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 SESSION B.1 : TRAINER'S NOTES
 
LATERAL PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT
 
Objective
·        To introduce the group to teamwork and brainstorming.
·        To introduce the group to the notion of non-mainstream programme development.
 
If your group is suitably motivated, this exercise, which is called 'Random Brainstorming', can be both useful and fun. Remind them not to be disappointed if nothing novel comes out of tonight's session. This is an introduction to the ideas of brainstorming in relation to community media programming.

Some other time, perhaps, with a different mix of people, and the synchronicity of randomly selected prompts, something awesome may emerge, that’s the power of human imagination.
This technique is successfully used by private corporations and advertising agencies, why can't it work for community media?

Brainstorming stimulation is provided by the selection of random words or phrases. If you decide to randomly pre-select the words, do ensure that they are randomised. If they are chosen through relevance to current ideas, then they will only reinforce them rather than stimulate innovation.

If you want to involve the participants as much as possible, then consider the following approach.

Split them into two groups; have them call out numbers in rotation. Each group should call out two numbers as a set. The first would refer to a page in the dictionary you are holding, the second to a word on that page. Ask each group, amid their groans, to write down the words they have randomly selected. Continue with this until each group has, say five or six words to work with.

This approach clearly involves the participants in the selection of their own words and thereby exposing themselves to the random aspect. They should then receive the short explanatory exercise sheet about the brainstorming component. They should move to a quiet place and select a member of their group to record all ideas that emerge during the brainstorming part of the exercise.
    
Materials;
 
 Dictionary.
 Flip charts, markers.
 Writing paper, pens.

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