Presentation Designer's Toolkit
The Mash-Up Method
What is it? The "mash-up" method in brainstorming involves combining unrelated or seemingly disparate ideas, concepts, or elements to generate new and innovative solutions or insights. It encourages the blending or fusion of diverse perspectives, domains, or fields to create something unique and original. The primary goal of using the mash-up method is to break away from conventional thinking patterns and stimulate creativity by forcing connections between unrelated ideas. By merging different concepts or elements, you can uncover fresh perspectives, identify novel solutions, and foster innovative thinking. When to use it When you need to get past obvious solutions, explore new possibilities, and break through mental barriers Remember to: Select two categories or concepts that are unrelated and not typically associated with the problem you are trying to solve Focus on quantity over quality Let loose and have fun Step-by-step 1 Define the challenge you're facing Clearly articulate the specific challenge or problem you are trying to address. For example, if you're working on visuals for a sustainability-focused keynote and need a fresh way to approach a visual metaphor for uncertainty, you might write down: "How could I visually represent uncertainty in a way that is unexpected, thought-provoking, and aligns with the theme of sustainability?" 2 Choose two unrelated categories Select one category that relates to your challenge, such as "Sustainability" in this case. For the unrelated category, think of an area or field that could provide interesting elements to explore, like "Outer Space" or "Team dynamics" 3 Create columns for each category and define a high number of outputs Divide your workspace into two columns, one for each category. Aim to generate a substantial number of ideas, like 20 for each column. The quantity of ideas is important at this stage to increase the likelihood of uncovering unique and creative concepts. 4 Generate ideas within each category Set a timer for a short period, such as 2 or 5 minutes, and brainstorm as many elements or ideas as you can within each category. For the "Sustainability" column, you might list concepts like "renewable energy," "nature," "ecosystems," or "sustainable practices." In the unrelated category column, you could write down items like "galaxies," "rocket ships," or "planets." 5 Combine elements from each category Review the lists you've created and start combining elements from the two columns. Don't hesitate to experiment with seemingly unrelated or even silly combinations. For instance, you might combine "uncertainty" from the sustainability category with "galaxies" from the unrelated category to create a visual representation of uncertain paths among infinite possibilities in the universe. Embrace the unexpected connections, as they can lead to highly creative and innovative solutions. Guide coming soon
Learn more
Crazy 8s brainstorming
What is it? Crazy 8s is a fast-paced and dynamic brainstorming method that encourages rapid idea generation. This technique helps bypass overthinking and self-censorship by pushing participants to think beyond their initial assumptions. The name "Crazy 8's" derives from the structure of the exercise, which involves folding a sheet of paper into eight sections and setting a time limit of 8 minutes for participants to generate eight unique sketches or ideas. Here's a few different ways to use this activity for presentation development and design: Visual metaphors: come up with different visual metaphors to represent a key message or theme of the presentation. These metaphors can then be used as inspiration for imagery, illustrations, and/or visual aids. Presentation structure: brainstorm different ways to structure your presentation. For example, you could ask each participant to come up with eight different ways to open the presentation, or eight different ways to close it. Slide content and layout: brainstorm ideas for individual slides. You could focus the activity on eight different visual aids or layouts that could be used on a specific slide. Audience engagement: brainstorm ideas for how to engage the audience during the presentation. This can include coming up with eight interactive activities or questions to involve the audience. When to use it When you need to generate a large quantity of ideas quickly When you're stuck or facing a creative block. Its fast-paced, time-bound approach can help break down mental barriers and spark new ideas that you may not have thought of otherwise. Remember to Approach the activity with an open mind, embrace the constraints as a creative challenge, and remember to have fun. Step-by-step: how to run a Crazy 8s session 1 Define the problem or topic Clearly state the problem/area you want to brainstorm about or specify the topic you want to explore. Be as specific as possible. 2 Gather materials Each participant should have a sheet of paper divided into eight equal sections. You can provide blank sheets of paper, or you can use templates that already have the sections pre-drawn. You'll also need writing utensils, a timer, and a flat surface for drawing and writing. 3 Set the time limit Allocate a specific time frame for each round of idea generation. The typical duration for each round in Crazy 8s is 8 minutes, but you can adjust the time based on your preference and the complexity of the challenge. 4 Start the timer Begin the timer and let the participants know they have 8 minutes to generate as many ideas as possible. It's essential to emphasize the importance of speed and quantity over quality during this process. 5 Generate ideas Participants individually brainstorm and write down their ideas. Encourage them to be creative, think outside the box, and avoid self-censorship. Remind them to quickly move from one idea to the next, aiming to generate at least 8 ideas within the time limit. 6 Pin-up and share After the 8 minutes are up, have each participant pin or stick their ideas on a wall or board where everyone can see them. Each participant takes turns presenting their ideas briefly, explaining them if necessary. As they present, others can ask clarifying questions or provide immediate feedback. 7 Group and cluster Once all the ideas have been shared, look for similarities or themes among the ideas. Group similar ideas together and create clusters or categories to identify common threads or patterns emerging from the brainstorming session. 8 Reflect and prioritize Take a moment to review the clusters of ideas and discuss their potential value or feasibility. Prioritize the clusters based on their relevance, potential impact, or feasibility in solving the problem at hand. 9 Select ideas for further development From the prioritized clusters, choose the most promising or interesting ideas to explore further. These ideas can serve as a foundation for the next stage of the brainstorming process or be developed into actionable plans. Guide coming soon
Learn more