There is an exciting agenda planned – to give a quick preview, the meeting’s agenda includes: a review of the basic goals of integral activism (building a non-violent spiritual activist movement/transformational politics), an update on the "Back to the Sack" work and related arts projects, followed by guided meditation, a discussion of our integral activism experiences, and last but not least, actionable items for people to do between now and the next meeting to work toward our goals.

Most of our time will be focused upon our integral activism experiences and practices. As a reminder, here are some selections from Eric Schneiderman’s Integral Activism Memo:

Integral activism is an approach to progressive social transformation that seeks to address the essential disconnect between our personal experience of being and our political work. It rejects the distinction between work on personal transformation and our efforts to transform society. The integral activist path necessarily includes both…. The fundamental principle of Integral Activism is the understanding that, while we all experience ourselves as separate, selfish and scared some of the time, we also experience a more progressive awareness of being. This sense of our basic nature is characterized by connection, compassion and courage (Our 3 C’s)… Integral activists seek to build more genuine progressive politics through our own inner work, our social conduct, and our collective efforts to transform society. The Integral Activist Forum is a vehicle for exploring the practical application of these ideas…

That is what is going to be happening on Sunday. However, I have a task for you right now:

Because we have a limited amount of time during the meetings for discussion, the Integral Activism blog postings (what you are reading right now) can serve an important function of allowing people to share their opinions on critical issues that tend to need more time, thought and exchanging of ideas. This way people can come to the meetings and feel like they are somewhat up to date on what has been going on, what the issues are, and what needs to be addressed during our meetings.

For instance, at this point in time the goal of the Back to the Sack initiative is to move New York City towards a ban and/or tax on plastic bags. This raises some questions for me (most of which are tied to the compassion and connection aspects of integral activism):

1. If we are going to support a ban and/or tax on plastic bags, what are the implications of this choice?
2. Who is affected by the ban/tax and how are they affected - both positively and negatively?
3. How do we encourage what we want to achieve (no more plastic bags), while reduce the negative impact of a ban/tax?
4. I personally think it is important to take into account the different voices and circumstances of the many people living in NYC. I also feel it would be very presumptuous for me to think that I can innately understand other people’s experiences that may be very dissimilar to my own. While there is a variety of views within IDP, how can we bring in other people/organizations who will give voice to the wide variety of NYC experiences? Will this also help us build the coalition that we need to move a plastic bag/tax forward? Who are people/organizations who we could work with?
5. And in general, who are good partners for us to work with locally and nationally on this issue? We do not need to re-invent the wheel. Others have also worked on this type of legislation and awareness raising – what can we learn from them?

This is what I think of off the top of my head. You may have other questions, ideas, feelings, concerns, etc... This is the place to bring them up to brainstorm about. I hope we can have a good discussion and exchange of ideas that will lead to a great meeting on Sunday. Keep in mind that nothing has to be decided at this point. The plan is to continue researching into what has happened in other cities related to taxes/bans on plastic bag. The discussion can give us a better sense of what to look for when we do the research and what to ask when we talk to others who have already done some of this work.

The first is a web-based mind-mapping software called MindMeister. Great way to brainstorm ideas, plan details and throw your ideas onto a drawing board of sorts. You can also use it to collaborate with others involved in project planning.

The second is GTD software. GTD = Getting Things Done. I needed something that would allow subtasks, with a design that worked well also. It's not the GTD applications that some like, but it's exactly what I needed: GTDTiddlyWiki, which is stored on your computer and is used offline. For quick access, I added a link to its index file in Firefox's bookmark bar. A little to learn for "coding" - !'s for list titles, *'s for bullet points, for example, but worth it!

Both are free, useful applications for those who need such, not to mention they are cross-platform for you non-Mac users. :) By the way, if you haven't yet done so, upgrade to the faster, less memory using Firefox 3!

Now, I love aiming my shutter on the clouds..
the morning clouds if I ever woke up..
the afternoon clouds if I had a day-off..
even the night clouds if the moon would shine like a dazzling diamond.
Back in my hometown, the blue would be so blue and the white would be clear white.
However, I didn't take my chance to take their pictures.
I was too busy to run, to shout, and to sweat under those velvet clouds swimming inside the bright sky.
Now, even if they are buried under the dust and the fume, I still love them as I would be delighted to take them home.

As in the moment, perhaps, I am one of those slow moving clouds.
The cloud which used to love the current sky it was in.
The cloud that walks slowly but eventually, will aim for a different sky in what seems like an endless journey.
Nothing is holding.
And one day, when that blue sky may is already as clear as emptiness..
the cloud may have gone around the world, just to return to..
where it has ever begun its voyage.

Acting outside the box means putting into action the things we think about when we think outside the box. As leaders in any capacity we need to act on the ideas we come up during brainstorming sessions and see them through to a successful end. I like how Timothy Ferris states it in his book The 4-Hour Work Week: "It isn't enough to think outside the box. Thinking is passive. Get used to acting outside the box."

Do you realize that most people go there whole lives without thinking? Our schools don't teach thinking. They teach regurgitation of facts. You memorize facts long enough to take the test, then forget them. Some of the facts stick long enough to make it to long term memory. I know from experience from going through the school system myself as a top A student. I know how little actually stays with you. How little you actually use when you get out in life. And how little of the practical life skills you need that they teach you.

For one thing, they don't teach you how to think.

Like I mentioned before, I have been listening to Earl Nightingale "Lead the Field" tapes. They are fantastic about developing success. The one I am listening to now is about thinking.

You put your goal on the top of a legal paper and write out ideas on how to reach that goal for one hour every day. Pretty soon, you will have some great ways to accomplish your goals.

Have a problem? Do the same thing. Put the problem at the top of the page, then brainstorm ideas on how to solve the problem. I have done that several times since listening to the tapes the first time. It works wonderfully.

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you start thinking with the wonderful brain God gave you between your ears.

Don't let each day just drift by. Take at least an hour a day and use it for thinking. Think about your goals. Brainstorm about a problem. Not worry about it, but think about a solution to it. Then act on it. You will accomplish much in life if you do that.

You will move into the top 5% of the population. Be proactive, not reactive. One day at a time. Remember, this is a great day.

Natürlich ist die Zahl der Personen, die an einem Brainstorming teilnehmen begrenzt. Sicherlich kann mehr guter Output erzeugt werden, wenn mehr Teilnehmer ihre Ideen dazu beitragen würden. Spinnt man diesen Gedanken weiter, dann müsste ja im Internet eine nahezu unendlich große Menge an Kreativität zur Verfügung stehen. Diese muss nur irgendwie abgerufen werden. Das Webprojekt BrainR.de hat sich diesem Gedanken verschrieben. Hier können zu den verschiedensten Themen Fragen und Ansätze veröffentlicht werden. Diese werden dann von der Community diskutiert. Dabei kann es durchaus vorkommen, dass eine sinnvolle Lösung erarbeitet werden kann. Die Benutzung des Dienstes ist kostenlos.

Eine solche Brainstorming Plattform könnte sich auch für gezieltes Social-Media Marketing eignen. Wenn ein Produkt oder eine Dienstleistung bekannt gemacht werden soll, kann man ja einfach ein Brainstorming zu diesem Thema eröffnen. Mit etwas Glück, schafft man es, hier schon potentielle interessierte Kunden anzusprechen.

ähnliche Artikel:

Gehirnjogging - Crowdsourcing - Brainworking

Lernen für Uni und Schule im Web 2.0

What I'd love to see would be something like an undo/redo tree. I missed that for a long time, but the idea came up again when I recently saw this image on the GIMP UI Brainstorm, by Jan Rüegg:

It shows pretty clearly what it wasn't to say. Perhaps the options in the context menu would be really difficult to implement, like moving a branch, or a "leaf", but the general idea would be worth the effort.

I know that GIMP isn't meant as a replacement to Photoshop, but as Photoshop doesn't have this function either, this would be a clear advantage over that software. I'm sure many people would switch, or at least start using GIMP.

When I asked that on IRC, it started a big discussion, luckily not about if it's useable, but rather if/how it would be doable. It would make sense as a first step, as a pre-undo-tree, to implement saving history to the XCF file, but considering where GIMP is heading, it could be considered useless. GIMP tries to become a non-destructive editor. (Although it would be still cool to see your steps one by one.)

Nevertheless, for actions like drawing, selecting, filters and so on, it would be cool to have something similar to a undo-redo-tree. Sure you can argue now, if that won't be going to be wasted development time of code what will be thrown away later, but it really depends on what GIMP wants to become. We'll probably have to wait. And hey, why not become versatile?

Why "Phil's Mind Map"?  Because this site originally started out as a wiki that I was intending to use as a way to organize my thoughts in various outlines, mimicking the way proper mind maps work, at least as well as could be done with a straight, text-only outline format.  I had a site on wikidot.com for awhile to handle this, and then decided to add a blog to it.  As it evolved, I stopped using it so much as a mind map, and concentrated on blogging, but Wikidot is seriously lacking in blog features.  So I moved it to WordPress (which has the best set of features of all of the big blogging sites) and the name stayed.

I continue to be a big fan of mind maps which are the best way to organize "brainstormed" thoughts.  Here's how to get more information...

• What are Mind Maps?
• MindMeister (Online mind mapping tool)
• Mind42 (Another online mind mapping tool)
• FreeMind (Mind Mapping tool for Windows)

A boat could be made out of old newspapers or pages from phone books using chicken wire or? for support and permeating the pages with either polymer or plastic (acrylic) paints that dry into a permanent film.

Fully sealed by the polymer or paint, the multiple layers of paper would adhere because they are porous and become a full sheet at least 1/4  thick. Would this work for an automobile housing / cabin material? It seems that it would and there would be a cushioning effect in it especially by strengthening with other strong, lightweight materials.

For a motor on either, using the kinetic motor of the form ball pendulum transfer or “Tesla” flashlight design, possibilities exist to move it by kinetic rather than potential or combustion system motion or by a small electric motor.

However, solar panels could be incorporated into external and some internal panels to do some of the work. Or, a small rotary engine whose full housing is created from lightweight carbon impregnated cloth / fiber or poured polymer with carbon/titanium nanoparticles within the polymer substrate.

Considering the levitation of a magnet in hyper cooled conditions - does it have any lift capacity? Could it in size provide the lift for a surrounding housing and vehicle with occupants and baggage - thus averting all friction except against the air? Motion could then be provided by bursts of air or in the case of a boat - by vacuum and thrust of water?

Pendulum / fulcrum alternating hammer offset
Kinetic Motor
Electro - Magnetic field provides lift

See images -

stored energy in “super ball” and golfballs?

Skids of composite material (remember sliding on cds) –> possibilities include oiled carbon, high tensile strength iron? Polymerized? - see snow mobiles & skidoo water equipment in existence / skateboard wheels are using?

–> instead of tires - use balls / inline skate design but 6-7 balls instead with motors inside (electric)
what does calcium / bone / calcium tetraoxide do? Could it be combined in chem reaction to release oxygen component for combustible thrust or for jet propulsion system? What could be done with nitrogen compounds in air already? Plasma?

–> just the way insulation tubing is made with air introduction / bubbles (swimming noodles & pipe insulation) couldn’t metals be done the same way by injection bubbles of air into the hot metal inside a mold and cooling it super fast? To use as buoyancy tubes for boat hulls and as ballast by filling the foam-like core with water (or as lightweight frame members for vehicles to remove significant weight while retaining structural integrity and strength?)

hand pump / bellows style pump
create a vacuum that draws the water in and then pushes the water out in one burst of thrust

(What about the natural friction & drag of air used for propulsion)  –> cars / trucks, etc. could a thing be created to gain traction on the actual friction against air particles? - to cause it to pull along the particles / air structure / molecules in air?

Would it be possible to make a constant positive charge along the front intake of the system & maintain a constant negative charge further into the system to pull out contaminants to use as fuel or use the + –> - discharge of neutrons and electrons as a harness for propulsion system?

–> what if fiber optics cables collected sunlight and returned it to a photovoltaic elsewhere - say from skylights in the house or a solar collector on a car?

By Cricket Diane C Phillips, 08-01-08

Is it possible to take the technology from maglev trains, light rail systems and levitated monorail / high speed trains to use for individual cars?

Running two struts from the body of the vehicle, one channeled inside the other - could have an electrified plate at the end of the strut used as a skid with a protective insulation on the under side of the plate where it would sit on the road surface. This plate when electrified would create a magnet with N to S poles front to back of plate using wires run down through the strut set. Above on upper strut casing and attached to vehicle underbelly - with plate electrified the same way with same polarity over same to force outer strut sleeve upwards –> this would

(To) remove significant weight from skids and allow a different propulsion system to be used, either air or chemical based to push the vehicle forward against friction of air or ground rather than using mechanical motion components.

focal point
Sun collector
fine point upon confined space

typical use of magnifying glass for concentration of light source

air in - heats by sun
Increased pressure by expansion
Increased heat from sun’s energy

air intake = one-way valve

heated air expands when collected sunlight envelopes cavity below collector and bounces around mirrored surfaces (shiny metal interior surface where focus has brought in collected sunlight and heat).

Expanding heated air forces out along narrowed corridor through expansion valve which only opens at a specific pressure point –> creating nozzle bursts of heated air

vacuum thus created sucks in more air to be heated = will result in pulses of air bursts for useful powering / energy to use as propulsion, mechanical motion and to turn generator mechanism for electric power generation.

** another possibility could use the physical expansion of the heated air to convert into motion using a bladder type apparatus that would inflate and act as a bellows or physically move a unit of mechanical system

Written by and created by Cricket Diane C “sparky” Phillips, on July 22, 2008, USA
Cricket House Studios, 2008

Executive Summary

Präsentation

Business Plan incl. Cash Flow

sämtlicher Prozesse

System Architektur

Interessant an dem gesamten Spiel ist jedoch, je mehr man sich mit dem Thema beschäftigt, um so mehr Aspekte stürzen förmlich auf einen ein! Wir hatten für unser kurzes Arbeitsmeeting am gestrigen Abend (man bedenke meine Kopfschmerzen) eine völlig andere Aufgabenstellung und herausgekommen sind mal wieder ein paar ziemlich geniale Gedankenfetzen, welche ein/zwei etwas schwammige Bereiche des Konzeptes ziemlich konkretisiert haben. Schwammig bedeutet nun nicht schlecht, aber eine „einfach" orientierte Lösung  für den Enduser, bzw. die Firma fehlte an der Stelle noch. Beim beschreiben des zugehörigen Prozesses kam uns dann ein derart einfacher Lösungsansatz für das Problem, das es uns immer mehr wundert, dass das noch von niemanden umgesetzt wurde.

Mein Partner, der sich in Prozessmodellierung nicht so gut auskennt, war wieder einmal schwer beeindruckt, was ein solches Vorgehen es einem doch ermöglicht sich in komplexe Sachverhalte hineinzudenken und weiteren Output an Ideen und Aspekten zu generieren. Sogar für einen Prozess, welcher im Kopf eigentlich klar ist! Wir ergänzen uns ziemlich gut, mein Partner ist zum Beispiel ein Spezialist auf dem Bereich Stakeholder und strategischer Unternehmensführung... Auch keine schlechte Grundvoraussetzung für das, was wir vorhaben! ;)

What ever, Gas ist rechts und nächste Woche sollten wir soweit sein, das wir gezielt die Finanzierung in Angriff nehmen können. Dummerweise reichen unsere liquiden Mittel nicht aus, der Kapitalbedarf ist verhältnismäßig hoch, wenn man das Konzept direkt professionell umsetzen will.

(Although, designing for a platform like iPhone makes it much better).

But here's what I found to be the biggest problem : Sticking to a single concept

I work for a company that specializes in moving and manipulating large amounts of unique data. My gig is making sure that data is usable, understandable, and mashed up in a manner that end users find valuable.

So, I design products. Some people call them apps, some call them services, I consider them products. They are tangible things that people interact with, and get improved based on that interaction. They're long term, not a feeble microsite.

Anyways, it seemed like a no-brainer to start moving some of these products to a mobile platform, as one of my main pushes this year is in the saving, sharing and moving of information off a primary site and onto where users feel they need to keep it.

In starting, I uncovered a continuum in design rationale...

On one end is the Encumbered Complexity. Things that are too large, too forked, too unwieldily to be useful on a mobile device. (Unfortunately, most of our primary products fit in this category).

On the other end is Useless Minutiae. Information and features that could be moved to a mobile device, and usually upon first glance, seem like a great idea, but are too detailed to be useful, or replace a real-world activity that doesn't benefit from being digitized. (Usually, the ideas seem great because my company controls or manages all the data, and no one else could create this product).

So, I'm working in the sweet spot between the two of them, following three pure and simple approaches :

ONE

Mobile is one part of a larger experience, and should act in conjunction with other devices and products that are not mobile.

TWO

Any mobile product must provide useful content and features that have reason to be mobile... and "because we can" is not a reason.

THREE

Kick the Andrew "Ruthless Monk" Method up a notch. One thing at a time, a single Item=Response metaphor. Even more so than the internet, mobile is a conversation, and one that must be streamlined.

I'm showing off the first of 3 Automotive-based mobile products this month at our annual user conference in Savannah. I'll share them once I've done the dog-and-pony.

Audience response systems are the great ways to gain the attention of audience as it’s a method that provide interaction between the presenter and the audiences using various wireless devices and presentation softwares and thus adds the interactivity to your events.

Audience response systems help you to increase awareness among the audience and its knowledge spreading is also better. Storing data from polling using interactive audience response systems can be retrieved Using these audience response systems every individual’s response can be tracked that improves the host skills and allows the presenter to better communicate with their audience. Beside that it helps to maximize the audience participation.

These audience response systems are widely used in education and learning, game shows, conference and events, surveys and research, sales and marketing and many other events.

To create interaction with your audience, presenter can track polling results to individual participants or allow all inputs to remain anonymous. The audience interacts with the presentation using the wireless keypads. Each of the presentation slide pose lots of questions and offers various possible responses.

The audience can select the answers or responses they think is right by pressing the respective key on the wireless keypad. Then the answers will send to the centralized system, where the data gets collected and the consolidated data can be graphically presented to audience.

If you want to get your audience involved in the presentation or event then you should make sure about the thing that you are giving the simple words reason being if you will use words with five or more syllables, you will make your audience walk away with a different message from what you were trying to communicate.

A number of production companies use audience response systems for large scale conferences and meetings. Corporate trainer uses audience response systems for employee training, universities and various educational institutions also use these technologies in lecture halls.

Today in cut throat competition most of the companies have been opting for these interactive audience response systems to present their skills and get the response of their audience in various topics. So why are you waiting for? It’s the right time to accept the challenge of your competitors and come forward by using your skills and audience response systems in your business and events.

The Audience-response-solutions.com - your ultimate online source for Interactive PowerPoint Presentation tools, Audience Response Systems and Interactive Audience Response hardware tools.

Dustin Wax of Lifehack

Dustin Wax is a fantastic writer and somebody every college student should investigate. The following list is Dustin's skill set for succeeding in almost anything in life. I provided my own list which is very close to Dustin's content. What is most important for you, while preparing for life after college, is to become an expert at #1, #2, #4, and #8 on Dustin's list. In fact being able to speak in public and write well are the two biggest skills employers are looking for in a job candidate. The problem? Those same employers rarely tell you that is what they want in a new hire.

10 Skills You Need To Succeed at Almost Anything according to Dustin Wax

1. Public Speaking

2. Writing

3. Self Management

4. Networking

5. Critical Thinking

6. Decision Making

7. Math

8. Research

9. Relaxation

10. Basic Accounting

10 Skills You Need To Succeed at Almost Anything according to Dean

1. Writing

2. Public Speaking

3. Timing

4. Networking

5. Listening

6. Research

7. Brainstorming

8. Giving

9. Time Management

10. Athletics

·         Know what problem you’re trying to solve. Much time can be spent on generating a host of ideas that have little bearing on the real problem at hand. For example, one customer service center group initially identified the problem as: Customers wait on hold too long. The real problem, it turned out, was that customers were bored and annoyed while waiting. One solution: Give waiting customers the option to answer a simple survey while waiting, and reward them with $5 if they do. Results: The company obtained much-needed customer data at relatively little expense, and most customers reported they no longer minded holding. The more precisely defined the problem is, the more focused, productive and quicker the brainstorming session is likely to be.

·         Group similar problems for broader application of great ideas. With time at a premium, and brainstorming sessions apt to be regarded by some as a luxury, try to anticipate some of the problems for which you’ll need some creative ideas. Hold a single brainstorming session to generate a flood of related ideas, which can be sorted out later on. For example, a group may tackle these two related issues in one session: Minimizing customer “on-hold” time and need to solicit feedback from current clients. Such “bundling” has twin benefits: Additional brainstorming sessions might be avoided, and richer results can be realized if some ideas can help solve more than one problem.

·         Consider separate sessions for problem definition, brainstorming and idea selection. For most of us, it’s difficult to move easily and quickly from the left brain (e.g. the kind of convergent thinking required for problem definition) to the right brain (e.g. the kind of divergent thinking required for brainstorming), and back to the left (for idea selection). Given that meetings among distributed teams are most effective when kept relatively brief, slicing the brainstorming process into a few separate sessions might work best.

·         Allocate the appropriate amount of time for each phase. The general rule of thumb: About 50% or so of the available time should go to problem definition, about 35% to idea generation and about 10-15% to idea selection. By using certain online capabilities, you can speed up some of this work significantly, especially in the area of brainstorming and evaluating options. Agreeing on problem definition, however, is probably best done through a real-time conversation, which is likely to include some spirited debate.

·         Select the right participants. Not all people will be appropriate for all phases of the brainstorming process. For example, perhaps a few people who are closest to the topic at hand, as well as the executive sponsor of the initiative, might be involved in defining the problem and articulating associated implications. For a brainstorming session, make sure to include people who display curiosity, imagination and at least some disinterest in preserving the status quo. Five to seven people is the ideal number. For selecting the best ideas, you probably want a variety of interests, styles, and perspectives represented, as well as someone with the authority to make decisions and present ideas higher up the line. These may or may not be the same set of people involved in the brainstorming process.

·         Prepare participants for a productive session. First, make sure your meeting request includes objectives, agenda, sequence of meetings, and the proposed problem(s) to be solved, along with  implications (e.g. costs, morale issue, customer defects). Next, consider having participants brainstorm individually ahead of time, to make the best use of meeting time. For example, try sending some fill-in-the-blank questions and ask for people to write down top-of-mind responses. (E.g., The three adjectives I would use to describe how people feel when they’re trying to use a new software application are ___, ____, and ____.) During the actual session, you can do a quick caucus of responses and build from there.

·         Choose the best technology to get the job done. At the very least, you’ll need a phone line for a “same-time, same-place” meeting, as well as some means by which you can capture and record ideas as they come forth. In addition, there are hundreds of tools, methods and technologies you might consider to foster rapid-fire creative thinking. Some web conferencing services are created specifically for brainstorming, while others have features that make the pooling and evaluating ideas exceptionally easy and fast. Some allow for anonymity, which may be particularly important in certain situations. Familiarize yourself with the available options. Take a test run to mimic how long your actual session is likely to run, and plan your agenda accordingly.

·         Remind everyone about ground rules for brainstorming.

 For the creative thinking phase, a few reminders may be in order, such as: Quantity vs. quality. No editing or judging. Record ideas verbatim. There is no such thing as a silly idea. Also ask everyone to refrain from uttering some typical “idea-killer” phrases, such as: Where will we get the resources? Let me play devil’s advocate. That’s too risky. That’s too conservative.

·         Be prepared to inject some unexpected stimuli. Many brainstorming experts insist that the best ideas are those that come near the middle or end of a session, when new stimuli are offered after participants claim they have run out of ideas. For example, try keeping a list of nouns or adjectives handy, images you can show, or questions you can ask. One technique that works well for many groups:  What are some of the worst ideas you have to solve this problem? Not only does this inspire a new spurt of energy, but many of the “worst” ideas can be transformed into some of the best, with just a little tweaking.

·         Make sure you have an agreed-upon way to select the best ideas. Nothing can deflate an energized group faster than a vague assurance that their ideas have merit and that “something will be done.” Be clear at the outset what criteria will be used for evaluating ideas, and who will do the evaluating. Also let people know what decisions will be made as a result, and when, and how they will discover the outcome.

by Jove Belle

copyright 2008

Brainstorming. Doesn't sound pleasant, does it? Why in the world would I want a storm in my brain? Perhaps a small flurry, but a full on storm? I don't think so. Yet when it happens, when it really works, all I'm left with is a stupid smile and a tingle of power.

I've tried doing it alone, in a group, and with a single partner, all with varying degrees of success. I've found that it's not about the quantity of brainstorming partners, but more the quality. There are several key elements to an effective brainstorming session:

1. Share a common goal.
2. Provide a supportive environment.
3. Ask questions.
4. Be brave enough to suggest the wild and seemingly impossible.
5. Be willing to listen.
6. Be willing to drag dead ideas back to the surface.
7. Recognize when to call it a night. 

Goal

These seems like the one step that doesn't need to be explained in detail. After all, why would you brainstorm with another person who doesn't share your goal? More than once, however, I've found myself knee deep in an impromptu brainstorming session only to discover that we are storming in completely different directions. With writing, the goal is easily established, but all the participants need to be clear about where the car is heading.

First, establish whose project you're working on. Rarely will you collaborate on a writing project. Ultimately, the idea, and therefore the manuscript belongs to one person. If it's not your project, know when to back down. Don't fight for something that the owner is resisting whole-heartedly. Accept that there may be some nuance of the story that is trapped inside the other person's head and let her take the lead.

On the other side of that is protecting the integrity of your idea when it's your book in the making. Obviously, you need to be willing to listen to feedback from others, but don't let them lead you wholly astray either. If the other person continually goes in a direction that is opposed to your main goal, take the time and establish your goals more clearly. 

Environment

In an ideal world, your brainstorming place will be distraction free. That's not always possible between work, school, wife, and children, but it definitely contributes to a successful session. In other words, put yourself in a place (emotionally, mentally, physically) that is conducive to creative thought.

My greatest successes haven't always been found in the same place. The car is one of my favorite places. The heart of Edge of Darkness was born on a long drive with my kids asleep in the back seat. My wife and I drove and talked. Nothing formal about the situation, but it was amazingly productive. 

Recently, I've found my brainstorming soulmate online. We never set any kind of formal date or time for brainstorming, but if we're both online at the same time, we'll work through story ideas. We both have a house full of kids and fifty things pulling at us at any given time, so there's a lot of stop and start, a lot of brb. But because we establish a clear goal at the beginning and make allowances for the distractions of life, these sessions are very fruitful. Several books have been plotted start to finish during those sessions and are now in various stages of development. At least three are contracted for publication (one of mine, two of hers. I think. Larkin?). 

The key here is finding an environment, be it physical or virtual, that works for you.

Question Everything

Before I can ever start weaving plot lines, I have to know EVERYTHING about the characters involved. This isn't optional. If it's your manuscript your brainstorming for, listen to the questions your partner asks. Even if you don't include the information specifically, it still informs the behavior of the character. Be prepared to answer the questions. Think about the characters, get to know them, ask them for the answer. 

When working on your partners manuscript, switch roles. Ask lots and lots and lots of questions. I'm putting together a workshop on character building and will post that soon. Earlier this week, Sandra posted a workshop on worldbuilding on a wiki. It's a great way to keep track of the goings on of all your characters and Sandra did a great job outlining how to use this great tool. If you have an established set of information, don't stop asking questions until you can fill an answer into every box. Some may seem irrelevant, possibly useless, like "What does your character eat for breakfast?" But that level of nuance is paramount to building characters with depth and texture. Then when you've asked and answered all the questions about your characters, start over again with setting. Where does your story take place? What do you know about it? What don't you know about it. Don't accept "I don't know" as an answer. How will you communicate it to your readers if you don't know?

It is not uncommon to spend two, three, four, or more sessions just establishing the basic information about a character. I know this seems like a lot, but really, if you know all the answers, the plot flows out. The saggy middle just isn't an issue.

Be Brave

Don't be afraid to suggest the outrageous. It may not fit. Or it maybe it will. You will never know if you sit on an idea. Be prepared to explain why it would work. Or what it would take to make it work. And, most important, what's the value-add if you make the change. More than once I've had an idea thrown at me that I've rejected loudly. "NO, NO. NO!" Only to give in after some explanation. 

Don't take it personally if the other person doesn't think every idea is gold. It won't be. But all you need is one right idea in a field of many not right ones. One. 

Listen

This is the hardest step in any communication, especially for someone like me who is in love with the sound of her own voice. And every time I gloss over something pivotal, I get called on it. "LISTEN!" And then I do. The whole reason for brainstorming with another person is so you'll have the benefit of another person's thoughts. If you don't listen to them, you'd be just as well off talking to yourself.

Resurrect the Dead

More than once I've discounted an idea only to realize two scenes later that some key idea is missing. When I stop to think about it, I realize that the solution was already introduces and tossed away. Talk about eating crow when I bring it up. "You already said NO!" 

That's always and interesting turn of events. When a discarded idea gets picked up and advocated by the person who discarded it initially, the whole conversation takes on a bizarre deja vu-ish feel. Only with a weird tilted on its side kind of spin.

When in doubt about whether to resurrect a dead idea, refer to point number four: Be BRAVE!

Enough is Enough

Finally, recognize when it isn't working and call it a night. Brainstorming is a creative process and sometimes your brain will not be up for it. Life is noisy and gets in the way, and we all have emotional residue we carry with us. There's no reason to power through a brainstorming session because it fits in your schedule at that exact moment and you don't know when you'll be able to try again. The results won't be worth the effort, so why torture yourself? Likewise, if you're drawing a session to a close and something sparks a creative idea, be flexible to diving back in. 

Follow your creative muse where ever she leads, even if it's to bed for the night. 

Summary

Brainstorming can be as useful (or useless) as you allow it to be. But following these few simple guidelines will definitely help garner positive results. If you're interested in working through a brainstorming session with a partner, but not quite sure how to go about it, now is the time to speak up. Perhaps you can find someone who is like minded via this workshop. 

Useful Resources and Tools

Mindtools

Wikipedia

Infinite Innovations

Creativity and Innovation Library

Critical Path Analysis 

NW Link

University of North Carolina Brainstorming Handout