InnovatorsDigest

Get Certified to Train Brains in New Workshop for Innovation Trainers, Facilitators & Coaches

More than 150 innovation experts from 13 countries have already been certified by SolutionPeople to train, facilitate and coach individuals and teams to improve innovation and creativity performance.

Do you want to get certified?
Join other innovation leaders for the award-winning Accelerated Innovation Workshop on July 27-28 at the highly-acclaimed Thinkubator in Chicago.

 
Then, continue training while experiencing the certification workshops on July 29-31, 2009 that are personally led by Gerald "Solutionman" Haman.

Experience 5 Powerful Days of Training Certification February 16-20, 2009

• Monday & Tuesday, July 27–28 Public Accelerated Innovation & Creativity Workshop (Days 1 & 2 of Certifications)
• Wednesday, July 29 – Innovation TRAINER Certification (Day 3)
• Thursday, July 30– Innovation FACILITATOR Certification (Day 4)
• Friday, July 31 – Innovation COACH Certification (Day 5)

Details on 2-day Accelerated Innovation Workshop can be downloaded HERE to get a PDF. Details on 5-day Certification Curriculum can be downloaded HERE to get a PDF.  Email info@solutionpeople.com or phone 1-312-829-2852, ext. 14 if you are interested in registering for the workshops.

Top 25 LinkedIn Innovation Groups Grow Rapidly to Over 70,000 Innovators

How can you find and collaborate with more innovative people? Social network communities are increasingly popular. A recent search on LinkedIn revealed over 220 "innovators" groups and more than 1,300 "innovation" groups. LinkedIn members can belong to up to 50 groups, but it can be challenging to pick the right ones. The Innovation People group is one of the fastest growing LinkedIn groups. The Marketing & PR Innovators group has over 31,000 members, and the Green & Sustainability Innovators group has over 6,000 members. The newest group of Government & Political Innovators should be very popular.

View a list of Innovator's Digest's Top 25 Innovation Groups clicking HERE. Simply click on the link for each group to get more details and request to join. If your membership is approved, your LinkedIn profile will display the unique icon for the group.

Affiliate-to-Innovate: 60,000 LinkedIn Innovators in Groups Can Use NEW Discussion Forums

 LinkedIn just released a valuable new feature that allows Group members to engage in discussions about innovation, creativity and other interesting topics. Articles from Innovator's Digest will be linked to some provocative questions in Group Discussion areas. 
Get ThinkedIn by joining in our innovation conversations via the LinkedIn Groups that now include over 60,000 innovative minds.

Click Below to Join Our Top 24 LinkedIn
Innovation Groups & Join the Discussions!

1. InnovationPeople Network Group
2. Marketing, PR, Word of Mouth & Buzz Innovators Group
3. Green & Sustainability Innovators Group
4. Sales & Selling Innovators Group
5. New Product & Service Innovators Group
6. Meeting & Event Design Professionals Group
7. Experience Economy "Pine & Gilmore" Innovators Group
8. Fundraising & Philanthropic Innovators Group
9. Learning & Education Innovators Group
10. HealthCare, Medical, Pharma & Biotech Group
11. Brand Innovators & Branding Leadership Group
12. Technology & Mobility Innovators Group
13. Communication Innovators Group
14. Innovation Idols Group
15. Futurists & Anticipatory Scientists Group
16. TRIZ Innovation Tool Group
17. Portfolio Magazine's ThinkTank Panelist Group
18. Leadership & Change Management Innovators Group
19. Chicagovators Group of Chicagoland Innovation Leaders
20. SolutionPeople Innovators Group
21. Thinkubator Creative Meeting Environment Innovators
22. David Allen's "Getting Things Done" Group
23. illumination.com Innovators Group
24. InnovatorsDigest.com Innovation Network

Do you want your free subscription to Innovator'sDigest? Click HERE to subscribe and receive innovation news that includes questions used for LinkedIn Innovation Group Discussions.

8 Great Questions Every Innovator Should Ask and Answer (Download Free Poster)

SolutionPeople has helped over 60% of BusinessWeek's Most Innovative Companies in the World be more innovative by helping their people find solutions to their questions about innovation challenges. Below are 8 of the most thought-provoking questions that were collected from SolutionPeople customer's during innovation meetings, workshops and facilitations.

"8 Great Innovation Questions" Most Frequently Asked by SolutionPeople's Customers
1. How can we innovate to achieve goals, overcome challenges and solve problems?
2. How can we learn and improve innovative and creative thinking skills?
3. How can we apply new or proven tools, software and techniques that stimulate innovation and creativity?
4. How can we find and collaborate with more innovative people?
5. How can we inspire more innovation and fun?
6. How can we design environments and spaces that inspire innovation?
7. How can we implement proven innovation models, systems and processes?
8. How can we plan, launch and manage innovation initiatives and programs?

Download a pdf of your FREE color poster of the 8 Great Questions by clicking HERE. Take the 8x11 inch poster to your next meeting to stimulate some very provocative innovation conversations.
SolutionPeople's favorite question…
How might we help you?

Since SolutionPeople is frequently asked the Great 8 Questions, we have some answers!
Send an email for innovation help or answers to the questions by clicking HERE.

Success is Dangerous

It's that time of the year again. Dan and his senior management team are at their annual strategic business meeting. They're feeling pretty good having just come off of a few years of success. As they get into the their planning discussion, a sinking feeling starts to come over the team. Where's the 2008, 2009, 2010 growth going to come from? Do they have enough in the pipeline? Has success inadvertently led them into the danger zone? Have they taken their eye off the "innovation ball?"

Hit it out of the park, by infusing an innovation culture into your organization. Below is a Part I excerpt of the "LEADING INNOVATION Question Bank" covering process (based on SolutionPeople's Accelerated Innovation Process) and designed for leaders who want to enable, inspire and drive innovation. Stay tuned for excerpts from Parts II & III covering the other aspects of culture such as strategy, communication, reward & recognition, structure, learning & development, and work environment.

LEAD-to-INVESTIGATE

1. What mechanisms, processes & methods are we using to determine what is needed, wanted or wished by our customers?
2. What percent of our strategy should be focused on incremental innovation versus breakthrough innovation?
3. How should we fund, resource and organize our innovation strategy?

LEAD-to-CREATE

1. How might we collaborate with customers, suppliers, partners, employees, academia, or competitors?
2. How might we form whole-brain teams for diversity of thought?
3. What innovation tools might we provide?

LEAD-to-EVALUATE

1. How could we evaluate ideas, prototypes, and concepts?
2. Who could be on the evaluation team?
3. How could we nurture ideas, but know when to stop developing them if necessary?

LEAD-to-ACTIVATE

1. What internal and external networks must be created & leveraged to bring our product or service to the desired market?
2. Who from the "investigate, create or evaluation team" must be included?
3. What roadblocks must I, as a leader, work to eliminate? 

Corinne Miller - Innovation Consultant, Facilitator, Trainer & Coach at SolutionPeople
Email Corinne

The Best Question to Be Asked by An Innovator

For over a decade, I've been asking people, "What's your favorite question to be asked by innovative people?" I've studied hundreds of responses and the trend is undeniable. The 3 most frequently used words in most of the questions are NEED, WANT and WISH. As a result, I've developed a simple, yet powerful question that I frequently ask people when I first meet them. I think this is the ultimate question to ask people in order to discover how you might help them. Six simple words can provoke and inspire some deep thoughts.

"What is NEEDED, WANTED or WISHED?"

Needs Are Different from Wants.
Three words (Needs, Wants, Wishes) may seem synonymous but they can provoke very different responses. What people think they need may not be what they want, and conversely, what some people want may not be what they need. Therefore, it is important to ask people what they need and want.

The WISH Word Inspires Dreaming.
When I attended a Synectics workshop I discovered the importance of phrasing problem headlines that began with the "I wish…" phrase that connects with desired experiences.

The Question is a KnowBrainer.
For graduates of my innovation training workshops and owners of the KnowBrainer innovation tool, you now know how I've incorporated the "Needs, Wants, Wish" question into the Stage 1 of the Accelerated Innovation Process and card #10 of the KnowBrainer.

Investigate-to-Innovate Exercise:

1. Identify 3-5 people you want to help
2. Ask them, "What do you need, want or wish?"
3. Take notes and distinguish the differences between needs, wants, and wishes
4. Create ideas to help them address their needs or wants, or make their wishes become reality

Idea-lly, Gerald "Solutionman" Haman