I recently had the opportunity to co-facilitate a planning discussion for the local BABES in Business - Maple Ridge Chapter with Vicki McLeod of VickiMcLeod.com and Mainstreet Communications. (And no, the two McLeod's are not related! We just happen to both marry into the McLeod clan!) It was a hoot!
Vicki and I were excited to host the Practical Magic: Dreaming up Purpose and Priorities conversation for the local BABES in Business Maple Ridge Chapter. Our goal to help the Leadership group better understand what it's members needed and wanted AND to have a simple tool that members could use for their own brainstorming and action planning.
After leading them through the conversation / brainstorming process with Vicki, I committed to writing down and sharing the process we went through. As the participants learned during the 30-minute session, a lot can be accomplished when you follow a well laid out brainstorming process like the one we utilized. Here are the six essential steps outlined by Vicki McLeod and I:
Define the question you want to answer. Be specific.
Brainstorm ideas. Jot them down on sticky notes (one colour best). Let the ideas flow, don't evaluate them or judge them.
Group your ideas based on content. Move the sticky notes around to group similar ideas. What themes arise?
Prioritize the ideas / themes based on importance, urgency, and level of excitement or passion. Choose your top 3 - 5 priorities.
Plan for Action NOW. Use the 5 W's (who, what, when, where, why) and how to further clarify what actions are needed.
Plan for Action Long-Term: don't toss those ideas that you haven't prioritized for NOW, set them aside and determine when and how they will continue to move you forward in the future.
Many thanks to Vicki McLeod and the BABES in Business Leadership team for the opportunity to co-host this planning discussion. It was fun!