Look For The Sparks: Brainstorm
By maestro. Filed in Productivity |
What if we don’t have time to quietly contemplate and watch for the signs? What if we are in the heat of the battle at a negotiation table? To tune our minds and hearts to the optimal wavelength, add a brainstorming session to every discussion in conflict. When a meeting is called in advance to discuss a conflict or difficult situation, add an invitation to brainstorm to the meeting notice. Also add written ground rules to the meeting invitation informing others that solutions that arise during the brainstorming phase of the meeting will not be criticized. If participants feel that their jobs or relationships are at risk in communicating new ideas, have an impartial third party gather and collate potential solutions.
When we move into brainstorming mode, we see everyone at the table as containing a unique and creative perspective. There are no bad ideas. We suspend judgment of ideas and people. Ideas flow from the listening stage into the world. The more information participants are willing to share, the better the solution will be. Simply write down what is shared without judgment or discussion.
Ask each participant to be prepared to bring their most creative and audacious solutions to the problem at hand. Those who internally process information, or introverts, will often prepare before the meeting, whereas you will find the extroverts digging up and processing solutions during the meeting itself. If there is time, writing in a journal can be a great internal brainstorming tool. The key to writing as brainstorming is to keep going, even if there appears nothing to say. Write freely for five to ten minutes on each of the following questions. Doing this allows any answers that might lie within you to creep from your right brain (the creative part) to your left brain (your rational part) and on down to the paper.
Taken From : The Way of Conflict—Elemental Wisdom for Resolving Disputes and Transcending Differences
