Hi friends
I had come across this article on the internet some time ago. Thought it would be an interesting topic for discussion on this forum.
---------------------------------------------------------
Kaleidoscope Brainstorming Technique
Have you attended any brain storming sessions in your life? The sessions are normally run by a facilitator, who introduces the purpose of the session to the participants, explains the ground rules and coordinates the process. A note taker or scribe may be used to document all the ideas generated in the session. Generally, the session is open to any ideas. Important guideline is that no idea is too simple, stupid or wild.
Kaleidoscope advanced brainstorming techniques is applicable to any subject or situation, and any type of forum where people can work as a group, including internet-based conferencing and communications. This is a new approach to the brainstorming process, including different variations as to its use.
'Kaleidoscope Brainstorming' (KBS) or Multiple Mind Conferencing (MMC) is regarded as a "...Romantic interplay between silence and interaction.... a heavenly marriage of thesis and antithesis."
The process makes efficient use of silence and communication, which are interleaved in the brainstorming session. The various degrees and modes of silence and communication effectively use as 'tools' in the Kaleidoscope brainstorming approach. Notably the power of silence is used to supplement the communications-oriented parts of the session.
The technique may seem 'anti-thematic' at the first glance. However, the intention is to make the brainstorming process more 'holistic', by exploiting the different modes and degrees of silence, absence of communication and a variety of communication and interaction.
The kaleidoscope Brainstorming Process
1 - Initial ideas generation brainstorming session
The session should start with a facilitator detailing the process steps used for the particular session. The session is conducted in a normal fashion with the participants speaking out their ideas in a round robin or random fashion for an agreed period. The facilitator can use any normal brainstorming format for this session. It is a good idea to use a format that is comfortable for the facilitator and the participants.
2 - silent brainstorming session
The silent brainstorming session stage requires all team members or participants to stop talking, and to think of ideas, but not speak out. The facilitator can ring a bell or use another method to indicate the start and end of this part of the exercise. Ideas are to written down by each brainstorming participant. In addition, the participants must guess the ideas that others may be thinking and writing down. Ideally participants should guess the ideas of the other participants for each person, one after the other. For example, if the participants are A, B, C, D, E, F and G, then A would not only write his or her ideas, but also afterwards guess what B, C, D, E, F, and G may have as their ideas. Participants should do this using deep thinking, and base their guesses on the manner that other participants answered during the first speaking part of the session.
Participants should be encouraged to think how each of the other participants' minds are working - to empathise, to 'put themselves in the other person's shoes' - as a method of guessing as intuitively and accurately as possible. 'Think how the other person will be thinking' is the sort of guidance that the facilitator can give.
At this stage what's happening is that each participant is coming up with ideas from their own perspective of how each of the other participants is thinking. All participants work on this stage of the session at the same time. You can imagine the multiplicity of ideas and perspectives that this stage produces.
Each participant should logically end up with a list of ideas alongside, or below, the names of each participant, including themselves.
After a reasonable period, when it is clear that participants have completed their lists, the facilitator can ring the bell again, indicating the end of the silent brainstorming stage.
3 - Presentation of brainstorming ideas session
In this session, each of the delegates reads out or shows their own ideas and also their best guesses of the ideas for others. The presentation made by A would look like the following:
1. Ideas generated by A
2. Guess of ideas of B
3. Guess of ideas of C
4. Guess of ideas of D
5. Guess of ideas of E
6. Guess of ideas of F
7. Guess of ideas of G
During A's presentation, others simply listen. In turn each delegate gives a similar presentation. It is best if there is no discussion during the presentations. The facilitator should encourage delegates to make notes which people can raise later.
4 - discussion of brainstorming ideas session
The presentations are followed by a detailed discussion session. In this session, the participants may discuss why and how they guessed about others. Each participant can also comment on the guesses of the other participants, and validate or clarify. The highlights and conclusions resulting from discussion should be noted by the facilitator or an appointed 'scribe'. The individual participants can be encouraged also make their own notes, which might for example contain their mental models and appropriate revisions of the creative thinking process of others. In this sense the activity helps open hidden areas of awareness (self and others), which in turn promotes better understanding, relationships, communications, team-building and co-operation.
5 - further silent and speaking sessions - the kaleidoscope effect
Further sessions can repeat and extend the silent session so that participants increase the depth and complexity of their thinking still more. Specifically participants should now think about and guess how other delegates are thinking about the ideas of others. This again is done silently, together. Each delegate will be thinking in deeper levels about each of the other participant's thinking. These complexities of thinking result, for example:
A is thinking and noting down of any of his/her own new ideas
A is also (as in stage 4) thinking afresh about and noting down any thoughts as to what B, C, D, E, F and G are thinking
and, A is now additionally thinking of what B is thinking of A, C, D, E, F and G, plus what C is thinking of A, B, D, E, F and G, and so on.
Obviously the exercise at this stage has expanded massively. From a simple individual brainstorming activity involving say seven people and seven sets of personal ideas (seven perspectives), the session has expanded to entail seven people each considering six other people's thoughts about the ideas of six other people's ideas (that's 242 perspectives!). Clearly it is not reasonable to expect delegates to formulate 242 lists, so it is useful to place certain limits on people's activities, which can include for example:
allowing delegates to leave blanks against certain delegates names
limiting the number of ideas required to be guessed for each delegate
stating a maximum number of perspectives
allocating responsibility to each delegate to think about certain named delegates
and in any event giving a time limit for each stage of the activity
As with any team building or team working activity, the facilitator needs to be able to assess progress and to adapt, adjust and give clarifying or steadying guidelines during the activity to maintain the group's focus and effectiveness.
At the fifth stage, all participants will in their own way be thinking in a highly complex fashion. The participants minds are acting as mirrors creating multiple reflections of each other, rather like the few small objects inside a kaleidoscope creating wonderful arrays and patterns. Hence the 'Kaleidoscope Brainstorming' description.
It is easy to imagine how using this process the number of ideas generated are many times more than when using normal brainstorming techniques.
Typically after a number of Kaleidoscope Brainstorming sessions a group experiences an 'asymptotic approximation of their thinking process'. (Asymptotic refers to the 'asymptotic' effect whereby two or more things increasingly converge as if to become joined and together, but never actually join or become one). He says this is enabled by successive convergence and cross-fertilization among a group or team of each members thinking process, thoughts and ideas. He adds interestingly that groups ultimately do not need to be talking to each other for their minds to be conferencing with each other. In fact, they can be as far geographically apart as they need to be for their routine life, but still efficiently conferencing and in tune with each other.
The most important aspect is the discipline developed by the silent brainstorming paradigm. Regular teams or 'virtual' teams can be brought together to practice this technique. It is a good idea for the team members to branch out and form new groups with new members to extend the practice. It is also a good idea to have new members or visitors to the Kaleidoscope Brainstorming team inducted routinely.
Diversity of backgrounds is the key to freshness of ideas. True diversity in gender, age, ethnic background, educational levels, race, and personality types will ensure Brainstorming teams and activities are kept as fertile as possible. It is like any ecological system. Stability of a Kaleidoscope Brainstorming team ecology is good, but as well, aberrations and perturbations can guarantee long-term growth.
The KBS has been put forward by Dr KRS Murthy
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would like to invite comments to discuss this method of brainstorming . . .
sho :o :o onya
From Switzerland, Geneva
12I had come across this article on the internet some time ago. Thought it would be an interesting topic for discussion on this forum.
---------------------------------------------------------
Kaleidoscope Brainstorming Technique
Have you attended any brain storming sessions in your life? The sessions are normally run by a facilitator, who introduces the purpose of the session to the participants, explains the ground rules and coordinates the process. A note taker or scribe may be used to document all the ideas generated in the session. Generally, the session is open to any ideas. Important guideline is that no idea is too simple, stupid or wild.
Kaleidoscope advanced brainstorming techniques is applicable to any subject or situation, and any type of forum where people can work as a group, including internet-based conferencing and communications. This is a new approach to the brainstorming process, including different variations as to its use.
'Kaleidoscope Brainstorming' (KBS) or Multiple Mind Conferencing (MMC) is regarded as a "...Romantic interplay between silence and interaction.... a heavenly marriage of thesis and antithesis."
The process makes efficient use of silence and communication, which are interleaved in the brainstorming session. The various degrees and modes of silence and communication effectively use as 'tools' in the Kaleidoscope brainstorming approach. Notably the power of silence is used to supplement the communications-oriented parts of the session.
The technique may seem 'anti-thematic' at the first glance. However, the intention is to make the brainstorming process more 'holistic', by exploiting the different modes and degrees of silence, absence of communication and a variety of communication and interaction.
The kaleidoscope Brainstorming Process
1 - Initial ideas generation brainstorming session
The session should start with a facilitator detailing the process steps used for the particular session. The session is conducted in a normal fashion with the participants speaking out their ideas in a round robin or random fashion for an agreed period. The facilitator can use any normal brainstorming format for this session. It is a good idea to use a format that is comfortable for the facilitator and the participants.
2 - silent brainstorming session
The silent brainstorming session stage requires all team members or participants to stop talking, and to think of ideas, but not speak out. The facilitator can ring a bell or use another method to indicate the start and end of this part of the exercise. Ideas are to written down by each brainstorming participant. In addition, the participants must guess the ideas that others may be thinking and writing down. Ideally participants should guess the ideas of the other participants for each person, one after the other. For example, if the participants are A, B, C, D, E, F and G, then A would not only write his or her ideas, but also afterwards guess what B, C, D, E, F, and G may have as their ideas. Participants should do this using deep thinking, and base their guesses on the manner that other participants answered during the first speaking part of the session.
Participants should be encouraged to think how each of the other participants' minds are working - to empathise, to 'put themselves in the other person's shoes' - as a method of guessing as intuitively and accurately as possible. 'Think how the other person will be thinking' is the sort of guidance that the facilitator can give.
At this stage what's happening is that each participant is coming up with ideas from their own perspective of how each of the other participants is thinking. All participants work on this stage of the session at the same time. You can imagine the multiplicity of ideas and perspectives that this stage produces.
Each participant should logically end up with a list of ideas alongside, or below, the names of each participant, including themselves.
After a reasonable period, when it is clear that participants have completed their lists, the facilitator can ring the bell again, indicating the end of the silent brainstorming stage.
3 - Presentation of brainstorming ideas session
In this session, each of the delegates reads out or shows their own ideas and also their best guesses of the ideas for others. The presentation made by A would look like the following:
1. Ideas generated by A
2. Guess of ideas of B
3. Guess of ideas of C
4. Guess of ideas of D
5. Guess of ideas of E
6. Guess of ideas of F
7. Guess of ideas of G
During A's presentation, others simply listen. In turn each delegate gives a similar presentation. It is best if there is no discussion during the presentations. The facilitator should encourage delegates to make notes which people can raise later.
4 - discussion of brainstorming ideas session
The presentations are followed by a detailed discussion session. In this session, the participants may discuss why and how they guessed about others. Each participant can also comment on the guesses of the other participants, and validate or clarify. The highlights and conclusions resulting from discussion should be noted by the facilitator or an appointed 'scribe'. The individual participants can be encouraged also make their own notes, which might for example contain their mental models and appropriate revisions of the creative thinking process of others. In this sense the activity helps open hidden areas of awareness (self and others), which in turn promotes better understanding, relationships, communications, team-building and co-operation.
5 - further silent and speaking sessions - the kaleidoscope effect
Further sessions can repeat and extend the silent session so that participants increase the depth and complexity of their thinking still more. Specifically participants should now think about and guess how other delegates are thinking about the ideas of others. This again is done silently, together. Each delegate will be thinking in deeper levels about each of the other participant's thinking. These complexities of thinking result, for example:
A is thinking and noting down of any of his/her own new ideas
A is also (as in stage 4) thinking afresh about and noting down any thoughts as to what B, C, D, E, F and G are thinking
and, A is now additionally thinking of what B is thinking of A, C, D, E, F and G, plus what C is thinking of A, B, D, E, F and G, and so on.
Obviously the exercise at this stage has expanded massively. From a simple individual brainstorming activity involving say seven people and seven sets of personal ideas (seven perspectives), the session has expanded to entail seven people each considering six other people's thoughts about the ideas of six other people's ideas (that's 242 perspectives!). Clearly it is not reasonable to expect delegates to formulate 242 lists, so it is useful to place certain limits on people's activities, which can include for example:
allowing delegates to leave blanks against certain delegates names
limiting the number of ideas required to be guessed for each delegate
stating a maximum number of perspectives
allocating responsibility to each delegate to think about certain named delegates
and in any event giving a time limit for each stage of the activity
As with any team building or team working activity, the facilitator needs to be able to assess progress and to adapt, adjust and give clarifying or steadying guidelines during the activity to maintain the group's focus and effectiveness.
At the fifth stage, all participants will in their own way be thinking in a highly complex fashion. The participants minds are acting as mirrors creating multiple reflections of each other, rather like the few small objects inside a kaleidoscope creating wonderful arrays and patterns. Hence the 'Kaleidoscope Brainstorming' description.
It is easy to imagine how using this process the number of ideas generated are many times more than when using normal brainstorming techniques.
Typically after a number of Kaleidoscope Brainstorming sessions a group experiences an 'asymptotic approximation of their thinking process'. (Asymptotic refers to the 'asymptotic' effect whereby two or more things increasingly converge as if to become joined and together, but never actually join or become one). He says this is enabled by successive convergence and cross-fertilization among a group or team of each members thinking process, thoughts and ideas. He adds interestingly that groups ultimately do not need to be talking to each other for their minds to be conferencing with each other. In fact, they can be as far geographically apart as they need to be for their routine life, but still efficiently conferencing and in tune with each other.
The most important aspect is the discipline developed by the silent brainstorming paradigm. Regular teams or 'virtual' teams can be brought together to practice this technique. It is a good idea for the team members to branch out and form new groups with new members to extend the practice. It is also a good idea to have new members or visitors to the Kaleidoscope Brainstorming team inducted routinely.
Diversity of backgrounds is the key to freshness of ideas. True diversity in gender, age, ethnic background, educational levels, race, and personality types will ensure Brainstorming teams and activities are kept as fertile as possible. It is like any ecological system. Stability of a Kaleidoscope Brainstorming team ecology is good, but as well, aberrations and perturbations can guarantee long-term growth.
The KBS has been put forward by Dr KRS Murthy
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would like to invite comments to discuss this method of brainstorming . . .
sho :o :o onya
From Switzerland, Geneva
Another twist in the tale ...
Another floavour to the Brainstorming process ...
The Basic Brainstorming remains the same .. some accessories added as enhancements.
************************************************** ********
High Velocity Brainstorming
Breakthrough Thinking in the Fast Lane
High Velocity Brainstorming is a deeply engaging, masterfully facilitated creative thinking session that helps aspiring innovators originate and develop breakthrough ideas.
Most people we know our friends included claim they already brainstorm. Perhaps they do. But in our experience, there is a often a huge gap between the concept of brainstorming and the act of brainstorming. Indeed, the word "brainstorming" has been totally abused in our culture.
Like the words "post-modern" and "natural," it has lost its meaning. Meeting with a few friends to talk about a business deal? "We're brainstorming." Tossing a few ideas around over cappuccino?
"Brainstorming." Kicking around an idea or two for cutting costs? "Brainstorming." Well, not really.
What most people call "brainstorming" is, in fact, often just a veiled attempt to influence others, a self-appointed opportunity to sell ideas, peddle opinions, or simply play out a lifelong ambition to dominate a group. "Brainmisting?" Maybe. "Braindrizzling?" Sure. But not brainstorming. Uh uh. No way. Real brainstorming is very different. Real brainstorming is a meeting of the minds or more precisely, a meeting in the realm just beyond the mind a place where brilliance and breakthrough wait to be discovered.
Idea Champion's High Velocity Brainstorming service cuts through the fluff of traditional brainstorming by tuning into the five key drivers of successful group ideation:
1. Problem Definition: Long before a session, we'll interview you and a cross-section of key stakeholders to make sure you have identified the real question to brainstorm not some unreasonable facsimile. (Sometimes the need for output is so strong, people forget to get the input they need to align around a common challenge.)
2. Custom Design: Your team is unique. Your goals are unique. Your company culture is unique. That's why the design of your brainstorming offsite should be unique. Which is exactly what Idea Champions will do as a prelude to your offsite. (FYI: In the past 20 years of leading ideation sessions for all kinds of organizations, no two have ever been the same.)
3. Session Facilitation: Leading a brainstorming session is a lot like herding cats. Participants are usually all over the place. Left brainers and right brainers. Extroverts and introverts. Thirty year veterans and dewy-eyed new hires. And just about everyone is infatuated with their own ideas.
4. Brainstorm Report: Brainstormers love "throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks." Not that there's anything wrong with that now, is there? Well, not as long as the spaghetti gets collected at the end of the day and made appetizing in some way. Translation? Within 72 hours of a High Velocity Brainstorming session, Idea Champions will provide you with a clearly written, impeccably organized document summarizing all of the ideas generated at your offsite. No consultant speak. No boilerplate mumbo. No BS. Just good, ol' fashioned food for thought.
5. Follow-Up: Ideas, concepts, and intellectual capital are invisible. You cannot see them. You cannot touch them. You cannot measure them. They exist in the Platonic realm of formless possibility. We, on the other hand the Idea Champions consultants who facilitate High Velocity
Brainstorming Sessions are not invisible. We do not live in the Platonic realm. We live in Upstate New York and we will with your permission follow up your High Velocity Brainstorming session in whatever way works for you:
Post-session conference calls with your team
Phone coaching with project champions
Follow up sessions with sub-groups
Free the Genie (virtual brainstorming)
Brainstorm facilitation certification trainings
************************************************** **********
Any Commments ??
From Switzerland, Geneva
Another floavour to the Brainstorming process ...
The Basic Brainstorming remains the same .. some accessories added as enhancements.
************************************************** ********
High Velocity Brainstorming
Breakthrough Thinking in the Fast Lane
High Velocity Brainstorming is a deeply engaging, masterfully facilitated creative thinking session that helps aspiring innovators originate and develop breakthrough ideas.
Most people we know our friends included claim they already brainstorm. Perhaps they do. But in our experience, there is a often a huge gap between the concept of brainstorming and the act of brainstorming. Indeed, the word "brainstorming" has been totally abused in our culture.
Like the words "post-modern" and "natural," it has lost its meaning. Meeting with a few friends to talk about a business deal? "We're brainstorming." Tossing a few ideas around over cappuccino?
"Brainstorming." Kicking around an idea or two for cutting costs? "Brainstorming." Well, not really.
What most people call "brainstorming" is, in fact, often just a veiled attempt to influence others, a self-appointed opportunity to sell ideas, peddle opinions, or simply play out a lifelong ambition to dominate a group. "Brainmisting?" Maybe. "Braindrizzling?" Sure. But not brainstorming. Uh uh. No way. Real brainstorming is very different. Real brainstorming is a meeting of the minds or more precisely, a meeting in the realm just beyond the mind a place where brilliance and breakthrough wait to be discovered.
Idea Champion's High Velocity Brainstorming service cuts through the fluff of traditional brainstorming by tuning into the five key drivers of successful group ideation:
1. Problem Definition: Long before a session, we'll interview you and a cross-section of key stakeholders to make sure you have identified the real question to brainstorm not some unreasonable facsimile. (Sometimes the need for output is so strong, people forget to get the input they need to align around a common challenge.)
2. Custom Design: Your team is unique. Your goals are unique. Your company culture is unique. That's why the design of your brainstorming offsite should be unique. Which is exactly what Idea Champions will do as a prelude to your offsite. (FYI: In the past 20 years of leading ideation sessions for all kinds of organizations, no two have ever been the same.)
3. Session Facilitation: Leading a brainstorming session is a lot like herding cats. Participants are usually all over the place. Left brainers and right brainers. Extroverts and introverts. Thirty year veterans and dewy-eyed new hires. And just about everyone is infatuated with their own ideas.
4. Brainstorm Report: Brainstormers love "throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks." Not that there's anything wrong with that now, is there? Well, not as long as the spaghetti gets collected at the end of the day and made appetizing in some way. Translation? Within 72 hours of a High Velocity Brainstorming session, Idea Champions will provide you with a clearly written, impeccably organized document summarizing all of the ideas generated at your offsite. No consultant speak. No boilerplate mumbo. No BS. Just good, ol' fashioned food for thought.
5. Follow-Up: Ideas, concepts, and intellectual capital are invisible. You cannot see them. You cannot touch them. You cannot measure them. They exist in the Platonic realm of formless possibility. We, on the other hand the Idea Champions consultants who facilitate High Velocity
Brainstorming Sessions are not invisible. We do not live in the Platonic realm. We live in Upstate New York and we will with your permission follow up your High Velocity Brainstorming session in whatever way works for you:
Post-session conference calls with your team
Phone coaching with project champions
Follow up sessions with sub-groups
Free the Genie (virtual brainstorming)
Brainstorm facilitation certification trainings
************************************************** **********
Any Commments ??
From Switzerland, Geneva
Hi Hemant,
It's a brilliant article on brainstorming!!..it just left me stumped of it's effects and benefits it can bring about...
Plan to implement the same in my workshops and of course shall invite you as well.
Would you mind telling us how and from where did you source this article?..any links or sites would be greatly appreciated!!
Cheerio
Rajat
From India, Pune
It's a brilliant article on brainstorming!!..it just left me stumped of it's effects and benefits it can bring about...
Plan to implement the same in my workshops and of course shall invite you as well.
Would you mind telling us how and from where did you source this article?..any links or sites would be greatly appreciated!!
Cheerio
Rajat
From India, Pune
Thanks Rajat ...
I managed to get the link ... Jai ho Google .. ;-)
http://www.businessballs.com/kaleido...instorming.htm
The reason I shared the article was that I felt that every method or technique has its own set of interpretation and spin-off's practised by different people in different parts of the world ....
i felt the article to initiate some of the active members to give their own understanding and interpretation of the articles as well as about Brainstorming .....
Knowledge sharing is often an effective technique for evolution ....
... shoOOonya ...
From Switzerland, Geneva
I managed to get the link ... Jai ho Google .. ;-)
http://www.businessballs.com/kaleido...instorming.htm
The reason I shared the article was that I felt that every method or technique has its own set of interpretation and spin-off's practised by different people in different parts of the world ....
i felt the article to initiate some of the active members to give their own understanding and interpretation of the articles as well as about Brainstorming .....
Knowledge sharing is often an effective technique for evolution ....
... shoOOonya ...
From Switzerland, Geneva
hi ... found the other link too ...
this one belongs to the High Velocity Brainstorming
http://www.ideachampions.com/high_ve...storming.shtml
the earlier website 'businessballs' ... has a good collection of articles ....
... shoOOonya ...
From Switzerland, Geneva
this one belongs to the High Velocity Brainstorming
http://www.ideachampions.com/high_ve...storming.shtml
the earlier website 'businessballs' ... has a good collection of articles ....
... shoOOonya ...
From Switzerland, Geneva
Community Support and Knowledge-base on business, career and organisational prospects and issues - Register and Log In to CiteHR and post your query, download formats and be part of a fostered community of professionals.
Artifical Intelligence in HR Process-Article .pdf
Perf.mgt.articl e.doc