find these useful.</p>
<p>By the way, if you are looking at ways to facilitate group creativity in a remote setting, her you may find some useful information: <a href="https://creativesensei.com/creativity/remote-team-creativity/">Remote Team Creativity.</a></p>
<p>(Note: Some of the references in this article may contain affiliate links, which means if you buy the product you are supporting this project with a small commission at no cost for you).</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b>Activity 1: Improvisation “Yes, and”</b></h3>
<p>I borrowed this technique from improv comedy (<a href="https://amzn.to/3DgsQ7x">Hough, 2011</a>).<strong> A very important principle is that in improv comedy, they expect you to make your teammates look good. This, in exchange, builds trust. And it requires empathy too.</strong></p>
<p>The technique I use basically consists of one participant starting to build a story with any statement. It can be something mundane, the first thing they did that morning, for example.</p>
<p><a href="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Improv-team-creativity.1.png"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1650" src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Improv-team-creativity.1-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Improv-team-creativity.1-200x150.png 200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Improv-team-creativity.1-300x225.png 300w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Improv-team-creativity.1-400x300.png 400w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Improv-team-creativity.1-600x450.png 600w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Improv-team-creativity.1-768x576.png 768w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Improv-team-creativity.1-800x600.png 800w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Improv-team-creativity.1-1024x768.png 1024w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Improv-team-creativity.1-1200x900.png 1200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Improv-team-creativity.1-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<ul>
<li>Participant 1: “This morning, when I woke up, I did not want to get up because I felt terribly tired”</li>
</ul>
<p>Then, the next participant continues by saying “<i>Yes, and xxx”,</i> and so on.</p>
<ul>
<li>Participant 2: “Yes and, I slammed the alarm clock across the room when it rang”</li>
<li>Participant 3: “Yes and, because it was summer, I had left the window open”</li>
<li>Participant 4: “Yes and, the alarm clock fell through the window all the way to the ground”</li>
</ul>
<p>The last participant will say “<i>Yes, and YYY</i>”, but will try to close the story.</p>
<ul>
<li>Participant 5: “Yes and, I live on a second floor, and I heard somebody whining and cursing, so I switched the light off”</li>
</ul>
<p>The whole point here is to build on your predecessor by adding to the story. This approach will neutralize the “<i>Yes, but</i>” attitude you may find when offering a new idea. The rule requires that you accept your partner’s proposition as is, and add value to it. No “But”, just “And”.</p>
<p>If you have created an initial story with a team, using the “Yes, and” framework, then you can challenge them with variations, depending on time availability:</p>
<ul>
<li>Retell the story in half the time, which will force you to leave things out.</li>
<li>“I woke up very tired”</li>
<li>“and, I slammed the clock”</li>
<li>“and, the window was open”</li>
<li>“and, the clock fell through”</li>
<li>“and, nobody died”</li>
<li>Retell the story to foreigners, or five-year-old children (which may require you to double up on expressivity). Do you want to try it?</li>
</ul>
<p>Apart from the benefits of fostering collaboration, by active listening and communicating, this technique develops storytelling and creativity on the spot. To me it is one of the most complete of all.</p>
<p>If you do this periodically, you may find that you interiorize the principles and it will transfer to how you receive everyone else’s idea in a day-to-day context. This is the very essence of a safe environment to innovate. It is also cheap, easy and fun.</p>
<h3><b>Activity 2: Story dice for everything</b></h3>
<p><strong>You can use improv as an icebreaker on its own, and in combination with story dice, using the dice images as a story prompt.</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dice_team-creativity.2.png"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1649" src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dice_team-creativity.2-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dice_team-creativity.2-200x150.png 200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dice_team-creativity.2-300x225.png 300w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dice_team-creativity.2-400x300.png 400w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dice_team-creativity.2-600x450.png 600w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dice_team-creativity.2-768x576.png 768w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dice_team-creativity.2-800x600.png 800w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dice_team-creativity.2-1024x768.png 1024w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dice_team-creativity.2-1200x900.png 1200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/dice_team-creativity.2-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>I first came across story dice when looking at games and agile retrospectives. Many people were using <a href="https://amzn.to/35bSE8k">Rory Story Cubes</a>, a set of nine dice with different icons in them, representing basic concepts (foot, face, light bulb, etc). There are alternatives of different brands, and you can make your own with permanent markers over blank dice, or DIY paper dice too. Dave Birss has created a free beautifully designed <a href="https://davebirss.com/storydice/">online set for remote sessions</a>, that lets you choose between five or nine dice.</p>
<p><strong>Teams are using story dice in retrospectives, when talking about the past project or sprint, but also for planning the next stage or the future of the team.</strong> You can draw some inspiration from Sumit Sethi’s approach that he shared in a <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/retrospective-using-rorys-story-cubes-management-30-practices-sethi/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Aarticle_reader_index_index%3Bbbf215f0-5830-46b1-b795-a164bb0e4ef3">Linkedin post</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li>People take turns rolling four normal dice. If they get a six, they get to roll the story dice.</li>
<li>The storyteller throws all nine dice from the set and has to use at least five to tell their story. They will share their life during the project or sprint, and it can be positive or about something that needs improvement, or both.</li>
<li>They play until everyone has told a story.</li>
</ul>
<p>Although it worked for Sumit’s team, many people may be caught by surprise the first time. <strong>Using them playfully first, as an icebreaker, makes everyone familiar with the mechanics of the dice and storytelling.</strong> Later they can then focus on the project stories when using them in a retrospective.</p>
<p>Some dice based icebreakers could be:</p>
<ul>
<li>Throw the dice and pick one to share some anecdote from your childhood. This allows teams to get familiar with visual metaphors and stories, as well as getting to know each other.</li>
<li>In groups of three, throw three dice and each person will tell a story based on the image. Person One, will tell the beginning, Person Two, will continue it, and Person Three will finish it. The challenge is linking the image to the overall story. This is also performed using the “Yes, and” approach. It builds listening and creativity, and makes for fun stories without fear.</li>
<li>The whole team tells a story with one dice each. You need to divide the group in three sections, so section one tells the beginning, section two, the middle, and section three, the end. In this case, you are creating a collective story, with a very diverse pool of storytellers. This exercise is basically the improv exercise mentioned earlier, but using the randomness of the dice to make it even more challenging (and fun).</li>
</ul>
<p>This is a combined exercise that develops creativity, story-telling, empathy, collaboration and visual language skills. If you were to use only one practical activity from this book, this should be it.</p>
<h3><b>Activity 3: Provocation</b></h3>
<p><a href="https://www.academia.edu/26700885/De_Bonos_Provocation_Technique">Provocation</a> is a technique very well documented by Edward de Bono, with several variations. My favorite one is to <strong>take a regular and true statement, and transform it into something radical, exaggerated, inverted or impossible:</strong> i.e., regular statement “companies have employees” → provocation “a company without employees” (I know, there are several types, it is just an example).</p>
<p><a href="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/provocation-team-creativity.3.png"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1651" src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/provocation-team-creativity.3-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/provocation-team-creativity.3-200x150.png 200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/provocation-team-creativity.3-300x225.png 300w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/provocation-team-creativity.3-400x300.png 400w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/provocation-team-creativity.3-600x450.png 600w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/provocation-team-creativity.3-768x576.png 768w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/provocation-team-creativity.3-800x600.png 800w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/provocation-team-creativity.3-1024x768.png 1024w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/provocation-team-creativity.3-1200x900.png 1200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/provocation-team-creativity.3-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://comein.uoc.edu/divulgacio/comein/es/numero76/articles/creatividad-masiva.html">Anouk Suñer-Rabaud</a>, in the course material of Creative Thinking at Universidad Oberta de Cataluña, suggests other examples: “S<i>kates are hammered on the floor”, “students teach the teacher.” </i>You then get these statements to generate ideas that will make the statement true. What can we create/do for that statement to be true? i.e. following the example “a company without employees” &#8211;&gt; “a company that hires freelancers”.</p>
<p>Instead of having to generate hundred of ideas in order to get the obvious ones out of the way, these provocations open more original paths, short-cutting the process a little.</p>
<p>You can use this technique for your individual thinking, but it can be introduced right before any ideation session to get people in disruptive mode. It is a good primer to take people out of their standard way of thinking.</p>
<h3><b>Activity 4: Brainwriting</b></h3>
<p>Let’s assume that you know the essence of <a href="https://www.regent.edu/journal/journal-of-transformative-innovation/the-history-of-brainstorming-alex-osborn/">brainstorming</a> (that is: a group of people calling out ideas, while someone is taking notes, and yes, you are expected to suspend judgement&#8230;). The technique is credited to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241731623_Creative_reflections_on_brainstorming">Alex Osborn</a>. This format tends to favor the most vocal types during the idea generation phase. Also, when it is time to vote, if done on sight, there might be some pressure to vote for the idea of the boss or the dominant voices.</p>
<p><a href="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/brainwriting-team-creativity.4.png"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1648" src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/brainwriting-team-creativity.4-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/brainwriting-team-creativity.4-200x150.png 200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/brainwriting-team-creativity.4-300x225.png 300w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/brainwriting-team-creativity.4-400x300.png 400w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/brainwriting-team-creativity.4-600x450.png 600w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/brainwriting-team-creativity.4-768x576.png 768w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/brainwriting-team-creativity.4-800x600.png 800w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/brainwriting-team-creativity.4-1024x768.png 1024w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/brainwriting-team-creativity.4-1200x900.png 1200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/brainwriting-team-creativity.4-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>To save the hassle, and have everyone be engaged and contributing, you can run a quick brain-writing session instead:</p>
<ul>
<li>Your participants should be equipped with sticky notes and thick, black permanent markers.</li>
<li>They need to be instructed to write one idea per sticky note and in capital letters.</li>
<li>You set the timer up (three to five minutes), get everyone ready, and go.</li>
<li>They collect their sticky notes after time is up, and put them up on the wall.</li>
<li>Now you give them time to organize, take away duplicates, categorize.</li>
<li>And finally, you give them a few dots to vote for their favorite ideas. For 3-6 participants, 3 dots per person would be enough, maybe 4-5 if they are 8-10 participants.</li>
</ul>
<p>And all can be done in silence.</p>
<p><strong>This technique evens up the participation. You get lots of ideas in a very short period of time, and there is no time wasted arguing about meaningless points. You also obtain a rough evaluation /selection of ideas.</strong> There are more sophisticated techniques to evaluate ideas, like an impact/viability matrix (or more like return/costs in the business world) but, depending on context, you get a quick and dirty first set of promising ideas.</p>
<p>Now, this technique works at any level of the hierarchy. I know it is a speedy process and some ideas or concepts might benefit from a little further discussion. Your participants may need that time, so you may consider planning your session with a little ‘free time’ for that spontaneous discussion to take place. Alternatively, just as you voted on preferred ideas, you may let people vote on ideas they would like to discuss further, and give them time to do just that.</p>
<h3><b>Activity 5: SCAMPER</b></h3>
<p>When you do a quick brain-writing or brainstorming session, you first go after the low hanging fruit. Since there is some time pressure, you suggest the first things that come to mind. Invariably, those tend to be the ideas that are most obvious. The more you dig, the more variety you find. That is why originality is a numbers game: the more ideas, the most likelihood of original thinking.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318018918_The_SCAMPER_Technique">SCAMPER</a> is an acronym created by Bob Eberle that summarizes certain actions used in the technique: substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate, reverse.</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/scamper-team-creativity.5.png"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1652" src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/scamper-team-creativity.5-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/scamper-team-creativity.5-200x150.png 200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/scamper-team-creativity.5-300x225.png 300w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/scamper-team-creativity.5-400x300.png 400w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/scamper-team-creativity.5-600x450.png 600w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/scamper-team-creativity.5-768x576.png 768w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/scamper-team-creativity.5-800x600.png 800w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/scamper-team-creativity.5-1024x768.png 1024w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/scamper-team-creativity.5-1200x900.png 1200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/scamper-team-creativity.5-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>This technique starts with a product or idea and explores it systematically, by going over every action, with several questions, and coming up with several answers. For example, if we start with a frying pan:</p>
<ul>
<li><b>Substitute</b>. What can I substitute? The handle, the frying side, the screw that keeps them together&#8230; What do I substitute if for? The handle, with a clamp (something to hold it with), the frying side, with a metallic lid.</li>
<li><b>Combine</b>. What can I combine it with? Maybe an attached stove or oil dispenser.</li>
<li><b>Adapt</b>. How can I adapt it? Vertical handle for very small kitchens.</li>
<li><b>Modify</b>. What can I modify or magnify? Changing the shape to make star-shaped fried eggs&#8230;or make it extensible.</li>
<li><b>Put to another use</b>. Use it to add some weight on top of a sandwich that is on another pan.</li>
<li><b>Eliminate</b>. What can you remove? The handle. By making sure the exterior always remains cold, you can pick it up by hand.</li>
<li><b>Reverse</b>. What can you invert or reorder? First thought: using the handle to heat things up&#8230; that is, making a handle that can contain liquid and is fire resistant, so you can heat the handle up.</li>
</ul>
<p>With this systematic approach, we are generating ideas on demand (deliberate creativity), regardless of our own perceived sense of creative skill. It is a creative confidence builder, and a good training exercise. But if we start from an initial provocation round, people may loosen up a bit and become more adventurous in their propositions. Of course, being a tool, it is not compulsory to use all the verbs (all the steps described by the acronym), but a little full practice may be helpful at the beginning.</p>
<p>This technique is both suited to individuals and teams, and mixes very well with provocation.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>BONUS 1 : <b>Teamstorming </b></h3>
<p>Juan Prego, author of the book “<a href="https://amzn.to/3IwUDS5">Teamstorming</a>”, gives his own touch to systematic group-storming. In the book he provides a unique blueprint with up to six rounds, <strong>generating ideas</strong> individually, using sticky notes and the rule “one idea in one sticky note”. In every round, each participant moves to another section of the wall and starts from the sticky notes that the earlier participant left there. It follows some of the actions of SCAMPER, but the book gives you the blueprint of the whole session, which also includes a few idea evaluation steps.</p>
<p><a href="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/teamstorming.-team-creativity.6.png"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1654" src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/teamstorming.-team-creativity.6-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/teamstorming.-team-creativity.6-200x150.png 200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/teamstorming.-team-creativity.6-300x225.png 300w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/teamstorming.-team-creativity.6-400x300.png 400w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/teamstorming.-team-creativity.6-600x450.png 600w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/teamstorming.-team-creativity.6-768x576.png 768w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/teamstorming.-team-creativity.6-800x600.png 800w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/teamstorming.-team-creativity.6-1024x768.png 1024w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/teamstorming.-team-creativity.6-1200x900.png 1200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/teamstorming.-team-creativity.6-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>I have facilitated a session like this with a small group of 4 business development people, who generated more than 100 ideas in 15 minutes. You need at least 3 people to make it work, but it is a format that can be easily scaled up. I have run a session with more than 30 people and it went smoothly.</p>
<p>In his book, Juan moves from ideation to an <strong>evaluation stage</strong>. The first step involves voting for the favorite ideas, if there are too many. Then, the selected ones are placed on a matrix according to their level of originality and applicability. Aiming to be disruptive, he adds a step where the most original ideas that are least applicable get a little think through to make them applicable. You ask “How can we make this possible?”. Finally, depending on the goal, you select an area of the matrix to take action on, more evolutive or disruptive.</p>
<h3><b>BONUS 2: Six thinking hats </b></h3>
<p>The technique <a href="https://amzn.to/3tAe0p3">Six Thinking Hats</a> was developed by Edward de Bono in a book by the same name and it has been applied to corporate meetings all over the world. Although it can also be used for generating ideas, I find it specially useful to enhance the winning propositions. I would use it after the core of the ideation has taken place and you have selected a small set of winning ideas. Then you apply this technique to each and everyone of the finalists to enrich the information and challenge potential caveats.</p>
<p><a href="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sixhats-team-creativity.7.png"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1653" src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sixhats-team-creativity.7-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sixhats-team-creativity.7-200x150.png 200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sixhats-team-creativity.7-300x225.png 300w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sixhats-team-creativity.7-400x300.png 400w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sixhats-team-creativity.7-600x450.png 600w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sixhats-team-creativity.7-768x576.png 768w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sixhats-team-creativity.7-800x600.png 800w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sixhats-team-creativity.7-1024x768.png 1024w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sixhats-team-creativity.7-1200x900.png 1200w, https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sixhats-team-creativity.7-1536x1152.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p><strong>The technique involves the team sequentially discussing the idea focusing in different aspects, according to a given hat color they are wearing (figuratively, or literally):</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><b>White</b>: is the hat of the facts, data and information. You may want to add factual information you have about the idea, or voice concerns about the data you don´t yet have. It refers to what you know.</li>
<li><b>Red</b>: is the hat of feelings and emotions. You empathize with the possible recipient of the idea, or how it will make you feel executing it. It refers to what you/or the user feel.</li>
<li><b>Green</b>: is the hat of the new ideas. With this hat, you may propose or enumerate the most disruptive ideas of the ideation phase. If you are using the technique as ‘standalone’, then this is brainstorming time.</li>
<li><b>Black</b>: this is the negative hat. You find everything that is wrong with the idea. However, instead of dwelling in it, you have to tweak the idea to overcome the cons. This is a critical hat to make a better case for the idea, so I perceive it as a positive contribution in the process.</li>
<li><b>Yellow</b>: this is the positive hat. You find all the benefits of the idea, assuming everything will go well. With this hat, you find the core value proposition for the idea.</li>
<li><b>Blue</b>: is a big picture and organizational hat. On one hand, it means to manage the session, make sure you go through all points, everyone contributes, but also, that it makes sense, that the final ‘proposal’ includes all parts.</li>
</ul>
<p>You can use it individually, as a systematic evaluation tool or in teams. When in teams, you can either assign everyone a different hat, and have a turn to express their views, or you can get the whole team visit each hat and contributing to that perspective. The latter will have a lot of educational value, since we know who are the always optimistic and the eternal critic.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Books &amp; resources</h3>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/3Lbr0aL"><i>Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko</i></a></p>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/3wux6iu"><i>Gamestorming</i></a>, by Sunny Gray</p>
<p>Lateral Thinking <a href="https://amzn.to/3wys1pc">Edward de Bono</a></p>
<p id="title" class="a-spacing-none a-text-normal"><span id="productTitle" class="a-size-extra-large"><a href="https://amzn.to/3DgsQ7x">The Improvisation Edge</a>: Secrets to Building Trust and Radical Collaboration at Work </span>by Karen Houghes (2011)</p>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/3IwUDS5">Teamstorming</a> by Juan Prego &#8211; 2018 &#8211;</p>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/3tAe0p3">Six Thinking Hats</a> by Edward de Bono</p>
<p><a href="https://davebirss.com/storydice/">Online Story Dice</a> by Dave Birss</p>
<p>Rory Story Cubes &#8211;<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Eco-Blister-narraci%C3%B3n-historias-Divertido-jugadores/dp/B08T5NLF5S?__mk_es_US=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&amp;crid=1V7CU696FKE2&amp;keywords=rory%2Bstory%2Bcubes&amp;qid=1648145465&amp;s=toys-and-games-intl-ship&amp;sprefix=rory%2Bstory%2Bcubes%2Ctoys-and-games-intl-ship%2C187&amp;sr=1-2&amp;th=1&amp;linkCode=li2&amp;tag=creativesen04-20&amp;linkId=e9454c8b125a3ba815849c2e536bcc41&amp;language=es_US&amp;ref_=as_li_ss_il" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B08T5NLF5S&amp;Format=_SL160_&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;WS=1&amp;tag=creativesen04-20&amp;language=es_US" border="0" /></a><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=creativesen04-20&amp;language=es_US&amp;l=li2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B08T5NLF5S" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" /></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com/tool/boost-team-creativity/">Top five activities to boost your team creativity</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com">Creative Sensei</a>.</p>
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		<title>Creators: Carlos Carpizo &#8211; elevating humankind through tech and art</title>
		<link>https://creativesensei.com/creators/creators-carlos-carpizo/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jan 2022 15:17:29 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[book authors]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>Meet Carlos Carpizo, author of "At Risk of Greatness" and co-founder of Kosmos, the intersection of art, technology and opportunity. He talks about elevating human kind and more. The interview took place in Summer 2021 and it finally found its way to youtube. We talk about Carlos's purpose, as well as curiosity, creativity and play. [...]</p>
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]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Meet Carlos Carpizo, author of &#8220;At Risk of Greatness&#8221; and co-founder of Kosmos, the intersection of art, technology and opportunity. He talks about elevating human kind and more. The interview took place in Summer 2021 and it finally found its way to youtube.</p>
<p>We talk about Carlos&#8217;s purpose, as well as curiosity, creativity and play. You will meet a very warm business man making organizations more human. If you like what you see, go and buy his book, talk business or hire him to speak and share his message.</p>
<div class="video-shortcode"><iframe title="JPTR  - Book  Creators - Carlos Carpizo" width="1380" height="776" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YmLo3jGn2fI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>The Author</h3>
<p>Carlos Carpizo is a former technology executive, now entrepreneur passionate about social innovation. He is a GenXer. Mexican by birth and Texan by choice. Proud parent of two GenZers or iGens. His mission is to increase economic growth and social inclusion for young adults in disadvantaged areas of North America (US &amp; Mexico). Carlos is well known by his friends and family for being a failed artist so they’re grateful he was born in an era where he could put his abilities in the high technology space to good use. His boys, now men, are proud of him for having gotten his OCD and CEO style under control at home. His newfound best pal is his ‘grandpup’ Pookie.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>The book</h3>
<p>At Risk of Greatness is a book about a movement that is using new approaches to developing 21st century skills and abilities and, with it, a better life for disengaged young adults and communities. In this book, you&#8217;ll learn:</p>
<p>• About the importance of art to maintain our humanity in this age of accelerations and its intersection with technology.</p>
<p>• How smartphones are creating a slingshot effect with advanced technology.</p>
<p>• That a success mindset is vital to growth, regardless of your background.</p>
<p>• It’s not mandatory to go to college to achieve success in the 21st century as many alternative paths exist beyond a “traditional education.”</p>
<p>The book At Risk of Greatness will challenge you to think outside of the box when looking at our education systems and consider exciting alternatives to transform your community and the lives of young people.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>You can find the book here</h3>
<p>(Affiliate links, which means you get the same price but I get a small comision that helps support this project):</p>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/3GGO2oi">At Risk of greatness</a></p>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/3A8hCjY">Jóvenes en riesgo de Grandeza</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Gift</h3>
<p>Download a free chapter on curiosity courtesy of Carlos:</p>
<p><a href="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Curiosity_Ch7_AtRiskofGreatness_CarlosCarpizo.pdf">Curiosity_Ch7_AtRiskofGreatness_CarlosCarpizo</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Contact</h3>
<p>Contact Carlos Carpizo here:</p>
<p><strong>Book web</strong>: http://atriskofgreatness.org/</p>
<p><strong>Kosmos web</strong>: http://kosmosway.com/</p>
<p><strong>Speaker reel</strong>: https://www.youtube.com/c/carloscarpizo2021</p>
<p><strong>Phone</strong>: +1 682 593 6860</p>
<p><strong>Email</strong>: carlos.carpizo@coevolution.online</p>
<p><strong>Twitter</strong>: @CarpizoCarlos</p>
<p><strong>Instagram</strong>: @carpizocarlos</p>
<p><strong>Facebook</strong>: ccarpizo</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com/creators/creators-carlos-carpizo/">Creators: Carlos Carpizo &#8211; elevating humankind through tech and art</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com">Creative Sensei</a>.</p>
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		<title>Be present &#8211; an interview with Stephen Rasmussen</title>
		<link>https://creativesensei.com/creativity/be-present-an-interview-with-stephen-rasmussen/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2020 21:47:18 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>Stephen Rasmussen: photographer, martial arts teacher, artist, actor, graphic designer, meditator, and creator. I met Stephen years ago, at the Edinburgh University Shukokai Karate Club, and his personality and mine clicked almost instantly. We have kept in touch over the years and now we both live in Madrid, and are crative buddies. He is a [...]</p>
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]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<pre class="wp-block-verse">Stephen Rasmussen: photographer, martial arts teacher, artist, actor, graphic designer, meditator, and creator.</pre>



<p>I met Stephen years ago, at the Edinburgh University Shukokai Karate Club, and his personality and mine clicked almost instantly. We have kept in touch over the years and now we both live in Madrid, and are crative buddies.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D03AQGjrlX9sbvSbA/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/0?e=1595462400&amp;v=beta&amp;t=-hCFKqlWW7wT5gGfmYqstqmVyCuyLk6TchlvIr03MFE" alt="Stephen Rasmussen"/></figure>



<p>He is a creative person, and a master of Silat, a not very well known martial art, and who better than him to open this section of Creators in the blog by Creative Sensei.</p>



<p>I have broken down the interview in three sections, and will complete it with some summaries soon.</p>



<h2>Part 1</h2>



<ul><li>Childhood </li><li>Creativity </li><li>Practice </li><li>Work (vs. discipline)</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="video-shortcode"><iframe title="Creators SteveRasmussen part1" width="1380" height="776" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dfJ0Znwz-2o?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
</div></figure>



<h2>Part 2</h2>



<ul><li>photography </li><li>martial arts </li><li>painting </li><li>pottery</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="video-shortcode"><iframe title="Creators StephenRasmussen part2" width="1380" height="776" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lbS3xsQjyLo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
</div></figure>



<h2>Part 3</h2>



<ul><li>acting </li><li>chocolate (dopamine, and creativity)</li><li>future, being present, flow, challenge</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="video-shortcode"><iframe title="Creators StephenRasmussen part3" width="1380" height="776" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lv5h783kKrQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
</div></figure>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>Be present</p></blockquote>



<h2>Find Stephen</h2>



<ul><li>the photographer: <a href="https://www.stephenrasmussen.com/">https://www.stephenrasmussen.com/</a>  </li><li>the martial artist: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/artofsilat/">@artofsilat</a> (instagram)</li><li>the actor: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/salvadoragency/">@salvadoragency</a></li></ul>
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		<title>Remote team creativity</title>
		<link>https://creativesensei.com/creativity/remote-team-creativity/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2020 12:12:02 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>11th of April 2020 Distributed collaboration has existed for ever, but right now, due to global Covid-19 pandemic, many people have been thrown at the challenge to collaborate remotely in a visual manner. Here are some quick tips from CreativeSensei.com on how to go about running a productive brainstorming session with a distributed team. I [...]</p>
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<p class="has-text-align-right">11th of April 2020</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/jesus-kiteque-wn-KYaHwcis-unsplash-1024x682.jpg" alt="laptop and mobile on desk" class="wp-image-81"/></figure>



<p>Distributed collaboration has existed for ever, but right now, due to global Covid-19 pandemic, many people have been thrown at the challenge to collaborate remotely in a visual manner. Here are some quick tips from <a href="http://CreativeSensei.com">CreativeSensei.com</a> on how to go about running a productive brainstorming session with a distributed team. I will share them in a relevance order (my own criteria), to offer a range of solutions to different challenges and possibilities.</p>



<ul><li><strong>Remote distributed brainstorming </strong>&#8211; for team visual ideation (alternative to sticky notes), with ad hoc teams, non-designers</li><li><strong>Remote design team of 6</strong> &#8211; a permanent team of designers or creative types, who need to collaborate over time (offline) and in real time </li><li><strong>Distributed asyncronous collaboration of 20 people around the globe</strong> &#8211; when you have a distributed team in different time frame, and have to collaborate but there is no need for it to be simultaneously (can be &#8220;asyncronous&#8221;)</li><li><strong>Hybrid Brainstorming sessions with remote participants</strong> &#8211; when you have a physical meeting and only one or two members are in a remote location, but you want to work analogically (hands on) in real time</li></ul>



<h2><strong>Remote distributed brainstorming </strong></h2>



<p>For the past month I have been exploring the possibilities of online collaborative visual tools for different purposes (design, ideation, agile projects, communication). There are several tools out there and the two main ones I have found out are <a href="https://mural.co/">Mural</a> and <a href="https://miro.com/">Miro</a>, both great, according to reviews.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center">Here is a report on the <a href="https://mural.co/impact">Total
Economic Impact of using Mural</a>.</p>



<p>I had an earlier experience as a participant with <a href="https://miro.com/">Miro</a>, and saw its potential. Since I wanted to evaluate it, I created a free account to test it (maximum 3 board, 8 users). I believe <a href="https://mural.co/">Mural</a> probably offers similar features, so do check them both out to see which one suits you.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Brainstorming_board-1024x435.png" alt="" class="wp-image-77"/></figure>



<p>I have run 2 sessions with 3-4 participants, 2 demo sessions and 1 session with two teams of 6 people working in parallel in two separate boards, while in a whole teams videoconference. It is not extensive but enough to gather some insights:</p>



<ul><li><strong>Start small</strong>, gain experience, then grow team size, session duration or complexity of the tasks.</li></ul>



<p>Here is a quick <a href="https://youtu.be/PKYlRLiCS7w">tutorial of Remote Brainstorming</a> I put together to setup a basic brainstorming session in Miro</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="video-shortcode"><iframe title="Remote Brainstorming with Miro by CreativeSensei.com" width="1380" height="776" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PKYlRLiCS7w?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
</div></figure>



<p></p>



<ul><li><strong>Prepare carefully</strong>.<ul><li>Allocate time for participants to <strong>become familiar with the platform</strong> (think 20-30&#8242; for first timers)</li><li>Setup <strong>creative warmups</strong> (10-20&#8242; for people not used to creative assignments, maybe more if the group is big and/or people don´t know each other)</li><li><strong>Create collaboration areas for different tasks</strong> during the sessions and include summary of instructions</li><li>Time tasks as usual&#8230; but then be prepared to <strong>give extra time</strong>, both for more explanations and for each brainstorming rounds (or whatever the task)</li></ul></li><li><strong>set clear rules and expectations</strong>: <ul><li>everybody needs to <strong>be extra patient</strong>, there will be more time needed for everything</li><li>for more than 4 participants, establish a way to be mostly <strong>quiet</strong>, while giving people opportunity to share questions. After you explain a task, ask if anyone has a question (do this all the time)</li></ul></li><li>recommended: have a <strong>helper</strong> to respond to technical issues over the chat (or the phone), so the facilitator focuses on running the session.</li><li>very nice to have: <strong>independent audio channels</strong> for small team collaboration. There should be a general workshop channel (ie. teams videoconference), and a separate channel for each team, via a specific tool, over the phone&#8230; whatever. </li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/lukas-blazek-UAvYasdkzq8-unsplash-1024x678.jpg" alt="clock" class="wp-image-80"/></figure>



<h2><strong>Remote design team of 6</strong></h2>



<p>In 2014 I met my new team members from another location through skype, and it was a while until we actually met in person. Since we have been designing user experiences for web and mobile since, we needed to communicate visually quite a lot. Over the years we have been using several tools, at different times, for different reasons:</p>



<ul><li><strong>Communication</strong>: video conference (google hangout, gotomeeting, skype, teams), email and phone (team calls), whatsapp</li><li><strong>Project coordination</strong>: trello, analog kanban, jira</li><li><strong>File sharing</strong>: network space, google drive, sharepoint, onedrive</li><li><strong>Prototypes</strong>: <a href="https://www.axure.com/">Axure</a>, <a href="https://marvelapp.com/">marvel app</a>, <a href="https://marvelapp.com/pop/">pop</a></li><li><strong>Visual communication of ideas</strong>: <ul><li><strong>Paper and photo</strong>: rough sketch on paper, take a photo, send photo in real time while in call (if showing sketch to camera was not good enough)</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Online whiteboard</strong>: tested some free web based whiteboard, but not very formal (google <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk02089IYovkzUxzoH4zEUTly-joqmA%3A1586602363424&amp;ei=e6GRXpajGc7YaJHig6gO&amp;q=online+free+whiteboard&amp;oq=onlin&amp;gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgAMgQIIxAnMgUIABCRAjIFCAAQkQIyBAgAEEMyBAgAEEMyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECAAQRzoHCCMQ6gIQJ0oWCBcSEjBnNzhnMTY0ZzIzOWc4M2c4N0oPCBgSCzBnMmcxZzFnMmcxUJD6MVjDjjJg_JoyaAFwAXgAgAHpAYgB6gWSAQUzLjIuMZgBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXqwAQY&amp;sclient=psy-ab">&#8220;online free whiteboard&#8221;</a> to find out current applications)</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Microsoft Teams Whiteboard</strong>: recently discovered <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/whiteboard-in-a-teams-meeting-d9210aa2-876a-40f0-8ca0-5deb2fc11ca6">Teams whiteboard</a> (it is an option while in a call meeting, tricky to find), which for a quick explanation may be enough for many users. It has 5 colours and the precision of the drawing pencil is a little rough, but sufficient to sketch a diagram for clarification.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Miro for design, ideation and drawing</strong>: Currently exploring <a href="https://miro.com/">Miro&#8217;s</a> visual collaboration possibilities, with drawing capabilities and <a href="https://miro.com/templates/ux-design/">UX templates</a> (user persona, empathy map, product roadmap, wireframes&#8230;). As for drawing, it provides a variety of colours, thickness and, while using the ipad app, with a stylus, it can be quite precise. It also offers <a href="https://help.miro.com/hc/en-us/articles/360017572014-Smart-Drawing">smart drawing</a>, a beta function that creates perfect form out of hand drawing. </li></ul></li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/UXMiro-templates.png" alt="" class="wp-image-79"/></figure>



<h2><strong>Distributed asyncronous collaboration of 20 people around the globe</strong></h2>



<p>In 2012 I signed up for &#8220;<a href="https://www.classcentral.com/course/novoed-a-crash-course-on-creativity-467">A Crash Course on Creativity</a>&#8220;, an experimental MOOC created by Stanford University professor <a href="http://www.tinaseelig.com/">Tina Seelig</a>, and run over a collaborative learning platform called Venture Lab (now <a href="https://www.novoed.com/">Novoed</a>). </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CrashCourseCreativity-1024x489.png" alt="" class="wp-image-78"/></figure>



<p>The challenge was to generate at least 100 solutions for sleep problems, in 4 weeks, and the original team was composed by 20 people distributed across the globe in all sort of time frames. We run some meetings in real time, over Facebook, but most of the work I did was offline. We were testing tools and delivery methods Some of the tools we used back then:</p>



<ul><li><strong>Coordination/documenting</strong>: google docs, google calendar, google spreadsheets, timezone tool, facebook group</li><li><strong>Voting ideas</strong>: google forms, facebook poll</li><li><strong>Visual tools</strong>: google image search, wordle (for word clouds), <strong>mindmaps</strong> (Mindmeister, slatebox), google presentation</li></ul>



<h2><strong>Hybrid Brainstorming sessions with remote participants</strong></h2>



<p>In 2016 I run a few brainstorming sessions in our office with a couple of participants located in another office. We ensured they have access to the same analogic materials (pens, sticky notes and plasticine, mostly) and we run the usual brainwriting rounds (brainstorming where you write one idea in one sticky note, rather than voicing ideas).</p>



<p>We used videoconferencing to run the session, but the main
canvas was in our office, where we hosted 6 other participants. We <strong>took note in a sticky note of the ideas of
the distributed members (they told us over the phone)</strong> and place them in the
panels, and we took <strong>pictures of the
panels to send them the section they had to work on</strong>. It was a little work
intensive and it took some extra time, but it was a way to include remote
participation of a few people. </p>



<p>Around two years ago, we run a bigger creativity workshop with 20+ people in one office and 8 in another, where there was another facilitator. We tried to run the workshop together for the most part, but due to communication difficulties, it was mainly two parallel sessions, although the results would add up.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/you-x-ventures-Oalh2MojUuk-unsplash-1024x683.jpg" alt="team brainstorming with sticky notes" class="wp-image-83"/></figure>



<p>April 2020 @ <a href="https://creativesensei.com/">CreativeSensei.com</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com/creativity/remote-team-creativity/">Remote team creativity</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com">Creative Sensei</a>.</p>
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		<title>Minimum Creative Output</title>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Feb 2020 23:43:34 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>The Minimum Creative Output is the smallest unit of creative work that can be shared or shown. It is a physical, observable evidence (digital or analogue) of creative thinking and helps to develop creative confidence.  The term builds on the concept of Minimum Effective Dose made popular by Tim Ferriss when addressing whatever treatment or [...]</p>
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<p>The Minimum Creative Output is the smallest unit of creative work that can be shared or shown. It is a physical, observable evidence (digital or analogue) of creative thinking and helps to develop creative confidence.&nbsp;<br></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://creativesensei.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/hello-i-m-nik-qXakibuQiPU-unsplash-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49"/></figure>



<p>The term builds on the concept of Minimum Effective Dose made popular <a href="https://tim.blog/2011/05/27/the-shortcut-to-the-shortcut-the-4-key-principles-of-the-4-hour-body/">by Tim Ferriss</a> when addressing whatever treatment or procedure: it refers to the least amount of effort, amount, including length of time, necessary to achieve a desired goal. It can be applied to a health treatment, a fitness goal and the like.<br></p>



<p>Before Tim Ferriss, I had been familiar with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle">Pareto’s Principle</a>, which more or less states that 20% of your efforts will yield 80% of the results. I applied it to everything from weight training to specific technical training when I was doing competitive sports. Even to work related projects… trying to provide value early on the process and maybe move onto another project when that 80% result was reached.<br></p>



<p>Regarding creativity, when I had my son, for the first few years I had little free time between full time job, commuting and family. Although I love photography and video, I didn´t have time for video, nor for too much photography. I managed to run a personal project #lunchbreak which was a series of individual portrait sessions of nine of my work colleagues, over lunch time, in a spot near the office. It spanned over 18 months since it was hard to get organised, with availability and the like. In total, less than 20 hours of work (more or less). The point is that I found the cracks in my busy schedule to find time for a creative endeavour.<br></p>



<p>Some time later, I was still yearning for something else… and I got it thanks to a mobile phone and instagram. I started an ongoing minimal project #onmywaytowork where the cracks on my schedule was my commuting to and from work. I would shoot a picture to something that grab my attention during my trip, edit very quickly and upload it to instagram, sometimes in less than a minute. I had found my photographic minimum creative output.<br></p>



<p>Similarly I have found different minimum creative outputs in other domains:</p>



<ul><li>Drawing: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzHBVHciGHe/">icons</a>, drawing patterns in a small sticky note</li><li>Video: a 15’’ tiktok clip</li><li>Writing: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BibbvinHQjU/">free haiku</a>, a tweet</li><li>Music: a musical phrase on a keyboard or a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1SomfSO3X0">diy fretless one string guitar</a> (didley bow)</li></ul>



<p>The whole point is that they take a minute or less, very little gear and minimal skill. At this level, we are not aiming at quality, but getting started, gaining creative confidence, expanding our comfort zone, feeding our brain by learning skills from zero, acquiring the habit to be creative… Of course, if you already have some skill, maybe the benefit is in creating a body of work to show for all your creative thinking.<br></p>



<p>Some times I think that creativity is the tangible of our imagination, what I called creative thinking. Never mind the terms, just go and make something for the fun of it. And keep doing it.<br></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com/challenge/minimum-creative-output/">Minimum Creative Output</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativesensei.com">Creative Sensei</a>.</p>
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