HOW TO CREATE A PROGRAM

Before you contemplate applying for a grant, you should allow yourself the freedom to really think about your program idea. Corporations and organizations call this a brainstorming session. Individuals often use visualization to accomplish the same result. Whichever process you choose, both will help you to plan a successful program, event or exhibit.

BRAINSTORMING

Brainstorming is most effective when done by a small group of people (anywhere from two to six people).

What you will need for a brainstorming session:

• a pad of post it notes or some other self-adhesive paper for each person (get the larger size of post it notes, or use index cards and tape instead). These should all be the same color.
• one black magic marker per person.
• one chair per person.
• a room with a blank wall (a small to medium sized room is best for this exercise)
• a watch or timer

Introducing the Brainstorming Idea:

Once you have your group assembled, you'll need to lay some ground rules. Tell the group what you hope to accomplish in this brainstorming session by by clearly articulating your goals.

For example, you might begin by saying "We are here to develop ideas for an art event that will be held in the spring semester and will meet the mission of our campus organization. Ideas should include what type of event we want to have, where it will be held, how we plan to promote it, etc."

"The clearer you are about the goal of this brainstorming session, the better your results will be."

Ask everyone to sit facing the blank wall, and distribute the post it notes and pens. Then describe the following "rules":

1. Everyone should write their ideas on a piece of paper. While they are writing, each member should announce her or his idea LOUDLY, so that it can influence the ideas that other group members are developing. After each idea is recorded on paper, it should be randomly stuck to the wall (do NOT attempt to place the papers into some structure).

While you are describing this rule, you should remind everyone again about the goals of the brainstorming session.

2. No idea may be censored in any way, even if it seems completely unrelated. That includes verbal comments or visual cues from any member of the group. Although many ideas might strike some members of the group as out of context, it is not unusual for these same ideas to have a significant impact on the final result.

For example, someone might say "blue" and another person might respond "blue wall" and yet another participant might say "jazz" and so forth...when people brainstorm together in a non-judgemental environment, creativity flourishes and new ideas emerge from this excitement.

3. The brainstorming session should be timed to last no longer than 15-20 minutes. Based on experience, 15-20 minutes allows everyone to express their ideas while not exhausting the group. It also forces the everyone to be as productive as possible.

As the organizer, you should be the one who keeps track of the time. Do not shorten or lengthen this time period. Often, it takes some time for people to "warm up" and frequently, there are lulls in action which may be a bit uncomfortable at first. Do not let this deter you, though. Just keep the action going and you'll be fine.

Now you can start the session.

The Next Step: Categorizing

Once the initial 'idea stage' of the brainstorming session has concluded, you will have lots of slips of paper placed randomly on a wall. The group now must divide the slips of paper into logical categories. Everyone should take part in this step, with no one individual controlling how these ideas are organized (one way to encourage participation might be to go around in a circle and have everyone in succession move one paper into a category). As each grouping or category is defined, someone should write the heading for that group/category on a piece of paper and place it on the wall. Then all the slips of paper that seem to fit that category can be placed underneath it. Your wall might begin to look like this:

headings=what, where, when
categories=jazz, blue wall, night

Defining the Program, Event or Exhibit:

After you have categorized all the ideas, the program can now be defined in concrete terms. Discuss the details of the event, by category, and let each member contribute to the discussion. You will now begin to see your program take shape. After everyone has had a chance to contribute, you should summarize the discussion and describe WHAT will happen, WHEN it will happen and WHERE it will happen. If your group has agreed on more points, by all means, include them! By articulating the ideas that grow out of the brainstorming session, each person will feel a sense of accomplishment and will have an investment in the outcome of the event.

The Finishing Touches:

It is a good idea at this point to form working groups/subcommittees to address each specific area of the program, event or exhibit (i.e. an event committee, a publicity committee, etc.). Before you conclude the session, set a date and time for a follow-up meeting of the whole group, where members of the working groups/subcommittees can report the progress they have made in following through with each task.

Ideally, the entire brainstorming session should last no more than 2 hours.

<<top>>

VISUALIZATION

Unlike brainstorming, visualizing is usually an individual process. If it is being done in combination with brainstorming, it generally precedes it. Here are some useful guidelines to follow when visualizing:

• Allot 30 minutes for the visualization session.
• Find a quiet, comfortable place (a soft chair is often perfect for this exercise).
• Do not hold your visualization session on a stressful day, when you feel pressed for time.

Sit in a comfortable chair and let your mind wander. Think about what it is that you want to do. Why are you doing it? Does it make you excited to think about it? Picture how the program will look. Be very detailed in this visualization. Imagine yourself walking into the space and looking at every detail. Are you outside or inside? What kind of day is it? What is the color of the room (if it is inside)? Are there lots of people there? What kind of people? What is happening? Are there performers or is this an exhibit (or does it combine many art forms)? Don't censor any part of this imaginative journey because you think it can't be done: you'd be surprised what you can do when you set your mind to it! When you are done, you will be amazed at how simple it will be to actually move into the "planning stages" of presenting a program.

There are many other ways to approach planning programs, exhibits and events, but the essential components are the same. Planning programs can be fun and rewarding, but events require real commitment to be truly successful and not stressful. Taking the time to visualize and/or brainstorm a program will help you to develop a truly excellent event.

<<top>>