How to pass exams – Part 14 – Generating ideas

“Ideas light the way to success.”

Even though I can remember a whole talk lasting an hour or more, I can’t remember a fleeting thought and I bet you can’t either.

And now, a quick word about generating ideas.

My technique is simple:

Use some blank paper or a blank whiteboard or flip chart. I meet loads of people who try to generate ideas using lined paper or a boring blank Word document.

Don’t do it, it’s all about the blank paper or whiteboard.

Write your subject idea in the middle of the paper and do a quick mind map writing down anything that comes to mind that’s related to the subject, don’t put them in any order just enjoy the creative process.

Once you’ve got all your ideas down, then put them into order and start writing.

Easy.

You may even find it helpful to stand up while doing this.

Ever wondered why basketball shorts are so long?…

 

“Michael Jordan had a problem, he wanted to wear his North Carolina College shorts because he felt they were lucky. It wouldn’t normally be a problem except Michael played for the Chicago Bulls.

Boing!

He got the idea to wear baggier and longer shorts than other players so he could hide his North Carolina shorts under his Chicago Bulls uniform.

This idea set him apart, it started a craze and soon every player was wearing longer basketball shorts, which opened up whole new opportunities for sportswear.”

 

[ Based on years of research you can read more about Lee’s work at http://leejackson.org/education/howtoenjoyandsucceedatschoolandcollege – How to pass exams ]

 

Activity: Writer’s block

How to get writing when you’re stuck…

If you are having trouble writing for a project or a piece of homework – try this technique: Get a blank piece of A4 paper and write your subject at the top of the page. Then set a stopwatch to countdown for five minutes. Press start and just write on that subject without stopping, don’t worry about punctuation, grammar or neat handwriting – just write. Let it flow – don’t edit. Keep doing it until you’ve got enough to use and edit. I’ve learnt that the only way to write is to actually write and not to just talk or think about writing.

More to come…

This an excerpt from Top UK motivational School Speaker Lee Jackson’s book “How To Enjoy And Succeed At School And College” Available in paperback and on Kindle (for only £1.99 during pre-exam time) here now.