GET STARTED: How to be Successful in the BrainStormGym
SELECT a TOPIC (CLICK to VIEW/HIDE)
Register and Warm-up
- The first critical stage of the warm-up involves the development of a comprehensive problem definition in order to ensure a more effective final solution. The quality of the final solution will be determined by a very clear understanding of the problem. You will be coached through each of the steps necessary to complete this stage. The information collected about the problem will be secured in order to evaluate the banked ideas for determining fitness of the solution to solve the problem.
- It also requires establishing the right frame of mind to optimize the generation of large volumes of creative ideas across a broad spectrum of workout-machine stimuli during the gym session. It is imperative that all preconceptions, cultural icons and other influences or biases be suspended throughout the workout.
- The final step in the warm-up is for you to certify your compliance with the preconditions required in order for you to get the best possible experience during your workout.
Work-Out
- The workout itself is primarily concerned with generating many ideas, i.e. analogous to "Burning Calories" during a physical gym workout. These machines were each designed to stimulate different thinking styles in order to cross over to generally "un-explored" areas of your brain. Since we are all wired to behave on relatively fixed personality-driven thought patterns, these machines will guide you through proven techniques to explore idea generation that may sometimes appear to be "un-natural" to your regular thinking style. Collectively, a comprehensive workout across all machines, will draw on your whole brain to deliver a compendium of ideas which well surprise you in terms of both variety and volume.
- Prior to starting the workout on each machine, carefully study the machine video to get a clear understanding of the intent of the machine. At times you may well feel somewhat uncomfortable with the intensity but this is quite normal and it is also essential for growth. However, persevere regardless of the mental dicomfort you may experience since this is natural for training unused, or generatig new, neural paths in your brain.
Review
- At any time during your visit to the gym, you may review your results, rate ideas or download ideas for external usage. You may create, update or remove any problems and/or ideas as you may deem necessary.
- The workout dashboard will provide you with a full summary of your results to date. These data may be "sliced & diced" to answer any specific questions regarding your experience in the across your problems submitted, ideas generated, machines utilized and questions behind the ideas.
PHASES of ENGAGEMENT
STEPS to SUCCESS (Click STEP to view EXAMPLE)
The BrainStormGym established a 10-Step process for solving your problems, goals, challenges and / or issues. Brainstorming effort could consume substantial energy and effort until the illumination occurs, hence we have structured the process to optimize your effort.
STEP 1 => Sign-Up and Select Membership Subscription
First and foremost, you have to sign up to gain access to the BrainStormGym.
Once this is completed, you may select a membership level for utilization of the
brainstorming and ideation tools and services associated with your chosen level.
(see examples below for the steps to Sign-Up and Membership)
PS: the primary navigation instrument throughout the BrainStormGYym is by way of
clicking on the hamburger menu in the top-right corner of any page.
See EXAMPLE below on how to select an option [e.g. GYM WORKOUT] on the menu.
STEP 2 => Meet the Coach and Check-in the Problem
The COACH will guide you and offer advice on your journey through the BrainStormGym. Whenever the COACH symbol is visible on a page, CLICK it to obtain relevant support advice or information for the activity in question.
In order
to start the workout on your problem, challenge or issue, it has to pass through
Check-In, the beginning of the problem definiton process.
You will select
the type of problem, provide a brief description of it and select a unique
problem ID (prefeixed with your uniqie identifier, e.g. initials, code, etc.)
This
lays the foundation for the problem deconstruction which follows in steps 3 and 4.
(In order to get to steps 3 and 4, you have to proceed from Step 2)
STEP 3 => Problem Definition & Warmup (Continued...)
Step 3 is a natural progression from Step 2, into the problem breakdown section.
You will be prompted to complete questions, provide relevant attributes and
select criteria applicable to measure the success of your workout. This step
concludes the "warmup" phase for the problem workout in the BrainStormGym.
(This step is a continuation from from Step 2)
STEP 4 => Workout Readiness Check
This
step is all about verification and readiness to execute a sccessful ideation workout
in the BrainStormGym. You will be required to "discard" a variety of potential
disruptive factors by leaving it in the virtual "locker'.
You
will arm yourself through the readiness check by agreeing to the "rules"
for success and "Suit-Up' to commence the workout with minimum disruptions
in order to optimise the outcome.(This step is a continuation from from Step 3)
STEP 5 => The Workout (Idea Generation)
The workout takes place in Step 5. This involves access the the ideation
"machines" that will be utilized to generate ideas (burning virtual "calories").
It constitutes progressive levels, as one would typically find in a physical gym,
where the challenges will become more intense with an increase in the machine
level.
Level 4 constitutes a "Randomizer" that will challenge your
"out-of-the-box' thought processes by forcing unusual and sometimes
"unthinkable" connections as mental cross-training to stimulate unusual idea
formulation.
You are able to view ideas related to the problem you're working on, build on
existing ideas, get coach feedback on machine utilization and view the details
of the problem definition, including attributes.
STEP 6 => Ideaboard (Rating Ideas)
The Ideaboard presents all ideas generated in the form of a "sticky" board where
ideas may be viewed, rated and ranked according to its fit with the potential
problem resolution.
Group results may be included / excluded as enabled by the
membership level selected.
STEP 7 => Ideabank (Manage Ideas)
Step 7 provides access to the Idea database to view all ideas generated with the option to update / modify ideas, remove ideas (downvote), track parent-child relationships among ideas and view group inputs.
STEP 8 => Dashboard (View/Analyse Results)
The Dashboard offers visual insights into all problems, ideas generated,
criteria assigned, machines utilized, challenges completed and drilldown
into individual problem status.
STEP 9 => Manage Problem Criteria
Problem management enables access to all problem data and provides the gateway
to [additional] criteria definition and / or updates to existing criteria.
STEP 10 => Download Ideas (CSV/EXCEL)
Depending on your membership level; problems, criteria and ideas may be downloaded for external ["off-line"] use in advanced idea analysis by a wider audience if required.
INVITE PARTICIPANTS => Problem Participation
Level 4 membership include invitations for team / group participation
in idea generation.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION => General Participation on "PUBLIC" Problems
If
a broader perspective on problems or challenges is required, a problem may be tagged
as public, in which case all users will have access to provide feedback by way of a
structured evaluation (including "likes", "score", "quantitative" and "qualitative"),
as well as option for submitting comments.