Impact Learning

Not all the ideas from non-experts may appear practical or workable. You may want to note that ideas should be considered the raw material of solutions, in that every idea has the potential to stimulate new ideas.

Suggest that participants conduct a discussion on the benefits of using experts versus non-experts, including situations in which either or both would be most beneficial and when they might be unproductive or counterproductive. Also consider having participants
debrief using the following questions:

• What was most helpful about this exercise?
• What was most challenging?
• What can we apply?
• How would you rate the value of this exercise to helping us with this issue?
• Will this exercise be helpful in the future for other sessions?
• What did you learn?
• What will we be able to use from this exercise?
• What ideas were generated, and which ones were most interesting?

Variation

• If consulting an expert is not feasible, have the participants consult several people with absolutely no knowledge of your problem and take written notes. They can be friends, co-workers, spouses, or even children. Have them do this prior to the meeting. (Such people can bring a fresh perspective to the problem. Unfettered by discipline- bound assumptions and logic, they can often see things we cannot. Not only are they more removed from the problem, but also they are more likely to avoid preconceptions.
So ask them how they would solve the problem.)
• Repeat Steps 2 through 6 in the procedure above.
• If experts are available, have the groups consult them as well as non-experts and use those responses with Steps 2 through 6.

Taken From : Pfeiffer 101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving