MetaChat - hi from home.

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29 September 2006

hi from home. Until Monday, anyway. Then it will be hi from Toronto.→[More:]

So yeah life seems to be hurtling forward at light speed. We finished the creative conference a coupla weeks ago. While that was going on, Canada called and requested my assistance at a workshop they were doing in Minneapolis. While the workshop was going on, I was telling the Canada peeps all my insane ideas and the next thing I know they are saying, see you Monday in Toronto, we're paying.

Then, this morning I had coffee with someone who was in one of our conference workshops. She teaches a creativity class in the MBA curriculum and wanted to talk to me more about the problem solving system I use. Turns out she wants me to come guest teach one of her classes this semester.

And the city wants us to help come up with a brand for it. But that's through the cheapskates that put on the conference, so I wrote him and told him I ain't working for free anymore. Do it w/o me if you're doing it for nothing.

!!!!!!!!!!!

post by: chewatadistance at: 15:15 | 5 comments

What on earth is your business about, chewie?

posted by Miko 29 September | 15:55

Yay chewie!

posted by matildaben 29 September | 16:07

Yay chewatadistance! I know you've really been working hard recently, and I'm very glad things are finally paying off for you!

posted by muddgirl 29 September | 16:30

Woot! I'm hoping this calls for Toronto meetup with Chewie? We can send out the MeFi/MeCha bat signal.

posted by SassHat 29 September | 19:33

Yeah, Sass, let's try! I'm terribly clueless about navigation up there though, as an FYI.

Miko I guess I'm a consultant, although I really would like to find a different word for it. I show people how to use a problem solving system to work on any problem, process or project. It applies across pretty much any industry. I've used it with HOAs, nurses, counselors, aerospace engineers, manufacturing, government groups, and friends. I can either run them through the system, or I can teach them the system so they can run their own.

What basically happens now is, people spend little time examining the problem, and much more time figuring out solutions they think fit that problem.

A better way is to reverse that time spent, where more is spent looking at what they *think* the problem is, and less looking at the solution. The result then is that many times the problem is different from what is assumed (which explains why previous solutions haven't fit). It increases the effectiveness and appropriateness of the solution by spending more time uncovering info about the problem.

The system I use spends the most time on problem definition; once you know all you can about the problem, the solutions pretty much presents itself.

Hope that makes sense!

posted by chewatadistance 30 September | 07:02

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