For the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, China wanted to ensure rain storms took place where and when they want them to… That did NOT include the opening ceremony.

So, the Weather Modification Department in China seeded approaching clouds with activators to induce rainstorms outside the National Stadium. Over the past 12 years of testing they’ve increased rainstorms by 24%. Not bad.

How cool would it be if you could do with brain storms, what China did with rain storms? What if you could employ activators when problems are approaching and seed brainstorms to produce 24% more solutions?

The Problem Modification Department at Idea Sandbox has prepared this short list of activators for you to employ.

1. PROBLEM DEFINED—A caveat as we start… Our focus is HOW to fix a problem, not figuring out what is broken. I’m going to assume your problem has been properly defined, and now you need potential solutions.


2. CONDUCIVITY—You need to fish where the fish are—sometimes that means moving your boat. You will increase your chances of coming up with great ideas if you surround yourself with the right resources and remove interference. The formula Tim Gallway outlines in his book, ‘The Inner Game of Work’, works well for me:
   
   PERFORMANCE = POTENTIAL – INTERFERENCE.
   
   Increase idea performance with these interference-removing practices…
   
   
   • People—Make sure you’ve assembled a combination of both subject matter experts and those new to the challenge. Also, you don’t need cynics at this stage, you need ideaists… those willing to throw out any potential solution. (There will be plenty of time for filtering ideas that won’t work at a later time).
   
   
   • Energy & Stimulation—Be well rested. A well-rested body makes a more productive brain. Take breather breaks every few hours. Skips the M&Ms and Skittles for energy/brain foods such as: fresh bananas, almonds, and pumpkin seeds. Keep your hands busy; it helps you to think better. Equip your space with Play-Doh, TinkerToys, Legos…
   
   
   • Place—Be somewhere free of distractions, email, phone, and interruptions. The further you can get away from the “real world” the more creative your ideas will be.


3. RESOURCES—Finally, if you want more than a misting of ideas… Instead, I’m talking about a river-flooding, downpour of ideas… You need to follow a structured process. Simply sitting in a conducive room with conducive people won’t get you there. Adding structure and timing will ensure you work the problem and stay on task.




Cover image and top image from Shutterstock.




This is a cross-post from Idea Sandbox Brainstorming Sandblog.





Paul Williams. Founder of Idea Sandbox. Brainstormer. Creative Problem Solver. Retail Marketing CrackerJack. Writer.