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Creative Problem Solving: The Reverse Psychology Method
By Lorna Doone Brewer
Welcome to the second in our series of posts on creative problem solving. Of course, nonprofit professionals are no strangers to problem solving. Every day in the nonprofit realm brings its own challenges and trials. The fact that we are able to surmount these problems to make a better world is exactly what keeps us coming back for more!
Reverse Psychology in Problem Solving
The “Reverse Psychology” approach to creative problem solving involves visualizing your desired outcome and then working backwards, step-by-step, to see how you got there. While we generally plan events and look for solutions in a linear fashion, this approach starts at the end of the line. Not only can it spark entirely new ideas, but it also keeps us from forgetting important aspects of getting to the final outcome.
Reverse Psychology requires some visualization on your part, but if you can put aside about an hour to spend with your imagination and a pen and paper (or a computer) then you have the chance to bypass many more hours of frustration and dead ends. As you go through the steps in your mind, be sure to take notes that you can reflect on later to implement the ideas generated.
In this case, we’re going to use a fundraiser as our “problem.” If the process can work on such a big problem, imagine how well it can help you solve smaller ones!
1. Envision the outcome you truly desire. In this case, let’s say it’s the funding of a new afterschool program for youth in your neighborhood. Imagine making bank deposits that total all you’ll need to get the program up and running.
2. In your mind, take a step back to what happened just before you put those bank deposits together. Perhaps you see you and your coworkers cleaning up after a successful silent auction. Everyone is smiling, and attendees are waving as they leave the auction. (You might take a note here to remind yourself that you’ll need to find a venue for your event. As you visualize the emptying floor covered in confetti, note that you’ll need decorations.)
3. Shortly before the auction ended, the winning bidders must have been announced. Try to picture what sort of prizes they have been enthusiastically bidding on all night. Again, make notes on what you’re seeing.
4. Consider what the attendees were doing while the bidding was open. Was a meal being served? Perhaps there were speeches being given. Maybe the reason that bank deposit was so big was because there was a live auction happening at the same time as the silent one.
5. Now it’s time to back up to the actual bidding. What numbers do you see people writing down? You’ll want to have some idea so that you know what types of auction items to solicit. At this point you might note that you’ll need to have auction sheets, clipboards, and pens for each item. Also, how do people learn about the items? Do you have placards or a booklet with item descriptions?
6. Backing up yet again, picture how the auction started. Who gave the welcome and announced that bidding was open? This can help you come up with ideas for guest speakers and to prepare for logistics such as a microphone, podium, and stage area.
7. You’ve now visualized the whole event and have probably taken a lot of notes, but you’re not done yet. You’ll want to keep traveling backwards, all the way from the day of the event back to the present.
8. What happened earlier on the day of the event? Who was there to set things up, and what needed to be done?
9. Prior to the day of the auction, how did you get everything prepared? Someone had to reserve the space and write the checks, for example. Auction items need to be solicited, and descriptions had to be written. You may need to form committees or hold meetings to get the ball rolling.
10. Stretch yourself all the way back to the moment in time when you are sitting making your plan. What is the very first thing you need to do to set it in motion?
Of course, situations change, and the unexpected will always rear its ugly head. However, using this Reverse Psychology method is a great way to literally think in a different direction to be more creative and thorough. Remember that it’s not just for event planning, either. You can use this method to solve all types of problems that come up in your nonprofit organization.
Topics: Internal Issues, Problem Solving |