I really enjoy working with this team creative exercise as all you need are a few pads of post-it notes, one per person in each team.  Try and do this exercise in the same place that you will be developing ideas…that way you can keep the Post-Its stuck up on the wall or the window at the end to refer to whilst you work.

How to develop Sticky Ideas…

This exercise is based on The Pin Card technique developed by Horst Geschka in 1981, the author of Innovation Strategies: Theoretical Approaches-Experiences. I changed the name to “Sticky Ideas”, as it’s much easier to use Post-Its, than small pieces of paper.

So, how does it work? Each person in the team has their own colour. The Post-Its are passed to the person on your immediate right, thus it is passed around the table. This encourages turn-taking and individual contributions.

In groups of 3-5 sit around a table. This open climate promotes trust, which will help subsequent identification if each member’s pack is of a different colour.

The subject you have to think about is decided by you, or someone organising the creative session.

You should now work quietly, writing one idea per Post-It based on the original subject identified and sticking each one on the table for your right-hand neighbour.

Each time you need further inspiration, pick up a Post-it from those created by your left-hand neighbour. Fresh ideas triggered by this Post-it should be written on a new Post-it stuck on top of theirs’ and in turn these should be stuck on the table in individual piles on your right. Thus the Post-Its are transported round the table in the same direction from left to right of each of you hopefully getting bigger and bigger in terms of ideas stuck on top of each other.

The Post-its should be gathered after about 20-30 minutes and positioned on a large display board, a wall or window (anywhere you can stick them basically) by group.

One person from each group should then read each Post-It message in turn, anticipating questions and comments to clarify the meanings of the ideas. The colour coding on the cards or Post-its allows the questions to be directed at their authors. Then the Post-Its should be stuck up on the wall in their categories and chosen by their creativity and their interest to the project.

Pick out the really good Sticky Ideas and get brainstorming, developing sketches and developing further ideas around these Post-Its.

Voila!