Little Red Brain Test

LightLane - Breaking Symmetry in Problem Solving

2009-02-12T02:26:00.001-08:00

Light Lane - Concept from Altitude’s Alex Tee and Evan Gant « Dustbowl

LightLane is a prototype of a new technology that allows cyclists to project a cycle lane onto the road where they are cycling. This resolves the problem of cycle lanes taking up much needed road space even when there are no cyclists.

So how does LightLane break symmetry? Well, a cycle lane is only created at those times when a cyclist is using the road (when a lane is needed).

Today's question: How can you break symmetry in your business or life. Another way of looking at it is to ask yourself "What is currently 'Always On' or fixed in my life/business that might benefit from only being active when it is needed?

RepRap - Self Replicating Rapid Prototyping for Everyone

2009-02-09T00:05:00.001-08:00

New! Facebook Fan page for Rory's Story Cubes

2009-02-03T05:35:00.001-08:00

I've just created a new fan page for Rory's Story Cubes on Facebook.

Every week I'll be adding a new roll of the dice, and asking fans to add their own stories.

Fans can also upload photos of their own Rory's Story Cubes inspired creations.

See you there!

In a hurry to Innovate? Slow down.

2009-01-29T02:17:00.001-08:00

There's an interesting article in DesignMind this month on titled Slow Innovation. IN it the author challenges businesses who are in a hurry to innovate - to slow down. Why? Quite often there are a number of hurdles that need to be overcome, both technical and cultural:

Certainly, time scales are different for different industries, and there may be evidence of innovation happening in faster time cycles because of rapidly improved technologies. But innovation isn’t only about new technology. In fact, it’s mainly about culture. Humans are by nature habitual animals, and it takes a lot to move us off of our habits. Technology may be advancing quickly, but that doesn’t mean humans have the interest or the aptitude to adopt it right away.

Is your business feeling threatened in the current climate? Does it need to innovate? Now is the time to start looking around you, to see where the next disruption is going to emerge. One thing is for sure however, it rarely comes for the current market leaders. You need to look further afield. So if you are working in software development for businesses, it make help to look at what is happening in other areas unrelated to your field - maybe look what is happening in childcare, game theory, or mass transit.

If you don't have one eye on the task at hand, and another on the world around you, chances are you will be at the receiving end of the next disruption, rather than spearheading it.

Upcoming Workshops - Beyond Coaching

2009-01-28T07:57:00.001-08:00

I'm scheduling a series of Beyond Coaching workshops around Ireland this February & March:

Belfast - February 25th, 2009 - Blick Studios, Malone Road

Dublin - March 2nd 2009 - TBC

Galway - March 9th 2009 - TBC

Clonmel - March 19th 2009- TBC

For more information, download the flyer or visit http://www.thecreativityhub.com/events/

Creative Tools To Empower You & Your Clients

Are you in a coaching/mentoring role where you are meant to help people who are stuck? Do you find they are sometimes reluctant to talk about an issue? They want your help, but can’t put it into words?

Have you noticed that while you are busy helping others, your own stuff lies ignored in the background? You wish you had someone to help you sort out a challenge, but think - “I should be able to do it myself”?

Do you find initial sessions with new people awkward?

Do you want to bring more play and laughter into your sessions, to help your clients relax and open up?

Learn how you can create a non-threatening atmosphere, and quickly break the ice with people of all ages and background.

Workshop Overview

This one-day workshop is presented by Rory O’Connor inventor of Rory’s Story Cubes™ and the Inner Vision Deck™. In this one day workshop you will gain the experience you need to confidently use these simple, playful yet powerful tools. You will be able to reach a level of insight and trust with your clients, not normally experienced through ordinary dialogue.

By learning how to use these two creative tools in your sessions you will empower your clients to help themselves more effectively. By teaching your own clients how to use Rory’s Story Cubes and the Inner Vision Deck, you will discover that your clients will be more willing to do ‘homework’, knowing that they have the tools to help themselves.

As a result of the workshop and using these tools, you will find that...

Your sessions become easier on you, as your client does more of the work

Your clients will have more buy-in to the solutions they discover for themselves

Your listening skills will improve, as you no longer have to listen & solve at the same time

Your level of self-awareness will increase with each use of the tools

Your client relationships will move to a deeper level as your clients become more willing to reveal themselves

Target Audience

This workshop is geared towards therapists, counsellors, psychologists, personal Ddevelopment trainers, teachers, mentors & coaches. It is for anyone whose role is to help others solve problems, remove blocks and find solutions through greater self-awareness.

What People Are Saying

“It is excellent to attend a training course where you can apply the material so directly and quickly and also evolve it yourself overtime.” - Louise Doyle, Life Coach

“I very much liked the way you demonstrated the process, step by step, and then had participants experience it.” - Gobnait O’Grady, Life Coach

“Rorys Story Cubes are a powerfull way of unlocking hidden potential in people...or to help unblock what was previously blocked.” - Steve Dargan, Life Coach

“The tools are a very solid awareness tool and a great addition to my coaching toolkit!” - Laure Fau, Life Coach

“The tools are easy to use, effective and fun. I have already put the them into practice - using the Inner Vision Deck with a client this evening, and for myself with the Story Cubes which has sparked a new idea/approach!” - Mary Ann Byrne, Life Coach

What Next for Handwriting?

2009-01-28T07:02:00.001-08:00

Every now and again I ask myself - is it important that we still teach children how to write? It is a conversation my partner and I regularly have. It appears that the ability to write is required less and less in the technology-driven world. Could our children's time be better spent learning to touch-type, or learning a second and third language?

I think the "death of handwriting" is a great example of evolutionary change in action. You have those in the one camp, who maybe have a vested interest in it, saying it's vital. In the other camp, are others suggesting we let it go the way of the Dodo, and make way for txting and typing.

But if we let it go, will we regret it later? Or is it simple time to step aside and allow for whatever is next to emerge?

I honestly don't have the answers, but do use handwriting regularly in my sessions with clients, and for capturing ideas. Though I am not adamant about the need to keep it. This article in the Boston Globe presents a number of interest perspectives.

Is the writing on the wall for penmanship? - The Boston Globe

While typing this, I googled for an image and found this post on National Handwriting Day. It appears that National Handwriting Day is sponsored by Writing Instruments Manufacturers Association (WIMA), the national trade association that represents the $3 billion industry of pen, pencil, and marker makers!

I had to laugh. Of course, it is these manufacturers who would not want to see handwriting stop. What would happen to their business?

Here's a thought. In what ways might these manufacturers innovate their business IF handwriting were to die out? Could it become a craft like so many other skills that were required before technology - like knitting, quilting, calligraphy or sewing?

Posted using ShareThis and found via PSFK.com

The Reluctant Idea

2009-01-13T04:08:00.001-08:00

These images were kicking around my head over the holidays, so I thought I'd finally take them from my whiteboard, and share them with the wider world.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

Inside the Tinkerer's Mind

2009-01-09T01:38:00.001-08:00

I love this short film about the work of kinetic sculpture artist Ted Johnson. In particular it emphasises for me the importance of tinkering for the sheer pleasure of it. As a result, Ted is able to provide people with art at a reasonable price.

In this climate, we need more tinkerers in business and in the community - people willing to experiment and fail. Only by taking exploring new options will we be able to reach beyond what is currently not working to the next level.

Granite Copper Motor from Patrick Johnson on Vimeo.

Season's Greetings from The Creativity Hub

2008-12-19T09:43:00.001-08:00

Thanks to everyone who has supported The Creativity Hub this past year. I hope you enjoy the holidays. See in 2009!

Rory

Click the image to view it full size.

Getting into the Chritsmas Spirit - 12 Days of Christmas

2008-12-15T02:41:00.001-08:00

Here's a very entertaining (and religiously inclusive) interpretation of the song, 12 Days of Christmas, by Straight - No Chaser, a men's capella group. This guys have obviously rehearsed pretty hard. Enjoy.

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days - Click here for more amazing videos

Laugh Out Loud Animation - Paintballing

2008-12-08T02:30:00.001-08:00

I used to be a big fan of Studio AKA back in my animation days. This hilarious animation using pixelated graphics, is one of a series called LoveSportLove, produced for MTV and Qoob.tv.

I found this animation while reading how local illustrator, Oliver Jeffers' book - Lost & Found - has been made into an animated short for Christmas by Studio AKA. For more details on that, go here.

The Second Coming - Rory's Story Cubes are back in stock

2008-12-05T09:15:00.001-08:00

Well, it is with some relief I can finally announce that Rory's Story Cubes are back in stock! They are available to order online from The Creativity Hub at just STG12.99 (approximately EU14.99 or USD18.99) they make a great stocking filler for all ages.

This latest version has received an upgrade - the dice are now molded, providing clearer images and greater durability. They still come in the elegant little black box, that fits snuggly in your bag or purse.

If you'd like a set for Christmas, you'll need to hurry though, the last posting dates are looming!

Last guaranteed posting date for the US is December 10th.

Last guaranteed posting date for Europe is December 12th.

Last guaranteed posting date for the UK & Channel Islands is December 20th

And, just to remind you what Rory's Story Cubes are all about, here is Niamh (my daughter) explaining how they work.

Compare and Contrast - Two very different predictions from Microsoft & IBM

2008-12-04T03:42:00.001-08:00

Here are two very different videos that outline Microsoft and IBM's vision for the future of digital technology. Watching Microsoft's is both exciting and inspiring. In contrast watching IBM's had me asking "Is this a joke?"

The bigger implication is the impact this kind of vision will have on staff during these challenging times. Microsoft's video inspires a "Yeah, I'd like to make that happen!" response in those who watch it. On the other hand, I can only imagine how staff at IBM must feel after watching this view of the future. To me, it's eminently practical, but not very inspiring. It's conservative, and a repetition of what we already know is possible.

Anyhow, take a look, but I warn you, watching IBM's will leave you thinking - "How will I get back those minutes, I've just wasted?" You've been warned.

Mindmeister - Online Collaborative Mind Mapping™ tool

2008-12-01T08:32:00.001-08:00

Online Mind Mapping - MindMeister

Validation - A short 'feel good' film

2008-11-28T05:41:00.001-08:00

Here's a great short film that won the 2007 Vision Award for Best Short Film. It highlights for me some basic needs that we all have, that quite often go unmet - needs to be seen, for appreciation, acceptance of who we are, and hope that things can change.

Have a look now, and ask yourself "Are these needs being met for me?" and,"How might I contribute to helping others meet these needs?"

By the way, you're incredible!

Consól - Social Games Night

2008-11-26T08:33:00.001-08:00

Consól is the first Social Console Games Night in Belfast hosted by Scoil An Droichead, an Irish-medium school in Belfast. Organised to promote social gaming among adults and children in the local community, this night is for all you closet gamers out there, wanting to test-drive the latest consoles.

If you would like to attend or volunteer your gear, please email rory(at)thecreativityhub.com, or visit the Consól Facebook Event Page

At £2 for 3 hours of fun, this is a night (before Christmas) not to be missed!!

Game On!

2nd Solopreneur's "We Survived Another Year" Christmas Party

2008-11-19T16:22:00.001-08:00

Hello fellow Entrepreneurs, Soloprenuers, and Micropreneurs.

It's that time of year again when everyone else has a company-organised Christmas Party to attend, and we end up twiddling our thumbs, acting like Johnny no-mates!

[If you already have a Christmas party to go to, please stop reading now!]

Well No More!

I'm organising the 2nd Soloprenuers "I Survived Another Year" Christmas Party for Belfast. This time it will be held in Soul Food on the Ormeau Road. There are 20 places available. Ticket Price includes a scrumptious 3 course meal with BYOB and no corkage fee.

If you know a fellow Solopreneur or Micropreneur who would like to attend this Christmas Party, please tell them about this event.

Happy Christmas,

Rory

The Creativity Hub awarded 3rd place in InvestNI Big Idea Awards 2008

2008-11-19T07:13:00.001-08:00

Well, the results are in! The Creativity Hub, and in particular my proposal to develop Rory's Verb Cubes, won third place in the 2008 Big Idea Competition sponsored by Invest NI, in association with Advantage NI and UnLtd NI. This event was organised in conjunction with Global Entrepreneurship Week 2008.

The event was held yesterday and hosted by Myleene Klass. It was presented EuroVision-style with young people from various cities (Brussels, Mumbai, Singapore, Boston and Belfast) all voting on the various ideas. I had entered the Social Entrepreneur category at the urging of Carmel Heaney of UnLtd NI.

The voting was close right up to the end, with the three leaders pretty much neck and neck. Mumbai awarded Rory's Verb Cubes 9/10 points, but my hopes for victory came crashing down when Boston awarded Rory's Verb Cubes just 5/10. In the end Music Theatre 4 Youth took first place, with SOS Bus NI coming second. Netherlea, Blick Studios and the boys from Positive Percussions were the remaining finalists. in the Social Entrepreneurship category.

While I am admittedly a little disappointed to have missed the top spot, I am grateful for the both recognition and money prize that I will be able to invest in developing a prototype of this new version. Watch this space!

The Creativity Hub is a finalist in the Big Idea (NI) Social Entreprenuer Awards

2008-11-05T16:03:00.001-08:00

Wow! I'm celebrating that I have been nominated as a finalist for the Big Idea (NI) Award (held in association with Invest NI, Advantage NI and UnLtd). The event is organised as part of Global Enterprise & Entrepreneurship Week that runs from Nov 17-23rd. If I win the Social Entrepreneur category, I will receive funding towards developing the next version of Rory's Story Cubes. This new set is designed to support language development. Winners will be announced at an event in the Culloden Hotel, Holywood on November 18th. Wish me luck!

Below you can view the 12-slide presentation I submitted to accompany the online application.

Roc 081024 Bigidea Presentation

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: story cubes)

The Next Revolution in Desktop Printing - Objects

2008-11-01T08:54:00.001-07:00

I've been following the development of 3D printers for a while now. Why? Well, because I imagine a day when the Rory's Story Cubes community will be able to design, upload and share their own icons, and them print their own sets of Rory's Story Cubes using a 3D Printer. Desktop Factory have recently launched a 3D printer selling for about $5000 - a similar price to the first Apple LaserWriter. The LaserWriter is often touted as kick-starting the desktop publishing revolution. Say goodbye to limited choice, and high prices, say hello to the next wave user-generated creativity!

[via PSFK, Treehugger and Ponoko]

Mankind is no Island - the need for creativity and empathy

2008-11-01T08:13:00.001-07:00

This video “Mankind Is No Island” was winner of the NY Tropfest 2008. I find this a beautiful piece of video, shot using only a mobile phone camera and found images. While a video about humankind may not appear to have a connection with creativity and innovation, to me it is totally connected. Personally, I cannot live me life, thinking "I'm so creative", if at the same time people close to me are homeless, starving, or go through life, never experiencing empathy or human contact. The Creativity Hub is not just about ideas, it's about people. It's about humankind.

[via PSFK]

Optical Illusions Video #01

2008-10-28T09:28:00.001-07:00

What leads to Success? Richard St. John explains using 8 Words in 3 minutes

2008-10-08T03:22:00.001-07:00

I love this presentation, especially how Richard St. John has distilled 500 interviews into 8 key words. And, he uses visuals and humour to aid memorability! My thanks to Beverly Addis over at Axis Recruitment for passing this on.

An animation that explains CERN's Large Hadron Collider

2008-10-02T02:03:00.001-07:00

Having an amateur interest in quantum physics, and more than passing interest in discovering the meaning of life, I have been following CERN's progress with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) over the past few years with interest. A video entitled "The Bottle to Bang" by Chris Mann (6 min) posted on the CERN website (and sourced via a recent EnlightenNext newsletter) has been really helpful for me in making sense of what the heck is going on there.

The power of words: Making Mistakes - Making Learnings?

2008-09-18T22:58:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking about how I sometimes avoid doing things because I'm worried about making a mistake. I wonder how things might be different if instead of calling them mistakes, I realise that each mistake has the potential to contain a learning? What if, at the end of the day, we could say "Wow! I had 10 new learnings today" rather than think that I've made a mistake. This would open up the possibility of risk-taking, as an avebue to greater creativity and innovation in our lives, our workplaces and our society.

spoken through SpinVox

How to use a Flip Chart for Fun

2008-09-17T13:27:00.001-07:00

I disovcered this on Viv McWaters blog while researching information on Open Space Technology, after my week long training last week. I'm glad I stopped to look.

Guilt & Shame concept sketch

2008-09-07T12:45:00.001-07:00

Here's another concept sketch for the new website. This time, Guilt and Shame harass a poor unfortunate. What do you think of the style? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

The Needs - Strategy Iceberg

2008-09-03T01:00:00.001-07:00

Here's another illustration I used in a recent GoFlow session to explain the difference between strategies and needs.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

We tend to get hung up on the strategies (the surface behaviours) that people employ. We say that they are doing 'this' or 'that' on purpose, as if their intention was to purposefully inflict harm. This may be the case on occasion, but more often than not, the person - be it an adult of child - is using the best strategy they believe is going to help them to get a certain need met. The strategy is what we experience - the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. What we miss is the underlying need that is driving the strategy.

And what are needs? They are universal drives that we all share. We can have a need for security, creativity, understanding, respect, play, meaning and purpose, food, rest, sexual expression, and so on. When we connect with these needs, we can say "Yeah, I get how you might want to meet that need...but man, that strategy you are using isn't meeting my need for X." Try it now. Re-read the list of needs, and consider whether you would have any problem with someone wanting to meet one of those needs? Chances are you wont, because you recognise them as universal drives.

The problem is that we tend to focus on the strategies employed by people / organisations / cultures, and do not make the time to connect with the needs - either our own, or those of others.

The next time you find yourself ready to criticise, blame or evaluate another person's behaviour (or your own), pause, and ask...

"What need was he/she/I trying to meet by that strategy?

You may find your perspective shifting ever so slightly to a place of greater empathy, understanding and compassion.

Concept sketch for 3 chAgents

2008-09-02T09:20:00.001-07:00

Recently, I've been developing a brand idea for the Creativity Hub with the help of my Rory's Story Cubes. Here is some concept copy that was inspired by using the dice.

The Story so far...

The forces of Change are gathering momentum. Uncertainty, Apathy and Fear continue to grow in strength. They are taking control of our lives, workplaces, schools, universities, communities and governments.

In the face of this seemingly overwhelming force, how can someone like you be expected to navigate the challenges of your daily life, let alone have any kind of impact in today's world? Wouldn't it be easier to just ignore it all and go back to surfing the 'net, retail therapy or drowning your worries in your substance of choice? Do you seek out the latest Guru promising to sort out your life in 5 easy steps? Or maybe you are waiting for a hero more powerful than you can imagine, to rescue you from this mess we call Life?

Well, that hero lies dormant in you, waiting to be awoken. And the world is waiting...

Welcome to the Creativity Hub, powering-up ordinary folk like you, to become Agents of Change, in this great Age of Change. If you want to restore balance to your life, unstick what is stuck in your business, and learn to ride the waves of change in the world, you will need to become adaept at three key skills - to ability to Solve, to Resolve and to Create.

I see the Creativity Hub as a Dojo or base for people who wanting to develop the ability to Solve-Resolve-Evolve. I call these people chAgents (Change Agents).

Visualising the characters

After writing that text, I wanted to visualise the characters. Below you can see a sketch for the 3 heroes - Solver, Resolver and Evolver.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

And here are some concept sketches that visualise the abstract challenges we face in our lives and workplace - apathy, fear, guilt and shame.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

The Boy Who Slept His Life Away - a Rory's Story Cubes tale

2008-09-02T06:50:00.001-07:00

"Ok. I'm gonna try and tell a quick story using my Rory's Story Cubes via SpinVox.com's blog message service.

Once upon a time there was a boy who was sound asleep. He was unhappy with his lot in life and decided to sleep as long as he could, waiting for the day that he would die and hopefully have a better experience. But during his sleep he was struck by a bolt of lightening which woke him up, and he realised that if he was gonna learn anything about himself and life he'd have to get up and get out into the world.

When he went out into the world he met a sheep who told him that all life hangs in the balance. And so, while he was sleeping there was somebody else out experiencing the fullness of life, and does he not want to do the same himself? So this set the boy's heart on fire and his passions alive and he set out into the world ready to fully experience it as much as he could before he died. The end."

spoken through SpinVox

Here is the photo of the dice roll that sparked the story.

Test Message from SpinVox.com

2008-09-02T06:49:00.001-07:00

"I've been experimenting with a great tool for getting your voicemail message into text and into your blog. It's called SpinVox and you can find out more about it by visiting www.spinvox.com"

spoken through SpinVox

The Lonely Frog - a Rory's Story Cubes tale

2008-09-02T01:00:00.001-07:00

I was doodling in Skitch the other day with my Wacom Bamboo drawing pad, and found myself sketching the 9 images below. They are arranged in a manner similar to my first prototype for Rory's Story Cubes which was based on a Rubik's Cube. For the fun of it, I decided to make up a story. You can read the result below.

Once upon a time...there was a lonely frog. He didn't like being alone, but was alone nonetheless. One day he signed up as a lab frog for a space flight. "I'm bound to meet interesting frogs now" he thought. However, he soon learned that nobody wanted to talk to him. No one except the astronaut that he was travelling with. And he just talked and talked. He never asked the frog how HE was feeling. Distraught and depressed, the frog decided to make his escape. He put on his space helmet, and leapt from the rocket when no one was looking. It took him a long time to fall back to earth, and into the sea. It is here that he now spends much of his time, living on a sleepy little island in the middle of the pacific ocean. The End.

Now, what story can you make up, based on the nine images shown?

To learn more about Rory's Story Cubes, visit TheCreativityHub.com

What's your Frequency, Kenneth?

2008-09-01T06:58:00.001-07:00

I was facilitating a GoFlow one-to-one session with a client last week, and the conversation came around to "finding your purpose in life." As we talked, I used this image below to explain how i think about it.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

The way I look at is this...everything is energy, vibrating as either particles of waves. And waves vibrate at different frequencies. if you have any doubts about this, read The Field, by Lynn McTaggart. Especially the experiment about the Adrenaline and the Pig's Heart!

Similar frequencies resonate with, and amplify each other. Think of the tuning fork and the glass, that starts to vibrate in sync with the fork.

So this got me to thinking about the frequency I am choosing (consciously or subconsciously) to resonate at? If I can send out a clear signal, in my actions, behaviours, branding, it will resonate with, and appeal to others of a like mind (or frequency). At the same time, it will have the opposite effect on those on a different frequency. They may simply ignore it, or repel those who are not in the same 'place' of thinking. And that's fine too, as we probably would not work well together.

How do you find your frequency? There are a variety of tools you can employ from creative problem solving, to visioning and energy psychology to help resolve limiting believes that result in a confused signal. If this sounds like something your would like to explore, you may want to book a GoFlow session, designed to unstick what is stuck, and get things 'flowing' again.

The question for today is:

What frequency are you choosing to resonate? And are you choosing it consciously or subconsciously?

Great example of how systems are everywhere!!

2008-08-25T14:22:00.001-07:00

This video of Royskopp's song - Remind Me, is a great visual example of how systems and subsystems are everywhere.

Hats off to Sam Carpenter, author of Work the System for flagging up this link.

Are you part of the problem...or solution?

2008-08-21T13:06:00.001-07:00

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

I've always loved this quote by Einstein, and I use it a lot in my creativity and conflict resolution workshops and training .

The quote has taken on an added dimension during Spiral Dynamics training I undertook in New York last year. Here is my new take on Einstein's quote...

"While you cannot solve today's problems from the same level of conciousness that created them...you DO need to present the solution in a form that can be grasped by (have the buy-in of) the level of conciousness that created it. Otherwise it won't stick."

This was a real personal 'Aha!' moment. I'm wondering how you make sense of it?

The Continuing Adventures of...Innovation Agent!

2008-08-19T04:05:00.001-07:00

I tend to use doodles to visual ideas and concepts. So at the prompting of Anita, my partner, I will be uploading some of my conceptual doodles to this blog.

Here's the first one. This was doodled as a result of the recent talk in my BNI chapter about credit-crunches and downturns.

If you would like to see more, please let me know...the encouragement will keep me going.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

Satirical Animation jabs fun at US election

2008-07-30T09:11:00.001-07:00

I'm being drawn back to animation more and more as a powerful medium to communicate a point effectively. In this case, music and and animation are used to parody the US election candidates.

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Where is Matt?

2008-06-24T03:25:00.001-07:00

I find this video to be truly inspiring. Watching it reminds me how, on a most basic level, we are all the same. I find it helpful to remember this once in a while. And ok...I confess, I found myself getting a teensy weensy bit emotional watching it.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo

Video: Wiki's in Plain English

2008-03-18T06:32:00.001-07:00

I just discovered these funny and informative videos produced by the team at Common Craft. Each video explains a topic using no-bull language and visuals. In fact the visuals are a combination of hand-drawn images, cut-outs, live motion and pixelation.

Having worked in multimedia, and animation for 10 years, I am really impressed by their ability to distill technical concepts into an easily digestible and funny form. I doff my cap to you.

I chose this particular clip, as I am just exploring how I can leverage Wiki's as part of my Innovation Hub training programme for organisations. This is an internal training program for organisations wanting to develop creative catalysts (or what I call Innovation Agents) in their organisation. These teams then spread the Innovation Agent Mindset, virally throughout the organisation, by forming their own Innovation Hubs.

More information about the Innovation Hub, and the Innovation Agent Toolkit will be available on the new Creativity Hub website, coming soon(ish).

Technorati Tags: animation, communication, creativity, visual thinking

Animation: Simon's Cat 'Let Me In!'

2008-03-17T16:51:00.001-07:00

I watched this hilarious cartoon, and realised that I have not been honouring my background in animation, puppetry and multimedia. Even though I now share tools and techniques for creative thinking and personal development, my love of animation informs everything I do - from the illustrations I use, to the stories I tell with my latest game-tool Rory's Story Cubes.

The thing with animation and cartoons is that they often provide us with a new way of looking at things. This is why we laugh - our brain is tripped up while processing seemingly incongruent information - hence the laugh.

Laughter also has many beneficial effects. It reduces stress for one. And this is key to developing your creativity. Trying to generate ideas is not all that effective while stressed.

What does this all add up to? Well, from this day forth, I will start posting animation clips I discover that I consider to be different in some way - either funny "ha-ha", or funny "odd". Most importantly, I will choose ones that I think will help you to a more creative/flexible thinker.

Workshop - BEYOND COACHING (Creative Tools To Empower Your Clients)

2008-03-05T06:40:00.001-08:00

BEYOND COACHING

Creative Tools To Empower Your Clients

Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Time: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm

Location: Avoca Suite, Stillorgan Park Hotel, Stillorgan Road, Dublin, Ireland

Standard Pricing: €200 (includes Rory's Story Cubes & Inner Vision Deck™ and Workbook)

Discounted Price: €150 (applies if you already own Rory's Story Cubes & Inner Vision Deck™)

Online Booking: http://beyondcoaching080311.eventbrite.com/

Have you ever had the experience where a client you are meant to be helping, becomes stuck, and is reluctant to talk about an issue? They want your help, but can't put it into words.

Have you ever wished you had someone to help you sort out a challenge, but thought - "I should be able to do it myself"? While you are busy helping others, your own issues lie ignored in the background. You think that, because your job is to help others, you ought to be able to sort it out yourself.

Do you want to bring some play and laughter into your sessions, to help your clients relax and open-up more? The beginning of a session is usually quite awkward. Learn how you can quickly break the ice with people of all ages and background.

Workshop Overview

This workshop is presented by Rory O'Connor inventor of Rory's Story Cubes™ and the Inner Vision Deck™. In this one day workshop you will gain the experience to confidently use these simple, playful yet powerful tools to reach a level of insight and trust with your clients, not normally experienced through ordinary dialogue.

By learning how to use these two creative tools in your sessions you will empower your clients to better help themselves. By teaching your own clients how to use Rory's Story Cubes and the Inner Vision Deck, you will discover that your clients will be more willing to do 'homework', knowing that they have the tools to help themselves.

As a result of the workshop and using these tools, you will find that...

Your sessions become easier on you, as your client does more of the work;

You clients will have more buy-in to the solutions they discover for themselves;

Your listening skills will improve, as you no longer have to listen & solve at the same time;

Your level of self-awareness will increase with each use of the tools;

Your client relationships will move to a deeper level as your clients become more willing to reveal themselves;

Target Audience

This workshop is geared towards full-time, part-time and trainee Therapists, Counsellors, Psychologists, Personal Development Trainers, Teachers, Mentors & Life Coaches. Anyone who works with (or wants to work with) people in order to help them remove blocks and find solutions that facilitate personal growth, success and well-being through greater self-awareness.

Content

The workshop is designed as a hands-on experience to ensure you walk away with the confidence and knowledge to use these tools expertly with your own clients. The workshop will cover the following:

Creative Problem Solving and the Socratic Method

A simple way to identify and frame challenges to address

Translating challenges into effective Questions

Creative Problem Solving with The Inner Vision Deck

Facilitating others with The Inner Vision Deck

Story as a doorway to greater self-awareness

Problem Solving with Rory's Story Cubes

Facilitating others with with Rory's Story Cubes

Using Rory's Story Cubes in a Group

Questions & Answers

As part of the workshop you will receive guide notes and worksheets for both Rory's Story Cubes, and the Inner Vision Deck.

What People Are Saying

The Inner Vision Deck was awarded Five Stars by InnovationTools.com

"The guy is a genius. If I could have [Rory's] brain, that would be my 1st success!!"

- Anonymous response to Workshop Survey conducted by University of Ulster

"As a person reliant on my 'Inner Knowing' I find the Inner Vision Deck™ a useful link-in to my intuitions. The card selection helps me to bring focus to what is up for me and to gain clarification or confirmation on the way forward. The deck can be used as a quick reference tool or alternatively...it can be used as a more methodical 'search engine' type tool that allows me to connect with insights on issues or questions for which I am seeking answers. The Inner Vision Deck is a big bang for your buck!" - Tom K

"I am getting so much from [your workshops] both on a personal and a business level. I'm gaining tools to work with both in my coaching and in my personal life. The group interaction is great and the workshops are thought provoking and supportive. I feel this course is both an eye opener and an asset to my creativity. Your passion for working in this way certainly comes across very strongly and I, as a participant, reap the benefits. Learning through play and experience is the best way for me." - Mary Power, Empower Coaching

"What stands out for me now is how excited I felt about finding two locally-produced tools...which can help circumvent blocks in the coaching process. Coming to that pass, i.e. the client being over-rational or controlling or inclined to disable the helper (even one that 's costing money) is a major challenge in our line of work, I think." -Emer McDermott, ReNua Coaching

About the Presenter

Rory O'Connor is founder of The Creativity Hub, a Belfast based company that is committed to helping people, teams and organisations become more creative. Rory has worked behind the scenes to help organisations big and small empower their staff to build their vision, creativity, relationships and profit. He works with individual entrepreneurs, and charities, right through to Fortune 50 companies.

Rory’s Story Cubes and Inner Vision Deck are just a few of the innovative products that he has invented to aid us to think more creatively about our business, our brand and our lives. All of Rory’s products and inspirational work is implemented in a way that encourages individuals to optimise their creative ability. He has a wide range of experience, skills and education.

BOOKING & REGISTRATION

Visit http://beyondcoaching080311.eventbrite.com/ to secure your place now. If you have any questions about the booking process, please email rory(@)thecreativityhub.com.

How can you sell something that is already Free?

2008-02-06T09:18:00.001-08:00

Kevin Kelly has an blog post titled: Better Than Free

In it he talks about the impact of the Internet's ability to easily replicate digital information in such a way that makes it inherently free. We can see this being experienced by the music industry. Digitized music is easy to copy and redistribute over the internet. Kelly goes so far as to call the internet a "a copy machine.

At its most foundational level, it copies every action, every character, every thought we make while we ride upon it. In order to send a message from one corner of the internet to another, the protocols of communication demand that the whole message be copied along the way several times. IT companies make a lot of money selling equipment that facilitates this ceaseless copying. Every bit of data ever produced on any computer is copied somewhere. The digital economy is thus run on a river of copies. Unlike the mass-produced reproductions of the machine age, these copies are not just cheap, they are free.

Our digital communication network has been engineered so that copies flow with as little friction as possible. Indeed, copies flow so freely we could think of the internet as a super-distribution system, where once a copy is introduced it will continue to flow through the network forever, much like electricity in a superconductive wire. We see evidence of this in real life. Once anything that can be copied is brought into contact with internet, it will be copied, and those copies never leave. Even a dog knows you can't erase something once its flowed on the internet.

But the rules are changing, as once precious copies are now becoming essentially free to anyone who decides to go and look for them.

When copies are super abundant, they become worthless.

When copies are super abundant, stuff which can't be copied becomes scarce and valuable.

It may be time to let go of charging for our digital goods, and focusing on charging for that which cannot be copied. Kelly calls these the 8 Generatives:

Immediacy

Personalization

Interpretation

Authenticity

Accessibility

Embodiment

Patronage

Findability

To find out more, read the full article Better Than Free.

But before you go, you might ask why am I posting about this? Well, I have been working on the Innovation Agent Handbook that I plan to distribute via the Internet over the coming months. Reading Kelly's article, I realised that I always knew that you cannot really protect copyright of digital goods on the internet. It's as if you have to accept a number of 'spoils' or 'pirated' copies. Having read Kelly's article though, I am now interested in applying creative problem solving to explore how can this ability to freely copy be turned into a benefit rather than a limitation? I am always fascinated how seeming negatives can be turned into positives.

Hopefully you'll see the fruits of my labour when I release the Innovation Agent Handbook later this year.

Brian Gallagher provides walkthrough of Rory's Story Cubes inspired Illustration

2008-01-28T10:00:00.001-08:00

My best-buddy Bren B, and guardian to one of my children (ulp!) has rounded up a number of Irish illustrators who have been busy putting Rory's Story Cubes to the test. They are exploring how the dice can be used to inspire new ideas for illustrations. One of the illustrators, Brian Gallagher, has kindly put together a walkthough of the process he used to create his illustration (Thanks Brian). This has been posted by Bren B over at www.scamp.ie

Over to you Bren...

A friend of mine has developed an excellent creativity tool called Rory’s Story Cubes. Rory’s Story Cubes is a dice game/tool that helps people of all ages to develop their imagination and creativity through improvisational storytelling. It is comprised of set of 9 6-sided dice with a total of 54 unique images/symbols.

I asked some of my talented and generous illustrator friends to test them out to see how/if they can be useful tool. Brian Gallagher was one such illustrator. He has also agreed to show us the process he used to create the above image.

Over to you Brian…

Read Brian's walkthrough of how he created the above illustration here.

You can order Rory's Story Cubes at www.thecreativityhub.com

Technorati Tags: creativity, dice, improv, Rory's Story Cubes

Late Late Late - Steve Simpson creates Rory's Story Cubes inspired illustration

2008-01-28T09:10:00.001-08:00

Late, Late, Late is a new illustration by Irish Illustrator, Steve Simpson . This is the first of 6 illustrations created by Irish Illustrators. Each illustrator was given a brief to create an image inspired by a roll of Rory's Story Cubes.

For Steve's illustration, he was given the image above as his starting point*. Can you spot the connections in his illustration.

Steve had the following to say...

If, like me, you sometimes prefer to work to a brief when developing your own work these are a a great idea. Would be great for comic strips as well as children's books.

*The dice in this image are from an earlier protoype, and do not reflect the outstanding quality of the dice used Rory's Story Cubes!

To buy or find out more about Rory's Cubes visit www.thecreativityhub.com

I have another go making a story using Rory's Story Cubes

2007-12-05T08:14:00.001-08:00

Here's another video clip of me using Rory's Story Cubes (Order here) to make up a story for my 3 year old daughter Niamh. Can you spot the continuity error in my tale?

Technorati Tags: creativity, dice, family, game, improv, Rory's Story Cubes

Rory's Story Cubes - Storytelling for all ages

2007-12-05T07:26:00.001-08:00

In this video my daughter Niamh (pronounced [Neev]) tells a story using Rory's Story Cubes. I have to resist the urge to tell her how to play the game 'properly', and simply let her use her imagination.

To order Rory's Story Cubes visit The Creativity Hub Homepage

Technorati Tags: creativity, dice, family, game, improv, Rory's Story Cubes

"Once upon a time..." with Rory's Story Cubes

2007-11-28T16:20:00.001-08:00

Here's your chance to have a go with Rory's Story Cubes. Click on the video to see the roll of the dice.

The challenge is to make up a story that begins with "Once upon a time..." and somehow links together all nine (9) images on the dice into a story. There is no right or wrong kind of story.

**TIP** It helps though to talk faster than you can think. If you are unsure about this, check out the previous post to watch an example of me using Rory's Story Cubes.

Post your story as a comment below.

Rory's Story Cubes are finally here!

2007-11-28T15:57:00.001-08:00

At last, I can finally announce that Rory's Story Cubes are now available. It's been over two years since I first had the idea using an invention technique known as Advanced Civilization. This game-tool has gone through 3 other prototypes (the original Rubiks Cube version, the stickered dice, and a molded version from China) before arriving at this one.

The video below shows just one of the ways in which Rory's Story Cubes can be 'played'. There are many more uses. And I will continue to expand on these in this blog.

Rory's Story Cubes are available to buy online by visiting the Creativity Hub homepage.

Innovating how we visualise data

2007-11-05T06:21:00.001-08:00

From www.ted.com:

With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, Prof. Hans Rosling uses software from Gapminder debunks a few myths about the "developing" world. This global health visionary has discovered a powerful new way to communicate complex data about the world; his remarkable interactive graphs help deliver profound insights about global trends and will change forever the way you think about "us" and "them." Rosling is professor of international health at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, and founder of Gapminder, a nonprofit that brings vital global data to life. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA.)

More TEDTalks at www.TED.com

As a bit of an info-graphics nerd, I really appreciated the clarity of this presentation, especially how Prof. Rosling used animation, and timelines to communicate his point. If you are interested in info-graphics and/or world development issues, please do take a look at this video from the TEDTalks series. In fact, why not check out the whole series of TEDTalks at www.ted.com.

Countdown to Rory's Story Cubes

2007-11-05T06:03:00.001-08:00

After a lot of research into various ways to produce my new game, Rory's Story Cubes, I am very excited to be able to say that they will be available for sale later in the month - just about the same time that my third baby is due!!

To lead up to the release, I will be uploading sample video clips how Rory's Story Cubes can be used for storyteller.

Technorati Tags: children, creativity, dice, family, game, improv, Rory's Story Cubes

Love Tara March Scheduled for July 21st in Dublin

2007-07-18T04:24:00.001-07:00

TaraWatch.org presents

LOVE TARA March

Dublin - July 21 2007 at 1.00pm

Please help us promote our LOVE TARA march which will take place on Saturday July 21 in Dublin at 1.00pm. We will march from the Garden of Remembrance to the Department of the Environment, Custom House Quay, where we will hand in 50,000 petition signatures. Please email your contacts, post a natice on your favorite message boards, write a letter to the newspapers, call your local radio station, contact celebrities, political parties, etc... This may be last chance for the public to have their say.

SIGN THE SAVE TARA PETITION

Irish Times - TaraWatch steps up M3 protests

Irish Examiner - Ireland facing EU fines over environmental failures

Irish Independent - Tara protester threatens new court action to halt motorway

Sunday Business Post - Commission issues fourth warning over landfill pollution

Tara activists picket Irish embassies

Irish Times - Last Updated: 13/07/2007 14:32
Campaigners opposed to the M3 motorway running through the historic Tara Valley have started to hold a series of demonstrations in three different countiries today.
TaraWatch held protests outside Leinster House in Dublin and the Irish Embassy in London earlier.
There will be protests later in New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles.
A protest march will also be held in Dublin on Saturday, July 21st at 1pm, which will go from the Garden of Remembrance to Custom House, the headquarters of the Department of the Environment.
Campaigners have said they are "inflamed" by what they describe as the Green Party's election pact with Fianna Fáil to agree to the M3 motorway project and today's announcement by Environment Minister John Gormley that the Government will not re-route the road despite Euopean criticism.
The demonstrations come as Minister for the Environment John Gormley holds talks today with European Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas in Brussels.
Campaigners claim international support has grown rapidly since the World Monuments Fund designated Tara one of the World's 100 Most Endangered sites.
Darren Delahunty, one of the organisers of the London protest, said: "Irish people in the UK are outraged at the refusal of the Irish authorities to try and proceed with the road, even when the public are so against it."

A "Love Tara" march will be held on Saturday, July 21st, in Dublin.

Putting Life in Perspective 2: Did You Know?

2007-06-04T15:05:00.001-07:00

[Note: Apparently not all material in this presentation is 100% accurate - but it still provides food for thought]

Putting Life in Perspective 1: Carl Sagan's Little Blue Dot

2007-06-04T15:04:00.001-07:00

Workshop: Living in Harmony with our Values in a Profit-Driven World

2007-05-31T08:23:00.001-07:00

[Note: I am not affiliated with this workshop, but am a big supporter of Nonviolent Communication (NVC)]

Facilitated by Dr Marshall Rosenberg

Date: 18th, 19th 20th September 2007

Location: Gozo, Malta

As awareness of the need for social transformation increases many individuals and organisations are keen to contribute. Implementing and working through this change can be a painful or progressive process within which words can be windows or walls. All too often we find ourselves in the midst of conflict when our intentions are to create a better world.

This conference will showcase workable ways to cross social, cultural and economic divides without compromise or resentment. This new paradigm promises to provide individuals and organisations with more effective strategies to meet their needs, whilst at the same time positively resolving conflict and making a recognisable contribution to the lives of the people around us.

At the conference we are proposing to work with group of survivors from a concentration camp (who have agreed to participate) and their discussion with the multinational company who have bought the site (who are currently in dialogue with us). Both want to see the site in full usage and reap the benefits employment would bring to the area but they are in conflict about how to preserve the memory of what happened and searching for bodies of over 1000 missing people. The communication around this situation has the potential to heal or harm many people. Our aim is open a dialogue that will meet needs for all involved.

In order to maintain full integrity, we are not accepting corporate sponsorship. Each ticket purchase will make an important financial contribution to ensuring this healing process can go ahead. We need at least 100 people to buy tickets to make this happen. Your attendance can make a vital difference. This message is being sent to a select audience who will recognise this as both a major learning opportunity and a tangible opportunity to contribute to social change.

For more information visit http://www.mariaarpa.co.uk/global.html or email Maria Arpa.

To see Marshall Rosenberg in action visit http://www.bigpicture.tv/speakers/df2ec9b08

What makes 'bad' children 'good'?*

2007-04-23T03:49:00.001-07:00

[* personally, I don't buy into the whole good/bad thing. To find out why, I invite you to visit the links below. I just thought that I'd use it to grad your attention.]

I hear and read a lot these days about children and teenagers exhibiting antisocial behaviour, about children who have ADD or ADHD and are medicated because of it. When I hear these stories, I am usually left feeling pretty sad, as my experience of working with teenagers in Belfast teaches me that quite often what they are looking for is trust, respect and autonomy. Having a sense that they matter, and have something to contribute is also important. And so, I was pleased to read the following report in a What Doctors Don’t Tell You (WDDTY) email newsletter.

A new study among small children suggests it’s more to do with nurture than nature.
A group of socially disadvantaged children in Wales, who were raised with ‘positive parenting’ techniques – such as consistent praise and positive role models – displayed less antisocial behaviour than those who were neglected or abused.
Fewer ‘positive parenting’ children were hyperactive or had learning problems, which are normally remedied with powerful drugs.

In all, 153 parents from deprived areas with children aged between three and five participated. Of those, 104 adopted ‘positive parenting’ techniques, while the remainder continued with their usual approach to parenting.
(Source: British Medical Journal, 2007; 334: 678-82).

To find out more about approaches to positive parenting and needs-based communication, I would invite you to check out the following sites as a starting point.

http://www.alfiekohn.com/index.html - Website of Alfie Kohn, author of Unconditional Parenting.

http://www.cnvc.org/parents.htm - website for the Centre for Nonviolent Communication, founded by Marshall Rosenberg.

http://www.attachmentparenting.org/ - website for Attachment Parenting International.

There's no excuse for procrastinating anymore...just an equation

2007-03-25T14:54:00.001-07:00

I've just discovered this interesting information from a University of Calgary press release dated 10 Jan 2007. I haven't posted it until I realised that I was procrastinating, wanting to test the information first! Dr. Piers Steel, a University of Calgary professor in the Haskayne School of Business has recently published an paper titled “The Nature of Procrastination: A Meta-Analytic and Theoretical Review of Quintessential Self-Regulatory Failure” in a recent edition of American Psychological Association’s Psychological Bulletin. In it he has formulated an equation that he beliefs can predict your tendency to procrastinate: (procrastination) :

Utility = E x V / ΓD

The equation reads as follows: The desirability of completing the task (U) is equal to the expectancy a person has of succeeding with a given task (E) multiplied by the value of completing the task (V). I read this as the total gain involved in completing the task (ExV). This is divided by the its immediacy or availability (Γ = GAMMA) and the person’s sensitivity to delay (D). Steel has dubbed his research Temporal Motivational Theory. His research has highlighted the following:

Most people’s New Year’s resolutions are doomed to failure

Most self-help books have it completely wrong when they say perfectionism is at the root of procrastination, and

Procrastination can be explained by a single mathematical equation

“Essentially, procrastinators have less confidence in themselves, less expectancy that they can actually complete a task,” Steel says. “Perfectionism is not the culprit. In fact, perfectionists actually procrastinate less, but they worry about it more.”

Other predictors of procrastination include: task aversiveness, impulsiveness, distractibility, and how much a person is motivated to achieve. Not all delays can be considered procrastination; the key is that a person must believe it would be better to start working on given tasks immediately, but still not start.

Steel says motivational failures such as difficulty in sticking to diets and exercise regimes – frequently the focus of New Year’s resolutions – are related to procrastination because impulsiveness is often at the root of the failure. “Temptations that are close at hand are difficult to resist. Addicts often relapse after returning from treatment facilities because drugs and alcohol become easily available and daily habits reassert themselves. Or we load up on bread in the restaurant before the meal is served. Or we check our email 10 times an hour instead of completing a project.”

The good news is that willpower has an unusual capacity. “The old saying is true: ‘Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re probably right’,” Steel says. “And as you get better at self control, your expectancy about whether you can resist goes up and thus improves your ability to resist.”

As someone who is involved in personal development, and Life Coaching, I am particularly interested in the role of procrastination in (not) achieving our goals, whatever they may be. I am going to experiment and see how I can apply this equation to help me understand how, and why I procrastinate, and also to aid my clients. in gaining greater understanding. But being a busy person, what is the actual likelihood of me doing this? Well, Utility = E x V / ΓD of course!

Gene Whizz! How our perception affects our genes, and our health

2007-01-24T10:00:00.001-08:00

Bruce Lipton PhD, author of the best selling Biology of Belief, has an article on his site, called Mind over Genes:The New Biology.

In the article he talks about the changing view of genetics, and how we are controlled by our genes...

Until recently, it was thought that genes were self-actualizing…that genes could ‘turn themselves on and off.’ Such behavior is required in order for genes to control biology. Though the power of genes is still emphasized in current biology courses and textbooks, a radically new understanding has emerged at the leading edge of cell science. It is now recognized that the environment, and more specifically, our perception (interpretation)of the environment, directly controls the activity of our genes. Environment controls gene activity through a process known as epigenetic control.

What is of special interest to me as an Energy Psychology Practitioner is his mention of using Energy Psychology to help change beliefs, and in turn our health...

These new energy modalities provide the ability to rewrite limiting perceptions (beliefs) and self-sabotaging behaviors using processes that are mechanistically similar to pushing the record program on the subconscious mind’s tape player. With conscious awareness, one can actively transform the character of their lives into ones filled with love, health and prosperity. The use of these new modalities provides a key to personal growth and transformation.
By being fully conscious, we become the masters of our fates rather than the ‘victims’ of our programs. This path is similar to Buddhist mindfulness. Secondly, we can use a variety of new energy psychology modalities that enable a rapid and profound reprogramming of limiting subconscious beliefs.

While this is not news to me, or other Energy Psychology practitioners, it is exciting to have other respected medical professionals talking about it. Combined with the growing use and references by Paul McKenna in his books and TV appearances to 'tapping' - also known as Thought Field Therapy (TFT) or the more accessible Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) - I am excited about how these universal tools, are becoming known, and accepted in the wider public domain.

To find out more about how Energy Psychology can help you change your limiting beliefs, email me. Alternatively, visit ACEP - the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology to find out more or read about the research into this emerging field.

NEWS: "Innovative Coaching" Talk & Workshop

2006-11-20T06:53:00.001-08:00

This is a quick post to promote an upcoming talk and workshop entitled Innovative Coaching (click the image to view full-scale) more info) that I am organising in association with the Life & Business Coaching Association of Ireland (LBCAI).

I've developed this workshop in response to what I see as a growing need for creativity and innovation among Irish Life Coaches who may be struggling to stand out in such a small marketplace. I think that it is important to acknowledge that the traditional (or US) approach to coaching may not work with an Irish audience that is maybe not as open to talking about hopes, fear, goals and dreams. Ireland just doesn't have the same cultural background of psychotherapy and counseling. It can be a big leap for someone to start talking about what is important to them. I believe that a big challenge and opportunity is for us to start developing tolls and services that allow an Irish audience to take baby steps into the world of self-development and coaching I see a lot of people struggling to promote themselves as coaches using an approach that just does not work with an Irish audience.

An example of this is Rory's Story Cubes. I invented these as a way to get people talking about matters that are important to them using metaphors and stories, without having to talk directly about the issue itself. This has been a great help in empowering people to take that first step towards addressing issues, imagining brighter futures, and experiencing a real benefit from coaching, which they might not have allowed themselves otherwise.

As a creativity coach, I guess I see it as my responsibility to walk my talk and invent tools and products that will assist me and others with their creative thinking, problem-solving and coaching work. I do this myself on a regular basis, and I'm going to share the various techniques that I use with workshop participants, so that they can create a niche for themselves.

This workshop is a prototype itself and the price will go up next time around, so if you want to gain the benefits early and be part of the process drop me an email. I'll also be exploring how to turn this into a teleclass for later in the year. If you want to be kept informed about the teleclasses, please also drop me an email.

Scrybe - a new/old kind of Organiser?

2006-11-07T04:52:00.001-08:00

If you haven't seen or read about it already, I encourage you to take a look at scrybe - a new browser based organiser that allows you to work offline as well as online. If this is an example of the kinds of applications that can be produced as part of Web 2.0, then I am very excited at the future! Scrybe's design is based on the principal that human beings have the ability to focus on one thing while keeping others in soft focus, and can easily shift focus, while keeping everything in context. Scrybe organises it's information in a similar manner. You can see the promo video below.

I've seen this approach before in software for both the PC and Pocket PC. I haven't seen it done as elegantly as this, while combining it with a wide range of tools to synchronise your data.

Of special interest to me is the ThoughtPad, which acts similarly to my Portable Memory Bank (or Little Red Brain). This is a small ring-bound notebook that I carry with me at ALL times.

I've signed up for the Beta, and will post on how I get on with the ThoughtPad, and it's usefulness for capturing my insights and awarenesses as compared to a traditional notepad.

TIP: Capturing ideas with your mobile phone

2006-09-26T04:42:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure if it is legal, but yesterday I saved myself about twenty pound on reference material for an idea I was developing.
I was interested in gathering visual designs from some magazines that I would never normally read. As I considered whether to buy the magazine for the one or two visual references I wanted, I remembered that I had my mobile phone in my pocket! And so, I quickly whipped it out, used the built-in camera to snap the visual references I wanted, and went on my way.

[NOTE: I do not think that my ethics would allow me to do this to copy an article I wanted to read, but my sense of logic seems to allow it for a simple graphical inspiration. What do you think?]

This was a real 'Aha!' moment for me about how sometimes I do not make full use of the technology available to me, in the way that can serve me. And that the technology becomes useful when it does work for you.

So, the question is...how can you make a piece of technology you own, work for you in a way that was never 'officially' planned?

Sociocracy Article in Strategy & Business

2006-09-11T02:24:00.001-07:00

Brian Roberston, CEO of Ternary Software has an article in Strategy & Business this month on how his company implements Sociocracy. Brian explains how implementing Sociocracy as a form of dynamic governance has resulted in profit growths of between 38-50%. Sociocracy means "rule by the socios", or "people who know each other" as opposed to democracy which is "rule by the demos - the crowd".

What is not mentioned in the article is that John Buck, founder of the North American Centre for Sociocracy, trained Brian and his team on how to implement Sociocracy in their company.

I am training with John, at this time I am the only person in Ireland, trained in how to run Sociocratic circle meetings and elections. If you are an Irish company or organisation wanting to find a more effective way to organise yourselves, please do not hesitate to contact me.

http://www.strategy-business.com/press/article/06314?pg=1

The Ten Faces of Innovation - People Make Innovation Happen

2006-09-06T06:16:00.001-07:00

"The Ten Faces of Innovation: Strategies for Heightening Creativity" (Tom Kelley, Jonathan Littman)

I've been reading The Ten Faces of Innovation by Tom Kelley at Ideo. I must say that I was won over to this book within a few pages after reading that he saw innovation as not just "New Ideas - plus action or implementation - which result in an improvement, a gain or a profit" as defined by 3M, but as "people creating value through the implementation of ideas."

I wholeheartedly agree with this, and see in in my work daily. It takes people to make things happen. And this can make it really easy to get things done, or really difficult. However, if you always consider the human component, you have a much better chance of succeeding in your endeavours than if you continue to see people as simply things to be manipulated, managed, watched, or figures on a resources chart.

I'm finding this book really easy to read, and am constantly inspired by the stories that Tom uses to illustrate the various characteristics of the Innovation personas. I particularly enjoy this book as it promotes an open approach to innovation, and does not promote a once-size fits all methodology.

So, if you are at all interested in innovation, creativity, or even just people, check out The Ten Faces of Innovation

Back to School & back to Learning (Hell for some)!!

2006-09-01T03:46:00.001-07:00

I was getting my hair cut yesterday, and was talking to the hairdresser about her daughter who is starting into secondary school today. I asked her, had anyone talked to her about her learning style. She said No. I explained the 3 basic styles - visual, aural and kinaesthetic. I also explained how the basic question of 'How do you give (and like to receive) directions?' can tell you a lot about a person's leaning style. Immediately she recognised her own preference. I also highlighted that approximately 60% of prisoners in Northern Ireland have a visual/kinaesthetic leaning preference, as opposed to aural, which is the predominant form of teaching - often the preferred style of teachers, which in turn creates a self-perpetuating problem.

So to all the parents and students out there, I encourage you to discover your own and your child's natural learning style/preference. It will help give you some control in determining what you can do to learn more effectively, even if the material isn't presented a manner that really works best for you.

Here are some links I would recommend to find out more about

learning styles and multiple intelligences

http://www.learning-styles-online.com/

http://www.memletics.com/learning-skills-test/default.asp

http://www.accelerated-learning.net/learning_test.html

And for a great recource of creativity and learning visit -

http://www.winwenger.com/

Also, check out Amazon.com, or your local bookstore for many, many books on these topics.

Creativity & Conflict Resolution results in Impetus Award for Human Rights

2006-09-01T03:24:00.001-07:00

I've just found out that a recent project that I was involved in with The Educational Shakespeare Company Ltd, has received the Impetus Award for Human Rights for the second year running.

The award is designed to recognise

...creative and innovative work by young people who use ethical values and human rights to respond to contemporary, challenging and contested issues in our society.

The award is given to projects that demonstrates:

Exploration of shared rights and responsibilities

Creative application of shared values

Engagement with the local community

The award-winning project Crossing The Divide, is the first of an on-going series of cross-community projects co-produced with the Education and Outreach Department of Queens Film Theatre. This project aims to link young people from nationalist and Loyalist areas of Belfast, with the intention of learning how to work together to make a short film. These projects are pretty intense as they only run for 10 weeks, making them pretty demanding. The result of this project between the (mostly) Catholic Mornington community group from Ormeau Road in South Belfast, and Protestant Ballymac and East Belfast Mission of the Newtonards Road in East Belfast was three short films and a documentary. The first film, Turn the Music Down, is a short tale about who the real police are in the community. The second film Hoodin' It' looks at the role that boredom plays in so-called 'antisocial behaviour'. The final film Don't Judge Us is a heartfelt message to adults about how young people are perceived and the assumptions made, that are not always true.

The project is accompanied by a documentary that charts the journey of the participants during the filmmaking process. I'm personally really proudof the documentary and believe that it was instrumental in us receiving this award. Why? Because the documentary charts the highs and lows of our work, and we are not afraid to show when things went wrong.

You can see the Crossing The Divide along with An' Wha'? (winner of the Impetus Award in 2004/05) at Google Video.

Finally, I want to send out a big note of recognition to everyone who took part in this project. Well Done everyone!

Do you or your business need an Ideas Transfusion?

2006-08-03T06:58:00.001-07:00

Do you find that you keep having the same ideas, the same solutions to every situation? And do you find that those ideas and solutions usually fail? Do you find yourself getting stressed, stuck, and sometimes despair that things will never change?

You need an

Ideas Transfusion

!! The term is Inspired by the old art of blood letting, where the old blood is drained from the body, and replaced with new blood. With an ideas transfusion, you unearth and drain (of power) as many of your old and outdated beliefs, habits and assumptions about yourself, your work, and your world. You can then start to replace these with fresh beliefs, new awareness' drawn from first-hand experience, and a new openness to what is in front of you now.

I'll post more on this over the coming days. In the meantime, if you're interested in attending an ideas transfusion workshop or teleconference, contact rory@thecreativityhub.com

A useful definition of Innovation

2006-06-27T03:49:00.001-07:00

Visiting the BROKEN BULBS: Innovation blog, I disovered Gordon Graham had identified what is for me a useful definition for Innovation. Here it is:

Besides being the tool of the entrepreneur, innovation is defined here as:
"The profitable implementation of ideas." - Broken Bulbs (2005)

You seee, it's not just about having ideas. We can all have ideas. The real challenge, and the real rewarding part is seeing how we can change the world by bringing those ideas to fruition. I'm not clear on Gordon's definition of profitable. For me, this means something that makes a meaningful difference in the world, be in on an indivudual, business, community or societal level.

Check out the BROKEN BULBS: Innovation blog where you can find a longer definition on Innovation on the right-hand side of the page

What has the fall of democracy got to do with me?

2006-06-10T01:00:00.001-07:00

I discovered this posting on an mailing list I am involved with...

About the time the original 13 States of the USA adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2000 years prior:

" A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship." "The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. From Bondage to spiritual faith;

2. From spiritual faith to great courage;

3. From courage to liberty;

4. From liberty to abundance;

5. From abundance to complacency;

6. From complacency to apathy;

7. From apathy to dependence;

8. From dependence back into bondage"

So what relevance does it have to creativity and innovation? Well, as I looked at the cycles I began to wonder how it connected on an personal level to our personal development. I see the sequence as somewhat linked to Spiral Dynamics, the difference being that Spiral Dynamics illlustrates an ever onward and upward spiral, where the above 7 stages are a cycle.

I can see times when I have been at these different stages in my life. Some times longer than others. Let me map them...

As a baby, I moved from basic needs and dependency on my parents to interaction with the wider world. The world was a big mystical place, where GOD and religion really helped to make sense of that which I didn't understand. As I continued to grow, religion didn't help to answer all the questions I had, so I struck out alone seeking understanding rather than the blind unquestioning faith I had. As a young adult, this brought with it a sense of exuberance and freedom, where I believed that I could do anything. Knowing that I could do anything, a feeling frustrated that I wasn't getting much done, it became a little overwhelming, and so I decided to simply sit with the intellectual knowing without necessarily doing anything. And focused on comfort. As I sat in front my TV, this was reinforced, that all these terrible things were going on in the world, and I was let feeling like there was nothing I could do, so I would pick up a book or play a computer game, rather than deal with the reality. This was dependence. Luckily, I broke free of this. And how did I do it? Well, after hitting a low, low slump , it was creativity...expressing myself...and play.

And that is why I do the work I do....to empower people through creativity. Pure and simple.

Ireland ranked No1 in cultural perception of entrepreneurship

2006-06-09T02:05:00.001-07:00

The Irish report of GEM (Global Enterprise Monitoring) 2005, published last month by the Irish Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment paints the picture of enterprise in Ireland today.The report states that Ireland is ranked number 1 in terms of cultural perception and support for entrepreneurship. I believe that this factor alone - support from family and friends - can play a big part in whether a business will ever get off the ground. How often have you shared an idea with family or friends, only to have it dismissed or outright ridiculed? And what difference does it make when they say "Go for it?"

The report also says that research found that almost one in ten of the adult population living in Ireland is actively planning or has recently set up a new business.

And so, to everyone in Ireland who has set up their own business or is planning one. I salute you! It is an exciting journey, and one of the greatest forms of personal development I can imagine.

Click here to read the press release and download the full report.

Live Radio Interview on NVC & Parenting with South East Radio

2006-05-16T01:31:00.001-07:00

I'm going to be interviewed on Wednesday 17th at 10:35 on South East Radio. I'll be talking about my presentation on NVC and Parenting at the Irish API Conference in the Glenroyal Conference Centre, Maynooth, Co. Kildare this Friday 19th May. The interview will last about 15 minutes.

You will be able to listen to the broadcast live via the South East Radio website.

Rory's Story Cubes - today's story

2006-05-15T15:25:00.001-07:00

In the run-up to the release of the latest version of Rory's Story Cubes, I thought it might be fun to post a new sequence daily-ish of a random roll of the Cubes. By challenging yourself, children, friends and colleagues to weave the sequence of icons and symbols into a story you will develop your imagination, creative thinking and storytelling skills. I've rolled the dice for today, and here is a photo of today's Story Cube symbols.

Remember, start with "Once upon a time..." and beginning with the first image to grab your attention, weave a story together that SOMEHOW links all the icons together. The challenge is to see how far you can go with one icons before having to move to the next. This will encourage you to move past the literal interpretation to find new associations. And if you are not certain what an image represents...make it up. Ask yourself, what does it look like to me. Using the Story Cubes is all about building trust in yourself and your imagination.

The five most imaginative stories (in my opinion) posted between now and the release of Rory's Story Cubes, will receive the gift of a set.

Have fun.

Bridging the Divide (One) - Video Now Online

2006-05-11T03:22:00.001-07:00

I am really excited about being able to share with you a link at Google Video of the latest conflict-resolution film-making project called Bridging the Divide. This work is carried out with my co-facilitator Tom Magill under the banner of ESC - Escape Into Creativity.

The project took place from Oct-Dec last year and involved bringing together Ballymac and East Belfast Mission - two Protestant youth groups from East Belfast with Mornington - a Catholic youth group from South Belfast. It was co-produced with the help of Marion Campbell from Queen's Film Theatre here in Belfast.

The video is made up of:

Making of Doc - Bridging the Divide - 15mins

Short Film 1: Turn the Music Down - 5mins

Short Film 2: Hoodin' It - 3mins

Short Film 3: Don't Judge Us - 10mins

You view or download the video here.

I would really enjoy hearing and responding to any and all feedback or questions.

"Once upon a time.." Storytelling and Innovation with Rory's Story Cubes

2006-05-04T08:37:00.001-07:00

Having just read Chuck Frey's post Enhance your creativity through storytelling and his review of A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink, I thought it time to share how I developed Rory's Story Cubes and use them as an aid to innovation.

Using a technique developed by Win Wenger know as Beachhead, I developed Rory's Story Cubes in an attempt to create a game that explored the use of pattern recognition. If I get a chance, I'll post the audio file of this session.

I quickly prototyped a Rubik's Cube version which proved incredibly popular.

After unsuccessfully getting the International distributor of the Rubik's Cube to pick up on the idea, I developed a dice version with the help of Kate Jones and Kadon Games, as there was no copyright on their usage. Here you can see the sample version as they come of the line in China.

So how do I use them? I ask the person to frame a question that they want to gain some insight into. This may be "How do I innovate our service?" or "How do we break free of clients we aren't happy with?", etc. They then roll the dice, and tell me a story that begins with "Once upon a time..." that somehow links all the images on the the dice into one coherent story.

What inevitably happens is that the story that unfolds acts as a metaphor for the issue that the person is facing. By asking how does this or that event, character, location provide some insight into your question, my clients usually experience a breakthrough in their understanding of the issue, leading to greater insight and answers they had never previously considered.

Rory's Story Cubes will be available by the end of May to purchase from The Creativity Hub

You can try out this technique now, by checking out my previous post Rory's Story Cubes - The Counterbalance to Sudoku

Diagram Illustrating our 'Sidebands of Awareness'

2006-05-04T05:54:00.001-07:00

I've wanted to share with you a diagram that I use to visually explain Win Wenger's Sidebands of Awareness. For ease of access, I've also included the full text of his article below.

SIDEBANDS - SO BEAUTIFULLY SIMPLE

by Win Wenger

While some of the tens of thousands of things going on in your mind but outside your focus are trivial and unrelated, many others definitely are neither trivial nor unrelated and, when examined, prove to be a very powerful part of our thinking and perceiving. We just hadn’t been noticing them. When noticed, and examined, they are proving to be quite useful — indeed, quite powerfully useful.

These are the "Sidebands" of your awareness, a rich and fertile source, a veritable motherlode of valuable information. Now we are examining several strategies for capturing or eliciting some of these “Sidebands” of ongoing aswareness.

What's so beautiful about "Sidebands" is that almost ANYthing you do in reference to something, and then are alert for relevant perceptions to come into focus of awareness during discrete times afterward, will have something of this effect. This whole thing is getting so very simple that it's beyond belief.

One of our more successful experiments with this is simply to write a problem statement, question, or matter you want to understand, and WHILE writing it pay attention to and note down your sidebands, your secondary awarenesses and associations relating to the matter. Then change your handwriting - block print is the way we ran the second part - the same statement and even the same wording - and again record what comes up for you this time when you do so. Then a third cut with the same statement or question in the same words but with an exotic handwriting very different from yours, and again record the new secondaries that come up. (Other ways to vary the "medium" would be with differently colored paper, differently colored ink, lined and unlined and graph paper, different formats on your computer.) Then LOOK at one of your written pieces, notice the further sidebands; look at your next written variant and again notice the different STYLE of secondaries which are coming up for you on it, and then the third.

As simple as that - try it and you will generate major new insights you never had before. That easily.

And almost ANYthing you do, in context of the question or issue, while staying alert for a discrete interval of time for such sidebands or relevant secondaries to emerge for you, will bring into your conscious focus such insights! Unbelievably simple! Everyone reading this: you are missing something great if you don't try this, simple as it is, easy as it is.

This is so COUNTER to how we were raised to think of thinking, to think of grit-your-teeth mental effort, to think of the great and extraordinary suffer-suffer effort of somehow being a genius, something only a very few mysteriously could do and the rest of us moping around in outer darkness.

Hey: it takes only a few minutes; try this utter simplicity, stand for a minute in the sunlight of your own mind, and wonder how we could have missed something this major and this simple all these centuries...

- Win Wenger ( wwenger101@aol.com )

My understanding is that (for whatever reasons - convenience, habit, survival) we are only ever partly aware of our surrounding environment. There is simply too much to take in consciously. Luckily however, we are still taking in the information, it is just by-passing our conscious awareness, and being stored for future reference, in case we need to access it. A large part of being creative, is about our ability to access these Sidebands more consciously, thereby widening the thin sliver of conscious awareness, so that we have more awareness to play with.

Presenting a talk on 'NVC and Parenting'

2006-05-04T04:47:00.001-07:00

I have been asked at the last minute by my colleague Sarah Bird to step in and give a one hour talk on NVC and Parenting at the Attachment Parenting International (API) Conference on Friday May 19th 2006. The conference runs from 19-21st May 2006 at the Glenroyal Conference Centre, Maynooth.

From their website

The mission of Attachment Parenting International (API) is to promote parenting practices that create strong, healthy emotional bonds between children and their parents. These practices nurture and fulfill a child's need for trust, empathy, and affection, providing a lifelong foundation for healthy, enduring relationships.

Through education, support, advocacy and research, API seeks to strengthen families and increase awareness of the importance of secure attachment, ultimately helping to reduce or prevent child abuse, behavioral disorders, criminal acts and other serious social problems.

I am both excited and anxious about sharing my experiences of using Nonviolent Communication with my wife and 2-year old daughter Niamh (whom you can see a photo of in my profile opposite).

Escape Into Creativity

2006-05-02T10:16:00.001-07:00

My colleague Tom Magill and I have have just created a new blog Escape Into Creativity to share our insights and experiences of facilitating together and using film with groups in Northern Ireland. We aim to help people to transform their lives by turning their unique experiences into films and documentaries. We work with prisoners, prison officers homeless adults and young people.

Check it out.

New Inner Vision Deck Yahoo! Group

2006-03-21T10:09:00.001-08:00

I have just created a new Yahoo! user group called ivdforum. This group is designed to be your first port of call for asking questions and sharing experiences about the Inner Vision Deck.

As the creator of the Inner Vision Deck and moderator of the forum, I intend to answer questions personally whenever possible. I will also be uploading new files when appropriate.

If you haven't yet bought your copy of the Inner Vision Deck, you can buy it now at www.innervisiondeck.com

What are you waiting for? Join the ivdforum now!

Celebrating a new arrival

2006-03-21T09:08:00.001-08:00

I'm posting a quick note to tell the world that my wife anita gave birth to our second child and daughter, Shona last Tuesday 14 March, 2006. Weighing in at 6lbs 6oz, she is pretty tiny in comparison to our other daughter Niamh, who is now two years old!

It turns out that Shona shares her birthday with Albert Einstein.

No pressure to perform Shona, no pressure!

Don't think about it.

2006-02-21T14:52:00.001-08:00

It seems that scientific research is finaly proving what proponents of creative problem solving have been saying for years. From 'Sleeping on it' best for complex decisions at New Scientist.com (16.02.06)...

Complex decisions are best left to your unconscious mind to work out, according to a new study, and over-thinking a problem could lead to expensive mistakes.

The research suggests the conscious mind should be trusted only with simple decisions, such as selecting a brand of oven glove. Sleeping on a big decision, such as buying a car or house, is more likely to produce a result people remain happy with than consciously weighing up the pros and cons of the problem, the researchers say.

It seems that our brain can only handle a certain amount of concious data at any one moment. And many of what we consider to be problems or challenges have many more factors involved that make it difficult, if not impossible to solve using logic - at least to our satisfaction. So the next time you realise that the same issue has come up for you again, consider using creative problem solving to push past the limitations of your logic. In fact, this is exactly what The Inner Vision Deck helps you to do. Happy problem solving!

The Feedback Loop

2006-02-20T15:51:00.001-08:00

This diagram is based on an article by Win Wenger, founder of Project Renaissance. Win is someone who I have much respect for and have trained with in the past. I wholehearted agree with many of his views/theories about the value of creativity in our lives. Especially as to how it relates to our growth, meaning, learning, and wellbeing among other things. In fact many of the tools I have developed (The Inner Vision Deck, and Rory's Story Cubes) have been done so using the methods that he freely shares.

I have designed this diagram for a workshop that I run, and generally do not say too much to participants about it. Their task is to work it out for themselves. So, what does this diagram mean to you? How do you make sense of it? Please examine your own thoughts, before reading Win's article at the link above. That very request, will tell you alot about the diagram.

Consent-based decision-making as an alternative to violence

2006-02-20T15:34:00.001-08:00

Having been a few days since I've posted, I'm not quite sure what to talk about. A lot has been happening, and most recently it is Sociocracy that has been to the forefront of my mind.
The reason for this is because decison-making in Northern Ireland has largely been based on the threat of violence - both physical and mental. And Sociocracy provides an alternative based on consent. We introduced this consent-based decision making process with the young people on our cross community project.

For our groups, the issue they were facing was that not everyone could come to the project on the originally agreed nights - Monday and Tuesday. Instead of just saying, "that's tough!" we decided to use the consent-based or 'circle' meeting process to explore a 'third-way' solution. Within twenty minutes the group had agreed that Mondays would be for personal development, and tuesday for working on their film. In this way everyone got to work on the film. And for those who wanted, they could use Monday for pesonal development i.e. increasing confidence, developing communication skills, creativity, teamwork, decision-making, etc.

The groups really taken to it, and feedback so far is that it is inclusive, gives everyone a voice, ensures that people listen, and helps them to reach a decision in a way that is an alternative to violence. And the wonderful thing is that you can learn this method in practise.

I have also used this approach to decision making in businesses and with the board of the charity I work with - The Educational Shakespeare Company. In every case it has provide a result far greater than anyone initially imagined.

Squishing Creativity

2006-02-07T02:02:00.001-08:00

Last night was my second night working with a new group of young people from Nationalist and Loyalist areas of North Belfast. Between now and June, my colleague Tom Magill and I will be helping them make a film about their experiences. We are working with a group who have identified lack of self-cofidence, low self-esteem and creativity as major hurdles to overcome.

From talking with them, these issues are affecting their school grades. They admit to not answering questions in class, for fear that they will get it wrong, that others will laugh, or that they'll look stupid.They are an incredible group of young people, who I guess are often overlooked, as they are so quiet.

This connects to something that I firmly believe in...that we are ALL inherently creative, and have a lot to contribute to society as a whole. Unfortunately our environment squishes this down so that we end up believing that it is not safe to be smart, creative, open, trusting, etc.

We become stuck, frozen or defensively dismissive for fear of getting hurt again.

I see this happening from quiet a young age, and a lot of my work is about helping people to remove these limiting beliefs that continue to smothering these natural capacities that our society is calling for now.

What are your thoughts on this? Can you remember a time that this happened? Or have you an example of how you overcame this? I'd love to hear.

Rory's Story Cubes - the counterbalance to Soduku!

2006-01-26T16:25:00.001-08:00

Here is a web variation of a game called Rory's Story Cubes. I invented these using creative problem solving. Designed for all ages, Rory's Story Cubes and this web variant will help develop your imagination, creative thinking and pattern matching skills.

Here is today's grid...

Instructions for Rory's Story Cubes...

Starting with "Once upon a time..." create a story that somehow links together all the symbols in the Grid.
You can start with any symbol, and end with any symbol.
Use each symbol at least once.

Simply, but fun.

I'd really appreciate it if you posted your stories as comments.

And be sure to check back for more stories. I'll aim to add one a day.

How do you explain birth to a 2 year old using the back of an envelope?

2006-01-26T15:03:00.001-08:00

My wife and I are due our second baby in March. Some of the literature we have been reading recommended drawing pictures to show how the baby is inside the womb. This is supposed to communicate that it is this baby in the womb that will be coming back from the hospital. The goal is to reduce the level of shock the eldest child will experience during what is known as 'dethronement' - when they are no longer the Number 1 in the house.

Well, I drew the diagram (above), and we explained it all. I even used arrows, as you can see. It was these arrows that cracked me up, at the absurdity of the diagram.

I especially like the baby up in the left-hand corner. When drawing the diagram I asked my daughter, where the baby was. She pointed here, so I drew the baby in. I figured that she might know something tha I didn't - having been born not so long ago herself!

So it got me thinking...what is the strangest thing you have written/drawn/seen/read on the back on an envelope? If you have a picture, email it, and I will post it here.

Until next time...

Is Work/Life Balance important to you?

2006-01-19T01:39:00.001-08:00

One of the ways that I introduce the benefits of creative problem solving is through the idea of 'work life balance'. This term seems to be understood by most people. And many tend to agree that there is room for improvement here.

Okay, so here's how I do it...
On a scale of 0-10 rate how you perceive your work/life balance. 0 (zero) means it is totally out of whack, and 10 (ten) means you are totally happy with it.
Please, do this now...it only takes a moment. When scoring, go for the first number that jumps into your head before you can 'edit' it.

So, did you score a 10? If you did, great! If not, why not? What are the issues, challenges and/or beliefs that are preventing it from being a 10?
Try listing a few. Is it an issue in work? Is it a relationship? Is it a believe that you should be doing more or less of 'x'? I invite you to list at least 3 issues that result in your score not being a 10.

In doing this exercise, I currently score myself a 6. The reason I do not score a 10, would be my levels of energy, fitness and focus. So, some issues for me are:
1. lack of sleep (going to bed late)
2. energy levels
3. overall focus in work
4. the amount of coffee I drink
5. Housekeeping and maintenance

In the next post, I will share how you can start to address some of the issues you listed. And I'll be using the issues listed above as an example.

Until then.

Rory

Welcome to my Little Red Brain!

2006-01-17T09:07:00.001-08:00

This posting has been a long time coming. I have threatened over the past year to start keeping a blog. And now is the time. My plan is to post on a daily(ish) basis any thoughts and insights relating to my work and discoveries in the areas of creative problem solving, learning and personal development. I'll also be sharing the highs and lows of the cross-community conflict resolution work here in Northern Ireland.

On top of that I also plan to log my experiences in bringing The Inner Vision Deck, Rory's Story Cubes and iSolve to market. These are just three of the products that I have invented using Creative Problem Solving. Each is in varying degrees of development.

As for the title of the blog, Little Red Brain is the nickname that my wife has given to the red-cover spiralbound notebooks that I carry everywhere with me. I use them to capture ideas, to do's and general thoughts and awarenesses. This blog is essentially and extension of that little red notebook.

To kick things I would like to point you towards the site of Win Wenger and Project Renaissance, in which I am involved. This site kicked of my real love of Creative Problem Solving as a powerful tool for transformation. I trained with Win in the use of Creative Problem Solving back in 2003. Much of his material is the equivalent of Open Source, in that it is freely available. I can personally testify that the techniques described on the site work, as I have used them to invent the products mentioned above.

Until next time. Rory.