The '20 idea' method
Earl Nightingale was an American radio show host and author.
He is best known for his 1957 audio recording The Strangest Secret which is credited with starting the self-development industry.
One thing he was particular passionate about was the power of ideas. Indeed, he once said ‘Everything starts with an idea.’
The easy bit is agreeing with his statement. The hard bit coming up with the ideas in the first place.
Fortunately, Nightingale had a simple solution which he called ‘The 20 idea method’.
The first step is to formulate your question. Don’t be vague, make it as specific as possible.
For example, instead of asking ‘How can I increase my sales?’, ask ‘How can I double my sales in the next six months?’
By being specific, you are giving yourself a tighter brief. And tighter briefs lead to better ideas.
The second step is to write down twenty answers to this question. The first few will be so-so but as you continue your ideas will gradually improve.
Often your last answer will be a brilliant one.
Once you start using this technique, you can apply it to every problem or goal you have. As with anything in life, the more you practice doing it, the better you will get.
You will be surprised just how effective it is.
If you are interested in idea generation or problem solving you might enjoy our popular courses on Innovation and Problem Solving which contain a number of practical techniques and resources.
