Gregg Fraley Talks Brainstorming blog

 

Managing Director Lyndon Stewart gets to know upcoming workshop leader Gregg Fraley.


 

Photo portrait of Lyndon Stewart, against a red tapestry at Catalyst Ranch

Innovation is our bread and butter at Catalyst Ranch. This is why on Tuesday, October 26th we’re happy to be hosting  Effective Brainstorming: Modern Strategies, Tools & Techniques with Gregg Fraley, a real expert in the field. He found that people have soured on the idea of “Brainstorming” and has sought out to flip the script, so to speak. As an environment where effective brainstorming takes place on the regular, we thought this was the perfect topic to take place within our hallowed halls of creative inspiration. 

I had the opportunity to pick Gregg’s brain and find out a bit about where he comes from and why he’s set out on this journey to save brainstorming for all. Take a look and hopefully you’ll be inspired to learn more and join us for the workshop!

 

So how did you become a go-to guru for innovation? Where did it all begin?

I worked in television fresh out of school,  and to come up with programming ideas, we did a lot of informal brainstorming. We didn’t know what we were doing — no training — but we had a culture that supported ideas, so, it wasn’t too bad. At times very exciting. But I started to notice patterns and behaviors that took the air out of the room and ruined a session. I started wondering if there was a better way to come up with ideas. When I became a software entrepreneur and worked with technical people, I found out brainstorming didn’t come naturally to a lot of people. I looked around for training and finally found the Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI), an annual conference where they taught brainstorming (and the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving model, aka “CPS”). It was a huge eye opener and I really dove into learning as much as I could about the creative process. That was 30 years and 1000 projects ago. Experience and study has taught me a great deal about creativity and innovation. 

Illustrated title card for Effective Brainstorming workshop with Gregg Fraley

Early-Bird Registration for Effective Brainstorming is available through September 26! Click here for tickets.

 

How did you manage refining all that you’ve learned into a workshop like this?

Two ways: study and practice. I read every book on creativity and innovation I can find and even reviewed some of them. I know the theories of CPS, Design Thinking, Agile, TRIZ, and other methods. But the real learning happens inside a real-world innovation project. That’s where you see what works and what doesn’t. That’s where you experiment. I’ve learned a great deal by simply trying things and refining them inside projects. 

 

What called you to rescue the reputation of brainstorming? What made this the most important focal point?

It has a lot to do with people saying very directly that it doesn’t work. I know it can work, and work amazingly well. When I hear those comments, I cringe. But I understand why; it’s poorly defined. What most people think of as brainstorming is just ad hoc spitballing. By the original definition (by Alex Osborn) it’s not actually brainstorming at all. People think that “shout out loud” ideation, in a group, where someone charts or they use Post-It Notes, is all there is. That’s only one kind of brainstorming, one tool. So, at the end of the day, I think folks need to broaden the definition of brainstorming, AND, learn the tools and techniques that have proven to be effective. I guarantee you’ll be more effective. 

 

What’s one last thing you can say to convince folks they need to come to this workshop and get the most out of their brainstorming sessions?

Well, it’s not one thing, it’s many things, that add up to success in brainstorming. But if you need ideas, you need to master those factors. Breakthrough ideas that result in personal or business success is why you would wish to be a better brainstormer. I guarantee I can make you a better brainstormer. Flat out, if you start practicing the tools, you will improve results by leaps and bounds. 

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I want to thank Gregg for taking the time to answer my questions and invite you all to join us on Tuesday, October 26th. For more info, click here. (Early bird pricing goes until September 26th). Learn even more about Gregg at GreggFraley.com .