Think Like a Genius: Realizing Human Potential Through the Purposeful Play of Metaphorming

think like a genius

ment, the group was reminded to consider ways they could incorporate this information into

their collaborative models.

Over the course of three hours, the four teams were engaged in several interrelated activities that involved: (1) collaboratively creating these imaginative symbolic models; (2) showing

and telling the meanings and implications of their models, in order to mine them for fresh

insights, discoveries, and innovations; (3) distilling and prioritizing their ideas, as they searched

for the big innovations illuminated by their models; and (4) putting together an initial road map

to establish a collective goal and identify some practical ways of accomplishing it.

Their models cast the big picture of what this new Shared Network might look like, and

how it would work. They also showed what the rich financial benefits would be to each partner,

having first identified what each partner in this alliance could potentially contribute, and what

the results from their contribution might be under the best circumstances.

As it turned out, it was a profitable day. By morning’s end, the group scoped out their initial

multipart, multiphase plan that would lead to a multi-billion-dollar payout. Their calculations

were based on a myriad of opportunities they envisioned that would advance communications

technology.

The expressive, physical models demonstrated that “genuine understanding comes from

hands-on experience,” to quote Seymour Papert, the twentieth-century mathematician and pioneer

of Artificial Intelligence who noted this fact from a lifetime of research on human communication.

The models also made evident that genius thinking is easier done than said. They also drove home

this one inspiring realization: Genius is everywhere, every day, in everyone, in every way imaginable!

That’s the hallmark of our Think Like a Genius® (TLG) work: Helping people experience

the blissful rapture of discovery and innovation.



Frequently Asked Questions

What Is It?

The Think Like a Genius process provides a better way:

• to brainstorm and express ideas;

• to invent and innovate;

• to create and share new knowledge;

• to solve urgent problems;

• to set and achieve goals;

• and to discover and apply people’s creative genius, which enables us all to realize our potential.

The TLG process helps people “give form to” their thoughts, feelings, ideas, knowledge, and

experiences by creating symbolic models in response to an important or urgent issue they want to



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work on. When you make a model, you show what is on your mind and make your intangible

thoughts as tangible, touchable, and real as possible to help communicate them.

The symbolic models provide the key information and knowledge you need in order to

“mine” them for ideas and insights by asking basic, insight-provoking questions. That’s how

inventions and innovations grow out of these unconscious artifacts of our unbounded creativity

and creative inquiry.

Using various common building materials, people are guided to make and explore the meanings of their models in-depth (figure 1). This symbolic modeling activity has been proven to bridge

our world of ideas and cultures, engaging people in a whole new type of creative “group think”—

one that builds on the diversity of the participants’ unique approach to learning, inventing, and

innovating. Indeed, a picture is worth a thousand words, and a symbolic model is worth a thousand

pictures with expressive forms that communicate what words alone cannot.



Figure 1. Metaphorming: The Next Generation of Brainstorming Tools



Artists and architects use aspects of Metaphorming (figure 2). when they play with symbolism, signs, stories, visual metaphors, and physical analogies to show their ideas, knowledge, and

experiences. Likewise, when scientists and engineers show-and-tell their theories and research,

they’re using symbolic models of sorts to help themselves and others see the unseen, and explain

what they’re seeing.

As personal as the symbolic models are, they closely link our humanity through their uni-



think like a genius



Figure 2. Metaphorming from 1-D to 5-D



versality. Anyone can freely relate his or her life to any given model, which is one reason why

they’ve proven to serve as a kind of global common language in bridging people’s worlds, passions, and personal interests.

There are NO value judgments or aesthetic criteria with which to evaluate the “beauty,”

“importance,” “relevance,” or “elegance” of your models. Those value-based criticisms merely

inhibit a person’s prescience, or forethought, and spontaneity.

What is more, there are NO set rules or ways for making a model. There’s just your way.

In a nutshell, here’s the simplest description of the flow and steps of Metaphorming

(figure 2):

1. Choose a question you want to model and explore in-depth.

2. Make a symbolic model that expresses and symbolizes your thoughts on the question

you’ve chosen to respond to.

3. Show-and-tell what your model means to you and your team or group.

4. Share it with others, inviting their creative inquiries and interpretations. Then, begin the

process all over again entertaining a new question.



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How can a bunch of common materials dashed together or carefully constructed into symbolic models possibly change people’s lives—even save lives? How can these oddly shaped, forceful objects that grow in the gardens, jungles, and wilderness of our minds hold so much

medicinal and curative powers?

The simple fact is: They do. The act of creating and exploring symbolic models have

brought families together; helped build communities; enriched cultural and educational programs; increased the wealth and success of companies; and helped envision advanced technology

from alternative energy systems to new telecommunications services.

As we see in figure 1, the rapturous faces and body language of Metaphormers (lifelong

learners, creators, innovators) suggest that symbolic modeling stimulates the emotional Fun

Centers of our whole brains! In those borderless centers, there are no boundaries or limits to

experiencing the simple joys of discovery and self-expression. The neuropsychology behind these

deep interactions indicates that the intuitive and rational parts of our minds are more entwined

than we ever suspected—a fact that’s been described by the distinguished neurologist, Antonio R.

Damasio, in his path-breaking book, Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain

(1994).

The Think Like a Genius process builds on the long history of model making. It shows how

Metaphorming is connected to creativity, learning, discovering, inventing, and innovating. The

History of Civilization, like the History of Creativity, reveals how we are symbol-making creatures. This creative critical thinking process is a natural part of the central nervous system, genes,

and communicative powers of every human being.



Table of Uses

Typical Setting



Project Length



Number of Participants



Any environment works.

Individuals, groups, and organizations can choose to explore any

subject, topic, priority, issue,

problem, or challenge.

Recommend at outset establishing the desired outcomes and

tangible results, as well as deliverables.



Session ranges from 3 hours to 3

days.

If the purpose is to ‘‘journey to

the center of the whole organization,’’ that effort takes more time

than facilitating a strategic visioning and planning session.



No limit. Facilitated workshops

for as few as 5 senior executives

to more than 400 people.



About the Author

Todd Siler (tsiler@thinklikeagenius.com) is a visual artist, author, inventor, and consultant, who

received his Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies in psychology and art from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1986, he became the first visual artist to receive a doctorate from the insti-



think like a genius

tute. He was also a Forum Fellow at the 1999 and 2001 Annual Meetings of the World Economic

Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Dr. Siler’s books include Think Like a Genius (Bantam, 1997) and

Breaking the Mind Barrier (Simon & Schuster, 1990; Touchstone, 1997). He has consulted to IBM,

USWEST, Chevron, Chase Manhattan, Nabisco, ING North America, Procter & Gamble, and

NTT/Verio.



Where to Go for More Information

References

Siler, Todd. “Metaphorming Your Company: Leading with the Next Generation of Brainstorming

Tools.” In Leader to Leader, 15–19. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002.

———. “Think Like a Genius Program for Business: Engaging Everyone in an Organization to

Think, Learn, Work, and Perform to the Best of Their Abilities Through Metaphorming.” In

Organisational Learning for All Seasons: Building Internal Capabilities for Competitive

Advantage, edited by Prem Kumar, 285–296. Singapore: National Community Leadership

Institute, 2003.

———. Think Like a Genius: The Ultimate User’s Manual for Your Brain. New York: Bantam

Books, 1997.

Organizations

Metaphorm !t—www.metaphormit.com

Think Like a Genius—www.ThinkLikeAGenius.com



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steven n. pyser, j.d., and marc n. weiss



Web Lab’s Small Group

Dialogues on the Internet

Commons

The bad news: there is no key to the universe.

The good news: it was never locked.

—Swami Beyondananda



Listening to the City—Online Dialogues

After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the destruction of the World Trade Center,

many people had strong feelings about how the site should be rebuilt and how those who died

there should be remembered. Some, like relatives of those killed in the attacks, or people who

lived, worked, or owned businesses in downtown Manhattan, had a direct, personal stake in the

decisions that would eventually be made. However, millions of others, nationally and internationally, felt they had a stake as well.

Although there had been months of forums, hearings, editorials, and letters to the editor

following 9/11, something else was needed: a process that would allow a cross-section of the population not just to express their feelings and their opinions, but to offer recommendations based

on thoughtful dialogue while probing complex issues and the sometimes-competing ideas held

by people of good will.

Two government agencies, The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and the Lower

Manhattan Development Corporation, were responsible for deciding how the land should be

used, what memorial ought to be created, and what the area’s mix of commercial, residential,



web lab’s small group dialogues

retail, cultural, and other uses would be. These agencies recognized the historic nature of the

task, and declared that they would seek public input in their decision making. They engaged

AmericaSpeaks1 to convene “live” meetings with thousands of New York–area residents, and

AmericaSpeaks turned to Web Lab to convene Web-based discussions for people who could not

attend the live meetings.

The project, called Listening to the City (LTC), drew international press coverage when

more than 5,000 people gathered for a daylong consultation on July 20, 2002. The online dialogues began ten days later, picking up where the “live” meetings left off.

A two-week “asynchronous” discussion, LTC Online used Web Lab’s Small Group Dialogue

(SGD) technique to allow 808 participants working in 26 parallel discussion groups (with about

40 members each) to log on at their convenience to read and post messages. Responding to discussion materials and questions provided by the planning agencies, participants posted more

than 10,000 messages and responded to 32 polling questions. While participants in face-to-face

dialogue sessions usually meet only for a short time, LTC Online participants had time to engage

each other thoughtfully over an extended period.

Although the process was not designed to produce consensus, strong majority sentiment

emerged on several key issues and had a direct effect on the next stage of planning and development. In fact, the guidelines for new designs, the invitation to world-class architects to participate

in a design competition, and the final design of the site all reflect many of the citizen recommendations generated during the online dialogues.2



How SGD Works

Web Lab’s Small Group Dialogues (SGD) are a departure from the norms of online chat and bulletin boards. SGD fosters intimate, high-quality exchanges and a sense of community among participants (figure 1). It employs highly customized proprietary software available for license from

Web Lab. By limiting group size and lifespan, SGD emphasizes each member’s value, increases

accountability, and encourages a sense of belonging and an investment in frequent visits. The result

is a structured experience needing little intervention and outcomes unmatched in conventional

online dialogue models. These SGD methodologies help to limit the practice of “flaming”—messages that attack other participants—common in many other online conversations and forums.

The SGD tools and technique were developed and refined over several years, through a

series of extraordinary discussions about a broad range of social, political, and personal issues.

National media organizations, community leaders, activists, government agencies, corporations,

consultants, and academics have successfully used SGD and benefited from archived conversations. The technique creates a structure that encourages thoughtful exchanges between people by

creating groups of limited size that start together and continue for a set time (usually two weeks).

It also encourages participants to start by introducing themselves before launching into discussion about the issues. SGD improves online exchange by making candor more comfortable and

disagreement safer.



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