Creative Brainstorming and Problem-Solving

This appendix module uses a postcard-to-your-future-self exercise to help participants reconnect with intentions they set roughly a year earlier before diving into creative brainstorming work. Participants individually re-read a postcard they wrote previously, then discuss at their table how it feels to revisit it, whether they reached the destination they described, what surprised them, and what is now clearer about the challenge the group is working to solve. It generalizes to any workshop opening where reflecting on past intentions helps sharpen focus on a current problem.

This module teaches the Open-Explore-Close framework for structured brainstorming: framing a problem before solving it, generating ideas without judgment, and converging on a winning idea with rigorous criteria. Participants practice the full cycle in teams — drawing the problem to surface hidden assumptions, running a silent brainwriting sprint, using AI to expand and stress-test ideas, building on ideas with "Yes, And," and scoring final options with the NUF test (Novel, Useful, Feasible). The module also introduces a model for dividing creative work between human strengths (taste, judgment, provocation) and AI strengths (expansion, pattern recognition, pushing past comfort). Exercises are built around a shared internal challenge — improving cross-team idea-sharing at Learning Resources — but the framework and techniques generalize to any brainstorming session.

This pre-work module prepares participants for a live Creative Brainstorming and Problem-Solving workshop. Working individually and against a timer, participants complete a "Wouldn't it be great if..." sentence-completion exercise across three prompts focused on physician engagement in their region, generating ideas quickly without self-editing before narrowing to their top five to share in the workshop. It is built around a physician engagement scenario for a specific region; the sentence-completion technique generalizes to any brainstorming challenge where you need to generate a high volume of unfiltered ideas before refining them.

This module introduces the Open/Explore/Close framework for structured brainstorming, teaching participants how to frame a problem before solving it, generate ideas without judgment, and evaluate options against clear criteria before committing. Participants practice through warm-up check-ins, forming an "innovation team," and working a shared challenge (in one version, framed around physician engagement and regional program roll-out for a healthcare organization; in another, around cross-team idea sharing at Learning Resources) ??? both illustrating how the framework applies to any team brainstorm. The module also introduces the "Failure Bow" as a tool for getting comfortable practicing new soft skills through trial and error.

This module sets the mindset and structure for effective brainstorming. Participants learn a set of shared "Rules of the Road" (get to the point and state your opinion; discuss then decide; move fast and embrace the work in progress; write it where everyone can see it) and an Open-Explore-Close model for structuring a brainstorm, using the three-act movie structure as a guiding metaphor. They also learn the distinct process roles (Facilitator, Note-Taker, Virtual Avatar) and content roles (Yes-And Person, Subject Matter Expert, Client/Customer POV, Wildcard) that keep a brainstorm moving, and practice all of it in a live elimination-style exercise called "Rip it up," where partners pitch and cut ideas in rounds until two remain.

This module teaches the improv-based "Yes, and" mindset as a tool for team collaboration and brainstorming. Participants first learn the concept, then practice it through "I'm a Tree," a group exercise where they build on each other's ideas in person and with a virtual participant, followed by a debrief. A teaching segment then breaks down "Yes, and" (accepting) versus blocking ("No") using a 2x2 matrix comparing the value and cost of each stance, helping participants see when accepting builds energy and new ideas versus when blocking saves time but limits them.

This module opens a creative brainstorming and problem-solving workshop by training participants to slow down and understand a problem deeply before jumping to solutions. Participants draw the problem visually rather than describing it in words, compare their drawings with peers to surface hidden assumptions, and write a shared problem statement as a group. The module also introduces the 5 Whys technique, using a supplier-delivery scenario as a model, for digging past symptoms to find root causes through repeated questioning.

This module teaches structured techniques for generating a high volume of ideas without prematurely judging them. Participants practice forced-connection brainstorming (mashing up personal passions, favorite things, and challenges into new combinations), rapid-fire group techniques like the 3-12-2 Brainstorm and Spontaneous Marketing Campaign, and a three-round Explore sprint that combines individual brainwriting, AI-assisted idea expansion, and "Yes, And" group building. Exercises are framed around inventing new company products, marketing campaigns, and solutions to team challenges, and the techniques generalize to any brainstorming or early-stage problem-solving situation. A recurring thread is how to divide creative work between humans (taste, judgment, provocation) and AI (expansion, pattern recognition, pushing past comfort).

This module covers the closing phase of a brainstorm, where groups shift from generating ideas to evaluating and committing to one. Participants use the NUF Test (New/Novel, Useful, Feasible) to score ideas ??? including a version that groups raw ideas into options using AI before scoring, then multiplies the three scores to surface the strongest option rather than just the most feasible one. From there, participants build a "What/Who/When" action plan for their chosen idea, then test and refine it through a "Speed Dating" cross-pollination exercise where regional groups exchange ideas, question each other's plans, and debrief what they learned.

This closing module consolidates the Creative Brainstorming and Problem-Solving deliverable by having participants revisit the Open/Explore/Close framework and reflect on their experience with it. Participants discuss what worked well in the process, compare where AI assistance versus human judgment added the most value, and commit to one specific technique from the day (such as drawing the problem, brainwriting, Yes-And, or the NUF test) they will apply back on their teams, including when and by what date.

This module teaches creative problem-solving techniques, including the Five Whys and "Wouldn't It Be Great If" methods, and gives participants practice applying them to real business challenges. Exercises are built around sales and distribution case studies ??? a retail buyer relationship breakdown at Petco and a distribution barrier with Readerlink/Sam's Club ??? that generalize to any situation where a team must break through stalled stakeholder relationships or unlock blocked channels. Participants first check in with a partner on pre-work ideas and personal goals for the session, then work in small groups to read a case, apply a chosen creative problem-solving technique, and prepare a brief recommendation.