Think Like Walt Disney

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

— Walt Disney

One of the pleasures of my job is the opportunity to deliver lectures to the Graphic Design and Illustration students in the School of Art at the University of Brighton.

I've been delivering workshops in motion and sequence design for the past couple of weeks, but the technique I'm about to show you today can be applied to any brainstorming or ideation session.

To prove this brainstorming concept, I asked students to design a motion sequence based on the life of a paper clip. And the results were all unique, individual, original! It's incredible what a paper clip can inspire ;)

The Disney Method Background

Colleagues of Walt Disney would say:

"There were actually three different Walts: the dreamer, the realist, and the spoiler. You never knew which one was coming to the meeting."

Whilst the Disney brainstorming method we use today was inspired by Disney, it was brought to life by Todd Epstein and Robert Dilts, two NLP trainers from the west coast of America.

The Disney method is a method of parallel thinking that builds a bridge between our imaginations and reality. Not only does the Walt Disney method unlock ideas, but it also goes on to create the solution. You generate, evaluate and critique the problem all in one session.

“The Disney method is a method of parallel thinking that builds a bridge between our imaginations and reality. ”

Ingredients

• A3 Cartridge Paper

• Lots of Pens/Sharpies

Instructions

Suitable for both group and individual brainstorming, you must follow the sequence of Dreamer, Realist and Critic. To get the most out of the Disney method, I suggest these tips:

• In the original version of the method, you would move to different rooms for each persona. If, however, you don't have the space, I like to ask people to change seats every time they move into a new role.

• Put up a sign somewhere that says 'Dreamers', 'Realists' & 'Critics' to really help people embody each role.

• Gather lots of paper and pens, and don't be shy about scribbling out ideas, thoughts, drawings, words: whatever comes to mind. Record it all.

• Write out the problem or solution you are trying to find and place it somewhere you can see it clearly before starting the first phase of the process.

Dreamers:

As dreamers, anything is possible. This is the free flow thinking stage. Every idea, even the strangest ones, are welcome.

We don't ask questions at this stage, but if you need prompts to get people inspired, you could ask:

• What do we want?

• If we had magical powers, what could we do?

• If anything was possible, what could we create?

• What is the limitless potential?

Realists:

Pick an idea and start to plan how this idea could become a reality. This is the planning stage. If you have a few ideas, you can go through this process multiple times but for now, pick an idea that feels the strongest.

It's helpful at this stage to draw out your ideas using sketches, flowcharts, mindmaps etc.

Remember, you're acting as if the idea will work. Save any pitfalls or reasons why it may not work for the next stage.

Ask:

• How do we make this idea a reality?

• What do we need to bring this idea to life?

• What resources are required?

Critic

If the idea survives the realist planning stage, great! If not, go back to another idea and go through the realist stage again.

Once you have devised a plan or solution for your idea, it's time to offer constructive criticism.

Ask:

• What if XYZ happens?

• What are the potential pitfalls?

• Are there any holes in the plan?

• Does the plan answer the original problem or offer a viable solution?

Timings

I like to give the realists the most time for this exercise.

For a 60-minute session:

Dreamers - 10 minutes

Realists - 35 minutes

Critics - 15 minutes

For a 30 minute session:

Dreamers - 5 minutes

Realists - 15

Critics - 10 minutes

For a 15 minute session:

Dreamers - 3 minutes

Realists - 7 minutes

Critics - 5 minutes

I think you could also get some exciting results from a 5-minute session, but I'm yet to try that!

As with any brainstorming session, this is about allowing your brain to run free, be open-minded, non-judgmental and trust the process of creativity. Do all of these things, and the results will sparkle!

And Finally…

I would love to see pictures of your creations. Email your images and thoughts to info@georgiestclair.com or tag me @georgiestclair on Instagram

Have an inspired day!

Georgie x