Rolestorming #1 Brainstorming Secret of Billionaires
What is Rolestorming ?
In the 1980's Rick Griggs, inventor of Rolestorming, worked as a productivity manager and training manager for National Semiconductor and Intel Corporations. Noticing that brainstorming was not producing the desired results, he decided to put a creative spin on it.
In 1985 Rick began to combine role-playing with brainstorming, creating Rolestorming. The results were immediate and the amount of ideas was shocking!
Rolestorming is much more than playing a role, it is an entire process that only a handful of people are certified to perform.
Rolestorming is coming out of secrecy and is now available for you to gain from it! Be it through booking Rick Griggs himself to facilitate your next meeting or to become a certified Rolestorming Facilitator.
Discover for yourself what makes Rolestorming the go to process for billionaires!
A Storm of Ideas
How does Rolestorming Supercharge the Brainstorming Process?
To better understand how Rolestorming supercharges the brainstorming process we must first ask, what is brainstorming?
Brainstorming is a group discussion for the purpose of producing ideas and solving problems.
Which sounds simple enough in theory, but implementing a truly productive meeting can be challenging. Let's face it, traditional brainstorming can at times feel like pulling teeth to get people talking about a few subpar ideas. Morale and participation are often low and long before it's over you often feel like you've lost control and focus of the room. Does this scenario sound familiar? Well, if it does, you're not alone and it's not your fault. The truth is that before you have even called your meeting to order you have lost the support of the majority of your people.
The old and tired brainstorming process doesn't bring forth the best possible results because the fault lies in its execution. Poor execution leads to poor ideas and participation, resulting in wasted time with few results.
Let's look at the 5 major reasons for the lack of ideas and participation in a typical brainstorming meeting.
Lack of enthusiasm
Dread of sitting through another long, boring and unproductive meeting creates unwilling participants.
Fear
Fear of ridicule is a major factor in not voicing out of the box ideas.
Fear of being talked over or not listened to keeps brilliant ideas from being shared.
Fear of not being taken seriously squashes creative and imaginative ideas.
Monopolization
Having 1 or 2 people monopolizing the floor wastes time, demoralizes and hinders progress.
Pacifying the constant voice in the room leaves other voices and ideas unheard.
Time is wasted trying to coax scared people to speak.
The loudest idea takes centerstage yet it is most likely not the best idea in the room.
Lack of control of the room and agenda
Meeting lacks order and runs amuck.
Talking over each other.
Unfocused and off topic.
People losing interest.
Lack of consensus
Not agreeing on a solution or direction.
Not agreeing on final decision therefore ideas aren't implemented and supported.
Resentment builds within the majority of the group.
Participants leave the room feeling that the meeting was a waste of time.
Dreading the next meeting ensures repeating the cycle of unproductive brainstorming meetings.
How does Rolestorming address each one of these problem areas?
Taking control of the room and agenda. The Rolestorming process implements a clear plan and order of operations. The Rolestorming facilitator's job is to stay on task and focus on getting answers to the Quid Novi Statement in a timely manner. Always keeping in mind that quick and effective results is the goal, keeps the meeting running smoothly.
Removing the fear factor. When fear goes down, imagination goes up. Creating a fun and exciting environment peaks interest and leads to eager participation. Which in turn opens the door to exploring bold and creative ideas. Playing a role removes fear by providing protection from ridicule, mocking and intimidation.
Equalizing the playing field. Ensuring that all people participate by giving everyone several turns to vocalize their ideas Having all voices heard and all ideas respected multiplies the number of ideas.
Building consensus. Having every member of the group take part in all aspects of the Rolestorming process builds pride in ownership. Not only does the group feel heard and respected for their ideas, but they also feel heard during the discussion period and voting process as well. In the end everyone leaves feeling like they have worked as a well-functioning team and eager to support the final decision. Not to mention the group now looks forward to the next Rolestorming session!
The ideas from that Rolestorming session... allowed us to win that multimillion dollar deal!
Josh Linkner
Companies Who Have Used Rolestorming
Partial List of Companies
National Semiconductor
Intel Corporation
Hewlett-Packard
Apple Computer
Mentor Graphics
American Dental Association
American Animal Hospital Association
Stanford University
City of Palo Alto
City of Mountain View
City of San Ramon
Hinman Dental Meeting
Project Management Institute
University of Southern Denmark
Syracuse University
Ford Motor Company (Mexico)
Global Topics for Rolestorming
Partial List of Rolestorming Topics
Marketing
Brands & Logos
Business Ideas
Focus Groups
Revenue & Cost Cutting
New Product Ideas
Implementation
Problem Solving
Corporate Reorganization
Budgeting
Sales & Profits
Customer Satisfaction
Team Consensus
Mission & Vision
Strategy
Prevention
Opportunity
New Direction
Purpose
Solutions
Market Performance
Company Sales & Loyalty
Increasing Profits
Improvement Opportunities
Enhance Product or Services
Future Planning
Long & Short Term Goals
Future Growth
Market Changes
Transitions
Business Options
Productivity
Product Improvement
Innovation
Potential
Employee Performance
High Employee Turnover
Development
Solutions
Challenges
Business Strategy
Systems & Processes
Quality
Growth
Direction & Vision
Market Competition
Market Transformation
Retaining Top Talent
Diversity
Nurturing a Thriving Company Culture
Motivating Employees
Morale
Time Management
Strategic Leadership
Retaining Customers
Identifying New Sales Channels
Solving Productivity Problems