Denver IDEA Cafe Format

Here's how we do meetings here in Denver:
(For more, see www.JohnWren.com, email me if you'd like information about how to start a Franklin Circle.) John Wren

Denver IDEA Café Format-- Start at 2 p.m. each Friday.

Let?s get started, we will adjourn no later than 3:30 p.m. Welcome to the Denver IDEA Café and sample Franklin Circle. Our purpose today is to help each other turn our Inspirations into Effective Action.

To help create a safe space for people to share, and to make our time as a group most productive, we ask that only the person holding this (talking stick) talk, and that we do not ask each other questions, unless who ever is holding the talking stick invites our questions. The only exception to this talking stick rule is myself as chair today. Please do stay around after the meeting adjourns at 3:30 to talk further and to ask any questions.

The IDEA Café name comes from a four-step business creativity model I-D-E-A. ?I? can be thought of as standing either for ?I? Inspiration, the aha! experience, or ?I? Identify the Target; ?D? stands for Develop Alternatives, that?s what we do together today; ?E? is for Evaluate the Alternatives, (we don?t do this Evaluation at all in this meeting today, but how to evaluate is always a good brainstorming topic); and A is Act.

Before we start, a couple of words about advice and confidentiality: You should take nothing that is said here today as advice; none of us are here today as an expert, we just share our own experience and ideas. Before you spend much time or money on your idea we suggest you talk with a good CPA or public accountant. A good accountant won?t tell you if your idea is good or bad, but he or she will help you understand the financial implications of what you want to do and whether or not you need to talk with a lawyer.

We are confidential, sort of. We ask that people keep what is said here confidential, but there is no guarantee that will happen. But for most of us the problem is not keeping things secret, but getting the word out about what we are doing.

So that we can get better acquainted, let?s go around the room and introduce ourselves, and what we hope to get from this meeting today?the clearer you can be on what you want to get from our time today, the better chance you will get it. We also ask everyone to share an Aha Date. An Aha Date is a date the lightbulb came on for you, the date you were inspired to take some action in starting something new. I?ll start, my name is? What I do is ?and what I?m starting now is? My aha date was? when I?.

We will now share a couple of startup stories. Speakers then share what it was like, what led up to their Aha moment, and then how that Aha moment became a reality, how you got the first few customers if the startup story is about starting a new business. We ask those who share to just share experience, and to not explain, analyze, or give advice.

ASK ONE OR TWO TO SHARE BRIEF STARTUP STORIES
NO LATER THAN 2:45 P.M. say:

Now we?ll do some brainstorming. Before we end the meeting at 3:30 we?ll go back around the table for a final word from everyone, that will start today at about
(3:30 ? ((1 minute)X(number of people))Whatever need for information that brought you here today can be met if you are willing to take the risk of offering a brainstorming topic. Let?s review the rules of brainstorming. 1) Go for Quantity, not Quality. 2) No evaluation. 3) Hitchhike, and 4) Humor is good. If we are laughing a lot, we probably will be thinking of some good ideas.

Offer your topic in the form of IWWCW, In What Ways Can We? I will help you shape the final wording for the topic. If you suggest a topic, your job is to write down all the ideas and read them back to us a couple of times when I ask you. Please do not comment on the ideas, especially with negative comments like, ?I?ve already tried that? or ?that wouldn?t work because.? Negative comments and discussion from anyone really throw cold water of the brainstorming process. Any questions about what we?ll be doing?

We only brainstorm topics that have energy behind them, that really are important to the person who suggests it. Who has a topic? I what ways can we? (Ask group before brainstorming, ?Do you need any more information about this topic before we start? Remember there is no discussion after we start brainstorming.?)

BRAINSTORM UNTIL 3:30 ? ((1 minute)X(number of people))

We always close our meeting with something called head, heart, or hands. We do this for feedback for me and the group, but also to help you take action as a result of today. It?s easy to go to meetings like this, to enjoy the time together, and then to leave with nothing really changing. So please share either HEAD, ?what am I thinking now that I wasn?t thinking before this meeting?; OR HEART, ?what am I feeling now as a result of this meeting?; OR HANDS, ?what am I going to do as a result of being here today.? Also share anything coming up that people here might like to know about, seminars, workshops, talks, anything at all you?d like to share.

I?ll start, and I?ll do all three so you get an example of what?s meant by head, heart, and hands, but you just pick one, and then announce anything that you?d like. HEAD, what I?m thinking now is? HEART, what I?m feeling now is? HANDS, what I?m going to do is? And something people here might be interested in is?

Two things coming up I want to make sure you know about are Socrates Café and Franklin Circles. Who has attended a Socrates Café? Would you share with the group about it to give people a rest from my voice?... Franklin Circles are closed, confidential self-directed learning groups, people with common learning objectives. Ben Franklin started the first Franklin Circle, he called it ?the best school.? I learned about it through Training Magazine and started the first group here in Denver in 1996. A new Franklin Circle is now forming for entrepreneurs, business owners, and creative managers. If you?d like more information stick around for an information session here today at 4 p.m. or if you can?t stick around today.

I like to close with this from Goethe: The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves, too, all sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred... Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now! Goethe Let?s go get started!