Everyone has had that moment in their lives. You know the one great idea that will change everything. It just so happens that this is not so uncommon.
The trouble is that not many people capitalise on these ideas or more importantly really brainstorm that single idea and turn it into five ideas or more.
I have expanded on many ideas in the past and these are the techniques that I have found to be the most effective.
Firstly It is important to outline what the original idea means to you and what you would like to achieve from it. I means using the the "G" word. Thats right writting down your goals.
As scary as that may be for alot of people it can be a crucial step in following through on your original ideas and gaining the full benefit from your intended project. By understanding where you want your idea to go you can understand how to get there.
As an example if you had an idea for a routine that woould improve your childs learning then sit down and write why it is important to you and who will be the main people effected. By linking emotion to your idea you give it momentum and create passion. All of a sudden its not just an idea, but a project that you are passionate about.
The second step is to take your goals and your original idea and break it down into steps. Essentially pull it to bits. For example if you had an idea to design a new brand of footwear for children you might want to look at all the attributes of the product and most importantly who your target market will be and the end benefit that the target market will receive. Look at every single part of the idea such as the name of your product, colour, shape, sizes, where it would sell, who would buy it, why they would buy it, can we sell accessories for it? (Polisher, socks etc..) The list is endless but the more information that you explore the clearer your idea will become.
Think who is buying your product and what it is your really selling. An example of this is the success of crocks. Even though a lot of people think they look ridiculous, there are countless people who still wear them in public. They purchased the crocks not for their looks but because they were comfortable. Therfore crocks were selling comfort and not just a shoe.
For the second step it is crucial that you write down every single idea that comes to you regardless of how ridiculous it sounds. The ideas need to be big, colourful and bold so consider using butchers paper and hang them from your wall. Mindmaps are great as they allow you to expand your ideas but also think logically as to how your ideas are arranged. It can be beneficial to bounce ideas of another person, but make sure that you trust that person to keep your ideas to themselves.
The third step is to examine the results of your brainstorming. Like a genius painter observing his or her work stand back and examine what has been achieved. Chances are that you will have created many more ideas and will have a map of what it is that you want to achieve. You may even combine a couple of the ideas that you have thought of to create a brand new idea!
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