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SOMEONE ELSE’S BRAIN(STORM)

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SOMEONE ELSE’S BRAIN(STORM)

One of the most important traits we can cultivate is empathy—the ability to see the world through another’s eyes, without judging what we see. Empathy helps us understand what people need, and design with those needs in mind. Seeing a problem from another’s perspective can give us new clues for solving it.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES  VISUAL COMMUNICATION, CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING, EMPATHY
GET INTO CHARACTER

Take on an alter ego of your choosing.
Fun ways to decide who to be:
1) choose costumes from a giant bin of dress up clothes
2) spin a wheel to pick different character traits
3) pick professions, habits and opinions from a hat and weave them together into a character

NARRATE

In writing or out loud, narrate a story about your character. What did they have for breakfast this morning? Where do they live, and how did they get here from there? What are their likes and dislikes? Why are they interested in the problem you’ve come together to investigate, and how do they feel about it?

CONVERSE

Agree on the problem or question you want to investigate as a group. Each character shares a potential solution and everyone discusses that idea from their character’s unique perspective. Record the observations and ideas the characters come up with.

ADAPT

You can also use any of the other IMAGINE design activities found in this toolkit to come up with ideas through the brain of your new persona.

GOING UP?

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GOING UP?

Imagine you’ve run into an important person on the elevator and before they step off onto their floor, you have to convince them that your idea is worth investing in. It’s good to have a quick and persuasive speech ready!

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES  PERSISTENCE, SYNTHESIS, VERBAL COMMUNICATION
DISTILL

To make your case quickly, first you’ll need to identify the most important points about your project. Not sure what to focus on? Try answering these questions in just a few words each: WHO are you trying to help? WHY do they need help, what problem are they facing? WHAT can you do to help them, and WHAT can your listener do to help you?

DRAFT

Write your pitch out in full, using those key points to give it structure. You can start by sharing the problem you’re trying to solve and giving examples of how it negatively impacts the people who encounter it. Then get right to your solution, and make it pop. Use energizing language, and paint a vivid picture of how things will improve once your solution is in action. Tell your listener exactly what you plan to do, and exactly what they can do to help. Aim to make your pitch in 2-3 minutes.

PRACTICE

Remember that a pitch is like a miniature performance. Think about your body language and what it conveys to your audience; well-placed gestures can help make your argument more interesting. Your tone of voice is also important! You should speak slowly and loudly throughout. You may want to try a more somber tone when talking about the problem you’re addressing, and switch to a positive, upbeat tone when you present your solution. Rehearse your pitch several times, until you’re totally comfortable presenting it in a natural way, without reading your notes.

CLIENT PRESENTATION

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CLIENT PRESENTATION

Before you invest too much time in creating a final product for a challenge you’re facing, it’s important to get feedback from the people who will be using it. Sharing your process will help clarify your ideas and give others a chance to give constructive feedback that will make your idea stronger.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES  PERSISTENCE, VERBAL COMMUNICATION, VISUAL COMMUNICATION
REFLECT

Write out a few sentences about each step of the design process you’ve engaged in so far. What challenges did you encounter, and how did you work through them? What breakthroughs or successes did you have, and what prompted them? Leading your client through your creative process-—even the messy or difficult parts—will help them better understand and appreciate the solution you have arrived at.

SHOW

Find images (photographs, early sketches, models and drawings) to illustrate your written presentation. A slide presentation can be an effective way to share visual information while you talk. Having 3D models in front of you will also allow you and your client(s) to move things around and try new possibilities on the spot.

PRACTICE

Decide who will speak about each step of the process. It’s great if everyone who participated has some role. Rehearse your presentation a few times so that everyone feels comfortable with their role, and can give each other feedback on both content and delivery.

LISTEN

Ask questions to help your client give you useful feedback, and remind them that you need to hear honest feedback in order to make your solution as strong as possible. Listen carefully to your client’s responses. It may help to have one or more people from the group record feedback, since different people will hear different things. Then use that feedback to return to the EVOLVE stage and refine your prototype, making changes to your design to address any issues that came up.

DRAWING SOLUTIONS

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DRAWING SOLUTIONS

Brainstorming sessions generate a ton of ideas, but most are just fragments. Drawing an idea out on paper allows you to investigate an idea more fully, figuring out details and addressing potential pitfalls or challenges as you go.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING, EMPATHY, VERBAL COMMUNICATION, VISUAL COMMUNICATION
CHOOSE IT

Choose an idea that excited you from a previous brainstorm session. Make a quick list of all the questions you and others have about that idea, and the things that might keep your solution from working. Spend some time figuring out how you can refine your idea to work around or through those problems.

DRAW IT

Reserve at least 10 minutes for drawing your idea. Using as much detail as possible, show your solution in action. It might help to use a storyboard or comic book format to show people interacting with your solution and/or show how it develops over time. You can choose to use words to explain details, or push yourself to represent your idea using only images.

SHARE

Share your drawing, either with a partner or within the larger group. You can explain your idea, or for a bigger challenge, ask them to describe your idea just by looking at your picture. Have your partner(s) ask lots of questions and point out other possible problems.

REDRAW

Now re-draw your solution, using the feedback you got to make it even stronger and more detailed.

BOARD WALK

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BOARD WALK

Getting people to share personal stories about their experiences can reveal very specific and often useful information. When told in a group setting, you can identify themes and patterns between the stories as well. This activity also works well as an icebreaker!

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ANALYSIS and EVALUATION, VERBAL COMMUNICATION, SYNTHESIS
DEFINE

Identify 3-4 key questions that will help you better understand the challenge you’re addressing. Keep them open-ended, and wherever possible, allow people opportunities to share their individual experiences.

PAIR UP

Everyone is given a poster board. The facilitator invites people to partner with someone they don’t yet know, or assigns partners randomly. The first question is read aloud, and each partner is given a set amount of time (usually 1-3 minutes each) to respond in turn.

LISTEN

While each participant is sharing their story, their partner is listening attentively and writing down the key words or phrases they hear on individual sticky notes, which are then stuck to the speaker’s board.

SWAP

After both partners have shared their responses, the facilitator signals a swap, and everyone takes their boards with them and finds a new partner for the next question.

BOARDWALK

After the questions are complete, the boards are displayed and the entire group takes 5-10 minutes to do a “Board Walk” of the room and review the key ideas that have emerged.

SHARE

The facilitator leads a quick share-out of ideas and asks the group to sort their keywords into thematic clusters to see what patterns emerge. To take this activity one step further, invite the group to steal key words from any board and use them to craft a sentence or poem about the challenge being addressed.

CHANGEMAKER LETTERS

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CHANGEMAKER LETTERS

Now that you’ve got a great idea, you’ll need to convince other people to get behind it. Whether you’re asking for technical help, funding, or permission to put your plan in action, a well-crafted letter or email will present your idea in a way that makes people want to be a part of the change you’re creating.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES PERSISTENCE, PERSUASIVE WRITING, VERBAL COMMUNICATION

 

IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE

Whose help do you most need to make your project a success? Now, practice those empathy skills and try to put yourself in that person’s shoes. What do they care most about? What are their top priorities? Make a list, then think about how your project could help them meet some of those needs and priorities.

PERSUADE

Write out a draft of your letter. Start by introducing yourself and telling a bit about your group—it always helps to make a personal connection. Next, describe the challenge you’ve taken on as a team. What problem(s) did you identify, and how do they negatively affect people? Then talk about the solution you are proposing, and describe the impact it will have. Let your reader know what will be improved by your project, with specific details about how your solution will make things better. Be sure to format your letter appropriately—you can find lots of great examples of business letters online. Be polite when addressing your reader, and keep your tone positive.

INVITE

Let your reader know how they can help make your solution a reality. Make your request as specific as possible, let them know how they can get in touch with you with any questions they may have, and tell them you will call in a week to follow up on your request.

SEND

Before you send your letter, it’s always a good idea to get feedback. Swap letters with a friend, or ask your teacher or another adult to give it a read and offer suggestions. Add a stamp, and it’s ready to go!

CHANGE AGENT
TEA PARTY

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CHANGE AGENT TEA PARTY

This activity helps us discover how to ask the right questions in a way that encourages others to share their knowledge. It makes us aware of the covert or unintended messages our bodies broadcast and gives us practice capturing juicy bits of information shared by our “informants”.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES EMPATHY, SPATIAL LEARNING, KINESTHETIC LEARNING, VERBAL COMMUNICATION
DEFINE

What information do you need in order to better understand your problem, and how can the questions you ask provide rich, detailed answers in return? Open-ended questions give people a chance to share their full stories, rather than simple one-word responses. So before you begin the conversation, take some time to craft your questions.

PAIR UP

Take turns asking each other your first question; each partner has two minutes to respond. Practice listening to your partner with with your whole body, showing them that you care about their response. Follow-up with “Why?” or “Tell me more…” to press for more details. Discreetly record key information in your notebook.

SWAP

With a new partner, carry on asking questions. Once you’re comfortable using these interview techniques, you’re ready to get out there and talk with the people who know the most about the challenge you’ve chosen to take on. Don’t forget to interview the people who need to give you permission to make your project a reality.

SNACK

This activity works best with tasty snacks and drinks. Add tea and cookies (or mocktails and mixed nuts) to the mix, and boom! It’s a party. You can even invite your guests to adopt secret identities and come dressed as spies.