I have published, edited or written four volumes of books to help churches with their youth ministry in a practical way. The 'Know Ideas' series was written in response to the regular requests from youth leaders for help. I took the best of some older stuff called 'Mines of Information' and then added some new things.
How did we generate ideas? We responded to the researched truth that only one person in twenty ever has an original idea. So when someone asks the question 'Anyone got any ideas?' if there are fewer than twenty people in the room the odds are stacked against. They should rephrase the question: 'Which of the things we have done before should we do again in this situation?
I am one of the twenty. I have loads of ideas. I need to be surrounded by checks, balances and vetting procedures. That is good and appropriate. But I also put myself in a position where I am able to be creative. I need space. Input. The occasional company of other creatives. The social media will often do. Spending time sitting in bars or coffee shops and calling it work is because it is work. It is what gets the results.
When we reached volume four of Know Ideas I invited a bunch of fellow creatives round to my office for the day. I gave them food and drink and some things to play with. I gave them some headings - ice-breakers, games needing no equipment, discussion starters. Then I watched and recorded the good stuff. Everyone loved taking part and got a writing credit in the book.
Fast forward a few years and a colleague and I wondered if we might be able to run a training tour helping people to tap into their own creativity. We took the 'Know Good Ideas' roadshow out on tour. We did our idea-generating workshop, charging people to attend, and stole the best ideas (which was a bit brazen). We encouraged some people not to need our books any more (not brazen at all).
Last night a woman I live with (chosen career - retail) came home after a twelve hour day preparing to do a few more hours after a quick supper. She was filling in some new forms because changes at her workplace now mean she must do the work of the HR department which has been made redundant. (If I have understood right.)
About 11 p.m. I was going to bed and was asked if I had any ideas to improve sales tomorrow. I said no. Mainly because my ideas involved a lot of people breathing no more.
Today, after a little contemplation, I have offered to reprise my seminar day (at a charity rate of £300 a day) for any people in the company that still feel it appropriate to ask employees doing twice as much as their contacted hours (yes, Mr Farage, European work-time regulations have no effect here so save your breath) to come up with ideas. Late at night request for something BY TOMORROW.
She was rebuked in a conference call this morning for a lack of ideas.
Remember when Michael Caine's character said 'Hang on a minute lads; I've just had an idea.' The film ended there right? We started our training tour evenings by showing the clip and then asking people, working in groups, to tell us what the idea was.
Well maybe saving your life from a teetering, cliff-edge coach crash will give you a bit of adrenalin. But for most people you need to change the stimuli. If you have things to do all day you will not have ideas about those things.
We are on holiday for a week tomorrow. I bet we come up with some good ideas. That's how it works.
No charge for this.
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