Problem-Solving: Different Strategies for Solving It

Think of the biggest, most frustrating problem you have. You've thought about it endlessly, and can't come up with a workable solution. Now think about a "kitchen cabinet", a term invented by the opponents of President Jackson. The "kitchen cabinet" is a group of people as diverse as you can think of, who can consider your problem from different angles. They may be diverse in their ages, genders, race, ethnicity, professions or trades, where they were raised, or any other way. Ideally they all meet together once or twice, but if not, maybe they can meet online.

The Ideo company in "The Art of Innovation" uses diverse groups when starting a project, putting together a multi-disciplinary team from many fields. Some other companies do this as well. Why can't you do it as well?

Many business leaders participate in "mastermind" groups, carefully selected from non-competitors, who can advise each other over a year or longer. Often only 1 person per industry is allowed in a group.

Another strategy to improve idea generation is to encourage employees to choose the problem they would like to help solve. Increased motivation can lead to better results; people work harder to resolve a problem that is important to them.

A third strategy is to run a silent brainstorming session. This research-based method, done using a specific format, neatly sidesteps many of the problems with the traditional brainstorming technique.

These strategies and more are part of the Executive Communication seminar offered by Business Speech Improvement. It is available on request to individuals and small groups.