A seminar series / design thinking primer I created for colleagues that is based on IDEO U's fantastic programs.

1. D E S I G N
T H I N K I N G
P R I M E R
S E M I N A R S E R I E S
I n s p i r e d

2. A process for creative problem solving
Learn how to see the world differently to uncover deep insights that
help solve problems in new ways
Use Idea Cultivation, Rapid Prototyping and Strategic Iteration to
unlock new visions of the future
Persuade and inspire others by learning how to create and tell
compelling stories
What is Design Thinking
Insights for Innovation
From Ideas to Action
Storytelling for Influence
Leading for Creativity
Learn how to empower everyone to search for innovative solutions
and execute bold ideas
Part 05
Part 04
Part 03
Part 02
Part 01
Topics

3. PART
01
Use empathy and experimentation to arrive at innovative solutions
Do: Make decisions based on evidence and what customers really want
Don’t: Rely only on historical data or instinct
What is Design Thinking?

4. CEO IDEO
What is Design Thinking?
Tim Brown
“Design thinking can be described as a discipline that uses the designer’s
sensibility and methods to match people’s needs with what is technologically
feasible and what a viable business strategy can convert into customer value
and market opportunity.”
4

5. Design
Thinking
Lenses
1. Desirability - Discover the wants and desires of others to
propose a solution that addresses what people need
2. Feasibility - Can the solutions that surface be created
3. Viability - Must be sustainable in different environments and
make solid business sense
Desirability
- HUMAN -
Feasibility
- TECHNICAL -
Viability
- BUSINESS -
Successful
Innovation

6. Design Thinking Astigmatism
All about the people
Desirability
- HUMAN -
What happens when one or more of the lens are out of “focus”?
Viability
- BUSINESS -
All about the money
Feasibility
- TECHNICAL -
All about the bling
Is it truly needed? Can it reasonably be built? Is it uniquely valuable?

7. Design Thinking Process
7

8. Proposed Design Thinking Process
8
Why What If How

9. CEO Apple
Design vs Design Thinking
Steve Jobs
“Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like.
People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and
told,‘Make it look good!’That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what
it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
9

10. PART
02
Learn how to see the world differently to uncover deep insights
that help solve problems in new ways
Insights for Innovation
Observations Listen with our eyes to understand what people value and care
about
Extremes Extreme perspectives stretch our thinking to see beyond our
assumptions and get to bold, new ideas
Interviews Conduct a great interview to get deeper, more honest answers that
inspire great insights.
Empathy Create immersive experiences to go beyond intellectual
understanding to obtain a more visceral sense of another’s
perspective.
Insights Learn how to share compelling, quality insights that will inspire and
motivate others to innovate.

11. Observations
Observing is listening with your eyes. Discover what people care
about through their spaces, with their objects and how they
interact with other people.
11
Be Curious

12. What to look For …
12
BEHAVIORAL PROMPTS ADAPTATIONS WHAT PEOPLE VALUE
BODY LANGUAGE PATTERNS UNEXPECTED
6 Tips

13. What activities are people engaged in? Why might these activities
be important?
Activities
A
E
I
O
U
Take note of spaces and locations.What’s unique about them?
How do they support or frustrate people?
Environments
Who’s interacting with users in this context? What’s the purpose
of these interactions? What’s the tone?
Interactions
Are there any objects being used? If so, how, and why are they
important?
Objects
Interview users to better understand their needs.
Users
13
Where to look for it …

14. Observing in Practice
14
1
WHO TO VIEW?
What types of people do
you want to observe in
order to learn and get
inspired? 2
WHERE TO GO
ONLINE?
Where can you observe
your target audience
online? Are they on social
media?
3
WHERE TO GO
OFFLINE?
What types of people do
you want to observe in
order to learn and get
inspired?
4
WHAT THINGS TO
WATCH FOR?
What are you curious to
learn? What themes will
you be looking for?
PLANSHARE
WHO DID YOU
OBSERVE?
WHERE DID YOU
OBSERVE?
WHAT
OBSERVATIONS
SPARKED YOUR
CURIOSITY?
WHAT MIGHT BE
MOTIVATING THE
BEHAVIOR YOU
OBSERVED?

15. Extremes
The importance to look at extremes, and how to go about
identifying extreme people to observe and interview. Learning
from extreme perspectives can stretch your thinking to see
beyond your assumptions and get to bold, new ideas.
15
Stretch Your Mind
Extreme Ironing is actually a thing.Who knew?

16. Demographics (age, gender, ethnicity)
Behaviors (experts vs novices)
Motivations (what drives action)
Step 1
C R E AT E L E N S TO F O C U S E X T R E M E S
Through the lens, imagine and identify the outliers
who can shed light on novel insights
Step 2
S T R E TC H V I E W A N D S P E C I F Y TA R G E T S
16
2 Steps to Identifying Extremes
Extremes Extremes
S T R E TC H = L E V E L O F C O O K I N G E X P E R I E N C E
S P E C I F Y = W H O A R E T H E S E P E O P L E ?
Has never
done it
Does it
professionally
Does it regularly
A cooking class
for child
A chef at a top
restaurant

17. Strive for Balance
Stay mindful to achieve a balanced perspective. Considering only
experts will yield warp your perspective.
17
If there’s good reason for the imbalance, clearly explain why

18. Interviews
Setting the stage, striving to engage and asking the kinds of right
questions are the keys to a great interview. Great interviews get
deeper, more honest answers that inspire novel insights.
18
Deepen your inquiry

19. 19
Anatomy of an Interview
A great interview is not merely a series of questions and answers, but an engaging conversation
you might have with a friend.
Time
Engagement
Introductions
Build Rapport
Evoke
Stories
Mind the
Gap
Gratitude
Emotional
Highpoint

20. Structure interviews to keep the conversation on target, but still allow for
spontaneity. The goal is to empathize with interviewees and to see things
from their point of view.
20
Tips for Interviewing
Non-verbal cues such as eye contact, nodding, and
smiling signal that you’re engaged and interested.
Body
Language
Try not to make interviewees feel that you’re
more knowledgeable than they are.Avoid making
them feel tested or interrogated.
Minimize
Your
Presence
Allow room to hear how a person experiences
the world. Keep asking “why” until you get to
the underlying meaning.
Open-Ended
Questions
Pacing matters. Get to know the person, then
explore topics of interest. Conclude by digging
deeper into the most interesting areas.
Start Board,
Finish Deep
Ask participants to show you the things they
interact with instead of just talking about them. It
might prompt an even richer conversation.
Show
Me
Ask participants to tell a story about an event in
their past, e.g.“Tell me about a time when you
made a significant discovery in your lab.”
Tell Me
About a
Time When
What they say might not match up with what
they do or be able to verbalize.Tune into the
things that don’t match up— said or not said.
Mind The
Gap
Observe and ask questions without judging. Don’t
correct or challenge Don’t assume to know what
they’re going to say or put words in their mouth.
Stay
Unbiased
Unassuming questions encourage people to explain the
logic of their behaviors. Pose questions with genuine
curiosity to avoid sounding patronizing.
Ask Naive
Questions
As participants perform an exercise, ask them to
think aloud to uncover relevant motivations,
concerns, perceptions and reasoning.
Think
Aloud

21. Interviewing in Practice
21
1WHO ARE YOUR
INTERVIEWEES?
EXTREMES? 2WHAT ARE THE
IMPORTANT
THEMES AND
TOPICS?
3WHAT
OBSERVATIONS
WERE YOU
CURIOUS ABOUT? 4WHAT ARE YOUR
KEY QUESTIONS?
PLANSHARE
PROBLEMS &
QUOTES
INTERPRETATIONS INSIGHTS
OPPORTUNITIES &
IDEAS

22. Empathy
Create immersive experiences that get you beyond intellectual
understanding to obtain a more visceral sense of another’s
perspective. Emotional triggers are motivating and help to bond
and align us with the people we are serving.
22
Once more with feeling

23. Think of ways you can alter your perspective to better
relate to someone who sees things differently than you do.
See what you discover.
Change Perspective
1
Tips for Empathy Immersion
23
Designing immersive empathy experiences can be challenging. Here are
a few tips to help get started.
Engage in an analogous experience
Is there some quality of the experience you are
designing (confusion? steep learning curve? fast
pace?) that you could experience analogously?
4
LimitYourself
Consider who you’re designing for and any aspect of their
experience that you might take for granted.What happens
when you take that ability away from yourself?
3
Do ItYourself
Have you personally experienced the products, services or
experiences you’re creating? How can you do something
firsthand to understand what it might feel like?
2

24. Are You Empathetic?
30 Second Empathy Test
“Take your right forefinger and draw a capital E on your forehead.”
EWritten for you to read?
EWritten for others to read?

25. Insights
Take observations, interactions with extremes, interviews,
empathy experiences to create compelling insights.
Share compelling, quality insights that will inspire and motivate
others to innovate.
25
Inspire Innovation

26. Supported by observations with real people
Authentic
Beyond an observation or something someone
would immediately think of when describing
the subject
Non-Obvious
Offers a (previously hidden) glimpse into how
people think or feel. It helps interpret the
“Why?” behind human behavior.
Revealing
26
Insights are the heart and soul of creating solutions. For something to be an insight, it must be:
What is an Insight?

27. How to Summarize & Share Insights
27
Once you’ve learned through observation, interviewing, empathy and extremes, move through the 4 steps
to summarize insights.
1
Capture quotes, observations and interpretations you have
from interviews, observations, empathy immersion and
learnings from extremes.
Step 1. Capturing
2
Notice themes and patterns and cluster your learnings when
they have similar topics.Try out a few names you might call
that theme.
Step 2. Connecting 3
Work to make your insights informative, inspiring and memorable.
Try and try again. Share what you are working on with others for
feedback.What’s working and what isn’t?
Step 3. Crafting
4
Pull your themes together into a story. Use visuals to bring
your points to life for others.
Step 4. Storytelling

28. Motivations
What did they care about most?
What motivates them?
Stories
What was the most memorable or
inspiring story?
28
Interactions
What was unique about how they
interacted with their environment?
Frustrations
What frustrates them? What do
they struggle with?
Unexpected
What were the most unexpected
events?
Between the Lines
Tune into emotions, contradictions,
workarounds, body language. Don’t
project your own ideas.
How To Capture
• Using Post-it notes, capture each
data point (1 per Post-it for easy
organizing in Step 2. Connecting)
• Construct each data point as a
statement, phrase or visual to convey
context and meaning.
• Don’t worry about interpreting yet!
Just record the things you found most
interesting or unexpected.
What to Capture
Step 1. Capturing Data Points
Data Points are the people, places, quotes, anecdotes, feelings, interactions, observations that you found
MOST interesting

29. 29
Step 2. Connecting the dots
Cluster data points together in meaningful ways to discover themes and patterns
Cluster Data Points
Which data points are related
to each other in some way?
Listen & Look for Meaning
Discuss clusters. Compare data
points to identify connections
Write Headlines
Craft a concise label for each
cluster
Create Themes of Your Clusters
Look for patterns and tensions in the ways that
clusters relate to each other to form Themes.
Link Themes
Group related themes into
larger categories.
Highlight Best Stories for a Theme
Which quote, story, anecdote, or
observation best brings your theme or
headline to life?
Dig Deeper
Keep asking “why” until your
headlines become visceral
Edit Brutally
It’s not about capturing everything. It’s
about surfacing the best of the best.

30. Step 3. The Art of Crafting Insight Statements
30
Great insights don’t just appear. They must be crafted. And besides being Authentic, Non-Obvious and
Revealing, great insights are also …
Honing insights gets a little messy until the big idea
emerges. Let the process meander and flow unto things
feel anchored.
Embrace the Mess
Combine each other’s ideas to spark new thoughts.
Build on Ideas
Present your insights to see what is and isn’t working.
Gather Feedback
Put the most interesting things into words in less than
10 minutes. Share and listen to other’s POVs
Trade Ideas
Rely heavily on what ‘feels’ meaningful and push yourself
to take leaps and make connections
Intuition is Your Guide
Engaging and paying close attention to details is critical
to the process
Listen Actively
Does it shed light on what people need and
want?
Informative
Is it motivating? Does it make you FEEL
something in order to DO something?
Inspiring
Is it phrased in a way that will stick with you
and be easy to share with others?
Memorable
A How-To for crafting insights

31. Step 4. Storytelling
Pull it all together and bring your themes and insights to life
to share your point of view to motivate others.
Tell Specific Stories
Focus on the individuals and talk
about what actually happened.
Avoid Generalizations
Judgments, evaluations, assumptions
and prescriptions
Use Words & Pictures
Use words, charts, images and
prototypes in a robust way to
express your thinking. Be Descriptive
Share vivid details. Use physical
senses and emotions to give
texture to stories.
Edit & Filter
Let go of superfluous information
or patterns that don’t move the
project ahead.

32. Insights for Innovation

33. PART
03
Use Idea Cultivation, Rapid Prototyping and Strategic Iteration
to unlock new visions of the future
From Ideas to Action
The Art of Ideating Leverage DivergentThinking to generate an abundance
of ideas— even ones that might seem ridiculous at first.
Rapid Prototyping Rapidly make ideas tangible and sharable to gain
feedback and push them further
Iterating Forward Move ideas forward through multiple rounds of ideation
and prototyping

34. The Art of
Ideating
Be comfortable with generating an abundance of ideas to
explore options for solving a problem. Use divergent thinking to
come up with lots of ideas (even ones that might seem crazy at
first) and choose the best ones to move forward.
34
Be Playful

35. Solo or Group
Participants
Let’s Get Creative: 30 Circles
35
Turn ordinary circles into recognizable objects in a very short period of time.
Three minutes
Time
Turn as many of these blank circles as you can
into recognizable objects.
Prompt
A key to ideation is giving yourself time limits,
Deadlines motivate and help focus the creative
process.
Remember

36. It works best when you apply some rules and deadlines to your creative session. For
example, you might limit yourself to one hour during a brainstorm.
Working within Constraints
Stay in the mindset, continue to exercise your creative muscles, and don’t
rush to convergence. It’s not time for decision-making yet.
Diverging a Bit Longer
The more ideas you come up with, the better chance you have to
reach a truly brilliant solution.
Quantity over Quality
It helps to have diverse perspectives when you’re coming up with lots of ideas. If
you’re working alone, find ways to pull people in—anyone can ideate.
A Team Sport
What is Ideation?
36
Exploring many options to answer a question.
Encourage testing the borders of brilliant and
ridiculous.

37. How to Ideate
Brainstorming
The bread and butter of ideation.
37
Creative spaces don’t judge. Let ideas flow so people
can build from one another’s ideas
Defer Judgement
1
2 Embrace the most out-of-the-box notions.There’s
often a fine line between outrageous and brilliant.
Encourage Wild Ideas
3 Use “yes, and” instead of “yes, but”. Encourages
positivity and inclusivity and leads to more ideas.
Build on Ideas of Others
4 Keep the discussion on target. Divergence is essential,
but still need to keep eye on the prize
Stay Focused on the Topic
5 Use colored markers and Post-Its. Stick ideas to the
wall so others can visualize them.
Be Visual
6 Quickly crank out ideas. For any 60-minute session, you
should shoot for 100 ideas.
Go for Quantity
6 rules to get the most
out of Brainstorming

38. Look at the challenge from someone els’s POV.
Role-play scenarios or storyboarding
Other People’s Shoe-Storming
Send a shout-out over email to get a bunch of
people involved who are remote.
E-Storming
Using games and visual thinking to generate
ideas and solve problems
Game-Storming
38
Here are a few variations on the theme to make it interesting.
Methods of Brainstorming

39. 39
Our work should be fun (and purposeful, rewarding, …), right?
A Bit More About Game-Storming
www.gamestorming.com

41. Converging after Ideation
41
Converging is about focusing and narrowing down options. It is not about settling on what ideas are
simplest to execute.
1
Give everyone 3-5 votes and ask them to place stickers on
there favorite ideas.
Step 1. Vote
2
Look for similarities between ideas and cluster them together
to see if themes emerge.
Step 2. Cluster 3
Summarize what ideas emerged from the ideation phase and
consider which ones to prototype.
Step 3. Discuss
4
Continue to elicit input from the larger group, but the lead or
core team should decide the way forward.
Step 4. Decide
STEPS TO CONVERGE

42. Rapid
Prototyping
Rapidly build ideas to make them tangible and shareable in order
to get feedback and push them further.Work through the kinks
to find better solutions faster.
42
Build to Think

43. 43
Making ideas tangible to gather feedback and improve
Why Prototype?
Build to Think
Visualizing and interacting ideas to get better solutions
faster
Gather Feedback
Learn from the gift of feedback and thank the critics.
They help lead to better outcomes.
Fail Early to Succeed Sooner
Getting tangible and getting early feedback allows
mistakes to be quickly and inexpensively remedied

44. Iterate
Forward
Tips for Building and Sharing Prototypes
44
Get tangible quickly with rough, low-fidelity prototypes.
Reflect
Listen actively and welcome constructive criticism.
Think about how you might respond with your next prototype. Read
between the lines. Pay attention to body language.
3
Share
Tell the story behind your idea.
Don’t try to sell your idea and don’t defend it.
Solicit feedback from customers and stakeholders.
2
Build
What questions are you trying to answer with your prototype?
Consider your audience and the story you are trying to tell.Think of
your prototype as a prop to help tell your story.
1
“A prototype is just your idea of what
the future might look like.
- David Kelley
“Strong opinions, weakly held.”
- David Kelley

45. The Feedback Give and Take
45
How to
Show Up
1
The
Criticism
2
The
Fallout
3
Giver Taker
Ground feedback in something
solid. Who’s the audience? What’s
the prototype trying to achieve?
Gather Context
Tune in to the needs of whom you
are serving. What feedback will
best serve the work? What should
and shouldn’t you be looking for?
Calibrate Feedback
All of us are smarter than any of
us. Ask early and often from many,
Different people bring different
perspectives. Different moments
provide unique learnings.
Create for Feedback
Set the stage. If your work is early
stage, ask for high-level, structural
feedback. If your work is late stage,
seek out fine-tuning feedback.
Express Your Needs
Your feedback is in the service of
others. Don’t confuse caring with
not giving constructive, candid
feedback.You can care and criticize
simultaneously.
Embrace Radical
Candor
Ground your feedback in
examples. Point out what may and
may not have worked well. .
Be Specific
Ask questions. What was
memorable? What resonated?
What’s missing? What didn’t work?
How would you improve?
Give Guidance
Separate your ego from the work.
Your work isn’t you. Repeat the
mantra,“This is in service of the
work.”
Don’t Take It
Personally
Giving feedback is awkward.
Practice makes … better.
Practice
Feedback elevates self-awareness.
Study your impact and delivery by
observing the body language and
attitude of the receiver.
Create Space for
Reflection
Conflicting feedback may contain
similarities.Trust your intuition to
find and address patterns.
Look for Patterns
Let feedback breathe. Avoid
reaction. Sleep on it and return to
it.
Create Space for
Reflection

46. Iterating
Forward
Move ideas forward through multiple rounds of ideation and
prototyping. Refine ideas to make them bolder and tighter. “Fail
early to succeed sooner”
46
Experiment

47. 47
Rinse and repeat with Ideation and Prototyping move ideas
Why Iterate?
Trial and Error
Ideate and prototype repeatedly before moving
forward. Good Feedback Give &Take essential.
Experiment Forward
Failure is expected and necessary. If you aren’t failing,
you aren’t trying hard enough.
Save Time
Iterating manages risk by repeatedly checking
assumptions and answering refined questions.

48. Refining and Advancing Ideas
Reexamine the big idea through the
Desirability, Feasibility and Viability Lenses
1. List Questions
Before converging to refine big idea, diverge
again around best answers to top questions.
Learn from assumptions.
3. Ideate to Explore Options
Consider Urgency and Dependency to
determine which questions to answer
first.
2. Prioritize Questions
Continue building and sharing to answer top
questions and focus lenses.Take more calculated
risks to close in on goal
4. Prototype to Build, Share &
Learn
48
4 Steps to Iterate

49. From Ideas to Action

50. PART
04
Persuade and inspire others by learning how to create and tell
compelling stories
Storytelling for Influence
Developing a Blueprint Set up for success by identifying stakeholders,
their needs and the big idea
Build Storytelling Prototypes Don’t race to the final story - create distinct
versions to engage others in the process
Design for Impact Find tune the story so that it resonates with
the audience and is “sticky”

51. The Science of Storytelling
Functional MRIs show that certain
descriptive and figurative language lights up
neurological regions that incite action
Moves Us
When we hear powerful and emotional stories, our
brain often releases dopamine. Dopamine helps us
remember the experience with greater accuracy.
Help Us Remember
Psychologists and neurologists have found that
stories stimulate the parts of the brain that helps us
intuit others’ thoughts and emotions.
Increases Empathy
Our brain produces oxytocin after listening to a
character- driven story. Oxytocin has been shown
to help motivate us toward cooperation
Encourage Cooperation
51
Narrative sticks in our brains, moves us (literally) and increases empathy

52. 52
Three Act Structure
The point of the acts is so the story evolves and the stakes get higher. Each act has its own set of
guidelines that make the foundation of story development
Time
Tension
(Engagement)
Introduction
Act I
• Introduce main characters
and their worldview.
• Establish theme (situation)
and hook (challenge)
• Make a promise
Plot Point #1
Inciting
Incident
RisingAction
- Stakes Get Higher
Act II
• Play out the challenges to the promise to
excruciation
Plot Point #2
Resolution
Denouem
ent
Act III
• Punchline, payoff
• Release of tension
• Dilemma resolved

53. The World That Is How To Get There
(your product/service)
The World That Could Be
53
What is, what could be, and how to get there
Three Part Theme
Remember: Features Tell, Benefits Sell.

54. Develop a
Blueprint
Blueprints focus the narrative, understand the audience and
their needs, and target the intended impact and outcome.
54
Empathize with the Audience

55. Zeroing in on this is important but isn’t always
easy.The more specific you can be the better.
Who’s Your Audience
Think about underlying human needs. Don’t
stop at first thought. People and needs are
complex.
What Do They Care About
What do you want to unlock with your story and
what you want people to do. Remember, you are
motivating people toward change.
What Are You Trying to Achieve
55
Create an action plan that clarifies who you're talking to, what they care about, and
what you’re trying to achieve
Start with The Brief

56. 56
Get and stick to the point so the audience is clear about the ask. Too much information doesn’t server the
cause. Less is more. What’s the one thing you want the audience to remember?
The Big Idea
Does the Big Idea
Capture the Problem?
What are you trying to change?
Is it
Compelling?
Is the audience inspired to action?
Is it
Clear and Concise?
Can the audience quickly digest the idea?

57. Solo
Participants
“In a Nutshell” Activity
57
Practice being clear and concise by capturing a movie logline.
NOTE: The Big Idea is the single point that you are trying to make through your story. A logline is
the 1 -2 sentence summary of a piece of work.
Five minutes
Time
Choose a movie and identify the big idea and
write the logline
Directions
How would you break these down into one clear and concise sentence?

58. The Medium
Consider how the medium helps (or
hurts) your specific story.
58
+ Portable
+ …………………….
+ …………………….
Slide Presentations
1 - Static
- …………………….
- …………………….
2
Experiences
+ Engaging
+ …………………….
+ …………………….
- Complex
- …………………….
- …………………….
3 Videos
+Emotional
+…………………….
+…………………….
- Costly
- …………………….
- …………………….
4 Digital / Interactive
+ Encourage Learning
+ …………………….
+ …………………….
- Expertise Required
- …………………….
- …………………….
5
Physical Spaces
+Invites Participation
+…………………….
+…………………….
- Logistically Challenging
- …………………….
- …………………….
Pros & Cons
“The medium is the message.”
- Marshall Mcluhan

59. Storytelling
Prototypes
Get your story out of your head and into the hands of others
for feedback and buy-in. Build, Share and Reflect your way
forward. Courageously face the blank page and iterate, iterate,
iterate …
59
Be Brave
The faster you get your ideas in front of others, the faster you
can incorporate the feedback and improve

60. 60
Get creative. Pen and paper, phone, local pub …
Ways to Prototype and Build Your Story
Hit Record
Speak naturally and from the heart. Let the words roll
out of your mouth and into the world
Post-It Palooza
Post your “intro,”“main points,” and “conclusion”. Start
at the end if you’re not sure how to begin
The Bar Test
Social lubrication. Change your environment, don’t over
think it, just tell it. Feedback makes it stronger

61. 61
1. Return to Blueprint
Compare the feedback to your brief and big idea—are you
getting all the points across that you meant to make?
Feedback Questions
1. What was most memorable?
2. What do you have questions about?
3. What moved or motivated you?
4. What, in your opinion, was the big idea?
Steps for Reflecting
Inviting Feedback that Strengthens the Story
Start by asking a series of deliberate questions to really get your audience thinking. Then reflect on what
you learned.
REMEMBER: We’re not just telling stories for fun.
We want our audience to take action so we need
to know what’s important to them. What did they
find to be moving and inspiring?
2. Get Physical
Write each piece of feedback on a post-it and then place it near the
part of the story it refers to.What stands out to you?
3. Let it Breathe
Take a step back and sit with your feedback. If it stung a little, forget
about it for a while.Time often brings clarity.
4. Revise Your Draft
Take a step back and sit with your feedback. If it stung a little, forget
about it for a while.Time often brings clarity.

62. Design for
Impact
Consider all the elements involved in telling a great story that
motivates others toward action.Tone is everything. Make it
resonate with the audience.
62
Be Inspiring

63. Setting the Right Tone
63
SPEAK
FROM THE
HEART
SPEAK
NATURALLY
SPEAK
THOUGHTFUL
LY
SPEAK
PASSIONATE
LY
DO’SDON’TS
Sound like a robot
Believe that
smarter = more
formal
Speak in dry,
business-y language
Be boring
It’s not what we say, it’s how we say it. The right tone for the right audience can
increase the impact of your story

64. 64
How would you write a letter to each of the following three people explaining why storytelling is important?
Dear (Queen of England) Activity
Best Friends Young Child Queen of
REMEMBER: This activity is about tone, not the power of
persuasion. Use the same argument for all three letters, but
change the words so that voice and tone are appropriate for
each recipient.
1. Move us
Functional MRIs show that certain descriptive and figurative
language lights up neurological regions that incite action
Storytelling Talking Points
2. Increases Empathy
Psychologists and neurologists have found that stories stimulate the parts
of the brain that helps us intuit others’ thoughts and emotions.
3. Help Us Remember
When we hear powerful and emotional stories, our brain often
releases dopamine. Dopamine helps us remember the experience with
greater accuracy
4. Encourage Cooperation
Our brain produces oxytocin after listening to a character- driven
story. Oxytocin has been shown to help motivate us toward
cooperation.

65. How to
Make an
Impact
A story is a person with a problem
so we must motivate others to
solve that problem
65
Personal stories resonate with us and move us as
human beings. Everyone has a story to share
Make it Personal
1
2 Choose images to paint a picture for your audience. It
will help your audience remember, relate to, and
respond to your story.
Make it Visual
3 A lot of people will tell you otherwise. But don’t listen
to that. Sometimes you just have to be vulnerable.
Get Emotional
4 Anecdotes are the “put you in the room” moments. Re
ection is the part of the story where you help the
audience make sense of what they just heard
Use Anecdote & Reflection
5 What do you want people to do after hearing your story?
Highlight “next steps,”“what to remember,” or “the one thing
you want them to do.”
Include Call to Action
6 Get fuel to your creative engine. Listen to music.Take a walk
outside. Exercise. Leave the office! Just take notice of the
world around you.There are stories everywhere!
Stay
6 tips to see it, feel it
and believe it

66. PART
05
Learn how to empower everyone to search for innovative
solutions and execute bold ideas
Leading for Creativity
Leading with a Strong
Point ofView
Setting a course for an inspiring new direction
Leading Through Culture Setting new norms that support creative work
Leading Alongside Staying present and engaged with the work of your team

67. Finding Answers
Through
Questions
A retrospective thought experiment
67
Think about the last meeting you attended.What
were all the questions that were asked?
Step 1
Step 2
What did these questions illuminate?
• Did they invite others to participate?
• Did they close down opportunities?
• Can you identify any patterns?

68. Leading with a
Strong Point of
View
Setting a course for an inspiring, new direction. Need to hold an
inspiring vision for people to follow. Stick to it and take creative
risks to get closer to the most valuable solution.
68
Play the role of Explorer

69. When and How to Lead with a Strong Point of View
Tip 1. Don’t include
the solution in the
question
Tip 3. Include who
you are designing
for
Tip 2. Make your
questions generative
and inspiring
Tip 4. Get specific about what
part of the journey you are
designing for
69
When you need to set the course at the beginning of the journey or
When there are bold risks to be taken and you need to take responsibility for the outcome

70. Activity: Leading with a Strong Point of View
70
Let’s practice leading with a strong point of view by defining our Purpose and Vision and
identifying the Challenges we may face
What do we believe? Why, beyond making a
profit, do we exist?
Purpose
How through our work are we embodying
our purpose?
Vision
What problems do we need to solve to
realize our vision?
Challenges
Our purpose is … Our vision is …
Step 1: Defining our Purpose and Vision

71. Activity: Leading with a Strong Point of View
71
Problem 1:
Step 2: What are 3 problems preventing us from achieving
our vision
Problem 2: Problem 3:
Let’s practice leading with a strong point of view by defining our Purpose and Vision and
identifying the Challenges we may face

72. Activity: Leading with a Strong Point of View
72
Step 3: Choose one problem from Step 2 and write five challenge questions we can get
started on today
Let’s practice leading with a strong point of view by defining our Purpose and Vision and
identifying the Challenges we may face
How might we:
How might we:
How might we:
How might we:
How might we:
REMEMBER: You want your question to be in the sweet spot—broad enough to be inspiring, but not too abstract; narrow enough to be actionable, but not too directive.

73. Leading through
Culture
Setting new norms that support creative work. Create
conditions for creativity to flourish and provide inspiration when
energy is low.Act swiftly to address challenges when they crop
up.
73
Play the role of Gardener

74. 74
BELIEFS
Consider the Beliefs and Behaviors that are consistently present with creative teams
When and How to Lead through Culture
Before starting a project while planning how the work will get done or
When there is friction or tension
Every team member should be able to say:
• I feel inspired
• I have ownership
• I am growing
• My team has my back
• I don’t have to get it right every time
BEHAVIORS
When you observe a functioning creative team:
• The collaborate (all of us are smarter than any of us)
• They get tangible (early and often)
• They learn from failure (and stay inspired)
• They stay curious (questions, questions, questions …)

75. Rituals
Ways to nudge the culture of the
team toward beliefs and behaviors
that support creative work
75
Identify gaps or
tensions in our
culture1
2
Flip the gap or
tension into a
question
3
Brainstorm ways
to answer the
question
4 Try it out
5 Reflect on it
5 Steps

76. Activity: Designing a Ritual to Increase our Creative Confidence
76
STEP 1. Identify gaps or tensions in our culture. Where do you observe a tension? What’s
missing from our culture?
• I feel inspired
• I have ownership
• I am growing
• My team has my back
• I don’t have to get it right every time
Beliefs
• They collaborate
• They get tangible
• They learn from failure
• They stay curious
Behaviors
Option A: Tensions
I see a tension between
and
Option B: Gaps
My team (or organization) is missing

77. 77
How might we:
How might we:
How might we:
How might we:
How might we:
REMEMBER: You want your question to be in the sweet spot—broad enough to be inspiring, but not too abstract; narrow enough to be actionable, but not too directive.
STEP 2. Flip the gap or tension into a “How might we…” question. Choose one to move forward.
Activity: Designing a Ritual to Increase our Creative Confidence

78. 78
Ritual 1:
Ritual 2:
Ritual 3:
Ritual 4:
Ritual 5:
STEP 3. Brainstorm ways to address one of our “How might we…” questions.
Activity: Designing a Ritual to Increase our Creative Confidence
Remove all distractions (non-essential tech and toys) from meeting rooms
Require all meetings have agenda and clear goals, action items, minutes, …
Consider how they specifically address tension or gap and positively affect beliefs and behaviors
Make all meetings stand-ups
Examples:

79. Leading Alongside
Staying present and engaged with the work of the team. Be
authentic and relatable. Stay at “eye level” and let the team make
the necessary adjustments to move forward.
79
Play the role of Coach

80. 80
When to Lead Alongside
When you have more experience or a better vantage point and when being directive would hinder creativity
When to engage with your team …
1. At the beginning, when choosing and setting up the HMW challenge
2. At regular intervals (inflection points) along the way
3. At the end, or during moments of decisions, uncertainty, conflict, …

81. 81
How to Lead Alongside
Leading alongside is a hard skill to master. Choosing the most effective method and the appropriate time
takes practice, practice, practice …
1. Choose the right question
You might use this (1) at an early stage of a project, (2) when setting
conditions, or (3) when a team is overwhelmed and can’t find focus.
You might say or do
• “In this moment, what’s most critical?”
• “Which of our top hunches are the most risky/challenging?”
• “If we were to go to market with this tomorrow, where would we be
at the highest risk of failure?”
Methods for leading alongside
2. Force the pace
You might use this (1) at the early stages of a project, (2) to help your
team get scrappy when approaching a tricky problem or, (3) to unlock
learnings faster.
You might say or do
• “Imagine we were to hand this project o to a new team tomorrow.
What’s the essential information they would need?”
• “What can we learn in only a week’s time? ”
• Imagine extreme scenarios.“What would we do if...we only pursued
pro t? We only sought to make customers happy? We only did what
was easiest?”
3. Change the mode
You might use this (1) at regular intervals along the way, (2) when team
energy is low, or (3) when your team is talking more than doing.
You might say or do
• Have each team member spend 20 minutes sketching out alternative
solutions
• Ask team members to switch roles for a moment and approach the
same task from a different perspective
• Encourage each person to spend 30 minutes gathering inspiration from
the way others might approach a similar problem. Cross-share as a
group.
4a. Shift focus - Diverge
You might use this when (1) your team keeps coming up with the same
solutions to a problem, (2) they need to turn insights into actionable
ideas, or (3) the team is reaching conclusions too quickly.
You might say or do
• “If cost were no issue, where would you take this?”
• “What customer insights can we draw upon to inspire our thinking?”
• As a team, make a list of solutions competitors are too scared to
pursue.
4b. Shift focus - Converge
You might use this (1) at decision points, (2) when a team is
overwhelmed by possibilities, or (3) when they need to refine and make
sense of possible directions.
You might say or do
• “Which of these options would delight our consumers most?”
• “For each of our top ideas, let’s discuss feasibility, viability, and
desirability”
• Envision the future with the team.“Which course of action would earn
us the most recognition in five years?”
5. Share Learning
You might use this (1) at the end of a process, (2) at decision points, or
(3) when the team can’t agree on where to go next.
You might say or do
• “Invite your team to share reflections starting with “I like,” “I wish,”
and “I wonder.”
• “What were our goals? How did we try to reach them? What new
things did we try?
• “What didn’t we anticipate? What surprised us most?”

82. Activity: To Converge or not to Converge (Diverge)
82
Let’s practice leading alongside. In this simulation, you’re going to role-play guiding the process of
experimentation at regular intervals along the way.
Imagine you’re the leader of a five-person team designing
a new product.As the leader, you hold regular check-ins,
but are not involved with the day-to-day work.
Now we’re going to give you three scenarios. For each,
decide if you will guide the team to:
1. Diverge or,
2. Converge, and tell us why you made that decision.
Then harness your inner coach and write what you
might say to them as you guide them in that direction.
What To Do
In divergent moments, teams go wide to expand
the possibilities and generate new ideas. In
convergent moments, teams make sense of what
they learned and refine their ideas.
What To Remember

83. Activity: To Converge or not to Converge (Diverge)
83
At an early check-in for the project, you hear team members frequently saying, “We can’t do that,
because...” It seems they know their business and industry constraints so well that they can’t imagine it
any other way. New ideas get killed before they have a chance to be considered.
SCENARIO 1: STUCK BY CONSTRAINTS
Converge or Diverge?
QUESTIONS
Q1. Will you guide the team to
Why?
Q2. What is one thing you could say or do to guide them in this direction

84. Activity: To Converge or not to Converge (Diverge)
84
At an early check-in for the project, you hear team members frequently saying, “We can’t do that,
because...” It seems they know their business and industry constraints so well that they can’t imagine it
any other way. New ideas get killed before they have a chance to be considered.
SCENARIO 1: STUCK BY CONSTRAINTS
ANSWERS
A1. Diverge. You need to set the conditions that enable your team to think beyond known constraints.
They need inspiration and permission to consider alternative solutions. Your team needs to explore and
go very wide. It’s all about idea generation
A2. Good things to say or ask in this instance include:
• If cost were no issue, where would you take this?
• What customer insights can we draw upon to inspire our thinking?
• What are competitors doing that we’re not?
• What other industries have a similar challenge? How do they deal with it, and what can we learn from them?
• Constraints aside, what do we wish we could do? What would make us most proud?

85. Activity: To Converge or not to Converge (Diverge)
85
At your next check-in, your team seems to have unlocked a creative burst of inspiration. The energy is
great—like a kid in a candy store—and there are so many creative possibilities. But now the team is
having a hard time getting from what the solution could be to what it should be.
SCENARIO 2: OVERWHELMED WITH POSSIBILITIES
Converge or Diverge?
QUESTIONS
Q1. Will you guide the team to
Why?
Q2. What is one thing you could say or do to guide them in this direction

86. Activity: To Converge or not to Converge (Diverge)
86
At an early check-in for the project, you hear team members frequently saying, “We can’t do that,
because...” It seems they know their business and industry constraints so well that they can’t imagine it
any other way. New ideas get killed before they have a chance to be considered.
SCENARIO 2: OVERWHELMED WITH POSSIBILITIES
ANSWERS
A1. Converge. This team needs to get tangible. Invite them to sketch and prototype ideas and then put them
in front of users for feedback. This will help them learn which ideas have true potential. It will also make it clear
which ideas they can let go of.
A2. Good things to say or ask in this instance include:
• Sketch five to ten solutions you are most excited about on paper
• For each of our top ideas, let’s discuss feasibility (what will be needed to produce this?), viability (how might this
impact our business?), and desirability (how much do consumers want this?)
• Which of these feel most disruptive and new-to-the-world? Which already exist in some way?
• If this project were to be handed onto a new team tomorrow, what two to three things would you want them to focus on?
• Which of these would delight our consumers most?

87. Activity: To Converge or not to Converge (Diverge)
87
Later in the project, the team shares some early prototypes. You notice one set of features is highly
detailed and has clearly dominated their focus. That means other key considerations are missing.
Though one feature set is strong, the team is missing the bigger picture of how this product will function
and get used in the real world.
SCENARIO 3: DEEP FOCUS
Converge or Diverge?
QUESTIONS
Q1. Will you guide the team to
Why?
Q2. What is one thing you could say or do to guide them in this direction

88. Activity: To Converge or not to Converge (Diverge)
88
ANSWERS
A1. Diverge. The team needs to be guided to think more holistically. While the instinct may be to converge
and focus even more, encouraging them to diverge slightly and consider other audiences and moments of
use is needed most. They need to broaden their view to see where to take the idea next.
A2. Good things to say or ask in this instance include:
• Does this capture all of what you intended? Why or why not?
• How is this meeting the needs of all our customers (not just the ones who favor this feature)?
• Let’s zoom out to consider other stakeholders. What would they say about this?
• Let’s imagine 10 situations where this will be used. How well would this work (or not) for each?
Later in the project, the team shares some early prototypes. You notice one set of features is highly
detailed and has clearly dominated their focus. That means other key considerations are missing.
Though one feature set is strong, the team is missing the bigger picture of how this product will function
and get used in the real world.
SCENARIO 3: DEEP FOCUS

89. Assessment: Leadership Through the Our Own Eyes (and the eyes of
others)
89
… what’s working and what’s
not working?
… in what ways do you feel
empowered?
… what can we do to be more
present and engaged?
It can be tough to know what impact our leadership style has on others. It’s best to go to the
source. What is the affect of our leadership on our peers, our environment, our work, …?
As creative leaders or those seeking better creative leadership …

90. From Ideas to Action

91. Thanks