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The art of blending coffee and
creativity to brew-up brilliant ideas.
We've
all done it -- sat with a friend over a caffeinated beverage and were simply
carried away in conversation. Occasionally a brilliant idea or two would
pop-up mid-sentence, and sometimes you were sufficiently aware enough to
realize lightning had struck and stop to record the idea, but more likely you
simply continued on with your coffee-talk.
Had you been well-versed in the true art of BeanStorming, you would have
understood the rules of the game and been better prepared to capture those big
ideas. Fortunately for you -- the Idea Barista is now on hand to help guide
you through the process.
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Rule
#1: It takes more than a single bean to brew a pot of coffee
Just as it's impossible to brew a successful pot of coffee from a
single bean, neither is it possible to brew up big ideas using a single brain.
Make certain you have a partner or two on hand to multiply the ideas
generated. More beans = more coffee. More brains = more ideas.
Rule #2: High-octane caffeinated brew only
Only caffeinated coffee allowed. Decaf just won't do. You need to feel that
caffeine buzzing through your brain in order to blow away the cobwebs and
shake the best ideas loose from your gray matter. ...and,
REALLY. Decaffeinated coffee? What's the point?
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Rules of
BeanStorming |
| 1.
Requires more than a single bean.
2. High-octane
caffeinated brew only.
3. You need a
"cup" to capture your ideas.
4. Coffee Breaks
have time limits...
So do BeanStorms.
5. Sit 'round a
"Coffee Table."
6. Fresh start for
every fresh cup.
7. End the session
with ideas left unsaid... |
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Rule
#3: Sit around the Coffee Table
King Arthur had it right. Seat everyone around a table.
I've tried BeanStorming from big comfy chairs, couches,
office desks, etc., but none of these seating arrangements
works as well as sitting around a big ol' table trading
ideas back and forth/rapid-fire/eye-to-eye. Take a page
from Arthur's book -- assemble your own 'Knights of the
Round Coffee-Table.'
Rule #4: You have to use a coffee cup
You wouldn't have someone pour coffee into your
cupped hands, would you? The hot liquid would run right
through your fingers. You need a container -- a coffee
cup. You need the same sort of device for capturing
concepts and not letting ideas slip through your fingers.
For me, nothing beats a black rollerball pen and legal pad
(or one of those black and white composition notebooks.) I
know other folks who swear by 3-ring binders, steno
notebooks, Daytimers, laptop computers, tape recorders,
Post-it Notes, or even their own custom notepads.
It doesn't really matter
which tool you use (paper napkins are another favorite of
mine) -- just USE SOMETHING.
Rule
#5: Fresh Cup -- Fresh Topic
You can
only discuss the same topic and explore the same idea
until it's time for a refill. Once you get a fresh cup of
brew, you need to start down a fresh creative path. This
keeps the momentum moving forward. If you allow a
different person seated around the table to pick the next
topic, you'll also increase the chance of everyone's voice
being heard.
Rule #6: Coffee Breaks have time limits -- so
should BeanStorms
Take your time, at least one hour (preferably two), but
you also need to set a time limit. It is inevitable that
you will end the session with a bunch of ideas still in
your head. Great! Leave the coffee shop and record them
outside the BeanStorm session, but DON'T extend the
meeting. You want every BeanStorming session to end while
ideas are still bouncing around your brain and you still
have other concepts to contribute.
...Which
brings me to...
Rule #7:
Never put an empty coffee pot back on the burner
BeanStorming non-stop -- until your brain is
completely drained of ideas -- will not prove fruitful in
the long run. It's not a pleasant experience, and total
brain-drain will leaving your mind in the same shape as
one of those empty glass coffee carafes set back on the
hotplate -- your brain will turn into a crispy-fried black
piece of tar with an acrid aroma -- it's sure to make you
think twice about participating in a future BeanStorm!
There are a lot of BeanStorming rules to cover, but I'm
going to follow my own Rule #7 and stop while there are
more ideas to share.
Besides...
It's time for a refill. |
