Intuitive Focusing on "What is the One Small Thing?"
Your Turn
So, let's use the Intuitive Focusing skill to find the "one small thing" to engage and motivate your target audience, be it consumers, citizens, volunteers, or employees. This could be the most important decision you make, so, one small session may not be enough, but it will start you thinking about Creative Edge engagement> It will put the pot on the burner so that creative insights can arise now or later.
You can do this first step alone, by yourself, but even more productively with the appropriate group of problem solvers, benefiting from the Creative Edge Collaborative Thinking of many people.
However, the best way to generate ideas for the "one small thing" is to initiate a Listening/Focusing Brainstorming process with the people at the bottom! We are not going to do that here, but it is essential to the process of motivating from the bottom up.
As a group or individually, sit down and get comfortable, preparing to spend up to twenty minutes letting right- and left- brain problem solving interact. Add another twenty minutes for group sharing. Keep a blank pad of paper in front of each person for gathering ideas.
In a group, have one person read the following instructions aloud to everyone else. Everyone except the reader, close your eyes, focusing inward, on The Creative EdgE --- or, at least, look off "into space". You want to access right-brain, intuitive thinking before you turn to more traditional "brainstorming" methods.
Upon hearing the instructions, pay attention, inside, looking for the "intuitive feel" of answers --- not what is immediately, intellectually known, but the right-brain, intuitive, murky, vague feel of what you know that is "more than words" --- leave at least a minute of silence between each instruction:
Focusing Instructions
Close your eyes and get comfortable --- let your "focus" turn inward, your attention toward the "intuitive feel" that is more than words ---
(one minute or more)
Just notice your breathing going in --- and out --- don't try to change it. Just notice your breathing as a way of coming inside, more in tune with your intuitive-knowing ---
(one minute or more)
Take a moment to choose an area of interest, or, if the problem to be explored is already known, name it:
"I (or we) are going to spend some Intuitive Focusing time on the problem of (name it) ---
(one moment or more)
Now ask yourself, "Where is the apathy that I am concerned about? Who is it that I want to engage in this project?" and just sit quietly, bringing the whole concern into the center of your attention, setting aside the already known, and letting an "intuitive feel" for "the whole thing" to arise ---
(one minute)
Find some words or an image or make a drawing --- try to capture the "intuitive feel" ---
Don't worry if you don't get a clear answer --- you are drawing closer to an "intuitive feel" for the whole situation --- If you want to write anything down, using Mind Mapping or any other method, take a few moments to do so ---
(one minute or more)
Now, ask yourself, "What could be 'one small thing' people could do, 'one small thing' this audience would be happy to do, which could be a first step toward full engagement?" ---
(one minute)
Don't get into thinking the "already-known" --- set aside what you already know and just pay attention to The Creative Edge --- the "intuitive feel" of the whole thing that is more than you are already thinking --- don't try to do anything --- just notice the "unclear feel" that comes up ---
(one minute or more)
And find some words or an image that can capture that "intuitive feel" ---if you want to write anything down, feel free ---
(one minute or more)
If you are working alone, you can go back-and-forth, internally, trying out an idea in your mind, sensing into how people might react, imagining how it might work --- going back and forth between trying out possibilities and checking with the "intuitive feel": "Would that work? --- How would that be?--- " Take notes as needed or desired --- continue as long as you want.
Round-Robin Sharing For Group Brainstorming
In a group, after the initial Focusing Instructions, let people quietly take notes or Mind Map to capture their fresh "intuition," then use a Creative Edge Round Robin sharing structure for an initial go-round. Someone keep time, limit turns to 3 -5 minutes per person. Each person gets an uninterrupted turn to say what came up during the Intuitive Focusing, paying attention to the "intuitive feel" while speaking, creating fresh, innovative words and images --- Everyone else just listens, taking notes as desired, noticing what new ideas or Creative Edges arise as the others speak ---
After this initial sharing from the Creative Edge, the group can turn to a more traditional "brain storming" method, bouncing ideas off of each other, interrupting if that stimulates creativity --- but returning to the Creative Edge Round Robin sharing structure, time-limited turns with no interruptions allowed, if more access to The Creative Edge of intuitive, right-brain problem solving is desired.
Then, of course, try out any ideas that have come up --- test them on co-workers or focus groups --- ask the people at the bottom what would work for them --- follow your usual product development and marketing strategies, the measure of success being whether people willingly become engaged --- or, if they are not stepping up, consider if the step too big, in which case, it's back to the drawing board, The Creative Edge, to come up with a smaller step, until the "One Small Thing" is found.
