A definition – the act of imagining new ideas, new solutions, new relationships.
It is almost synonymous with creativity itself.

The practice of brainstorming is an activity common and widespread in the arts community, particularly in the area of theatre in which many disparate departments and disciplines (set construction, costume construction, music, sound, lights, publicity, management etc.) must work toward a single goal–a successful and coherent production.

There are some important perspectives that are crucial to the success of brainstorming/creativity (not in any particular order or priority).

• Willingness to take risks
• Willingness to suppress editorializing
• Willingness to appear ridiculous
• Willingness to give up and let go of an idea
• Willingness to endure hearing others’ opinions of your ideas
• Willingness to relinquish individual territory
• Willingness to draw a line between personal and professional
• Willingness to care more for a successful result than individuals and their feelings

In the process of collaborative brainstorming, it is important to realize that by using the above perspectives one quickly begins to realize that any and all suggestions are possible solutions. Knowledge and experience inform the choices, but what may initially seem ridiculous to offer to a discussion might contain only a germ of an idea to be further developed or may trigger another idea in the mind of a colleague.

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Focus of Communication for Management and Leadership:
This class is intended to assist you in enhancing your current skills and competencies in becoming an effective leader in an executive management position. I will be available to assist you with presentations–both written and oral–which are required for other classes. Several of your other professors and I have already planned a team effort in this area. I am always available to critique your materials in terms of logic flow, grammar, syntax, style, etc. Please feel free to call upon me as needed.

Ground rules for this class:
We will be involved in an area that is very challenging and personal to all of us–our ability to communicate. The mode of communication is often immaterial to the anxiety it can produce. Writing may prove to be a real roadblock for some of you; public speaking is the challenge for others. As we proceed to work together, it is essential that I feel free to critique you candidly without holding back for fear of hurting your feelings. The same is true for your fellow students. I do not raise this because I am being touchy-feely about your personal reactions. I know you are all adults with considerable experience in complex work environments. You are no stranger to criticism. I also know, however, that there is nothing as difficult as hearing a critique of your vocal style, dialect, mannerisms, and interpersonal interactions. Why? Because we aren’t talking about an object, a widget you design or manufacture or sell. We are talking about you and that, unlike the widget, goes home with you. It looks back at you from the mirror. It is your essence of self-identity and self-esteem. Consequently, we need to be clear about the fact that my critique and that of any other student is speaking only to the professional you, the person who comes to this program. The personal you and its style, behavior, etc. is your business. Furthermore, when we critique each other’s work, no one is ever to repeat or reference that criticism outside of the classroom unless the individual who was critiqued invites your input. The comments made inside the classroom are to be treated as confidential to the group and sacred to that time and place. It is only through this process that people can fully trust each other and me not to use the critique to embarrass or belittle them. Damaging comments can be made inadvertently in a joking exchange even if the intent is not malicious but truly good spirited. We must be respectful of each other. Pay attention to these issues please and take your commitment to adhere to these principles seriously. We will engage in a group agreement process to ensure the seriousness of this commitment.

The breakdown is as follows:

Whenever possible, I will be at Alton Jones on Friday nights at 9:00 p.m. to work with you individually or in your teams on any issues with which you need assistance. Otherwise, I will always be available by e-mail at jswift@uri.edu or phone 401-524-1427 (cell) / 401-874-4809 (office). I know you have busy schedules in your work life, so feel free to call me early or late. I also serve as the cooordinator of Phase I so feel free to contact me with any inquiries, concerns or suggestions.

General Notes:
This syllabus is an outline of proposed events. It is subject to change. I will never change it to make anything due earlier for you. I may change the order of things to allow for a special opportunity or to allow additional exploration on a particular topic. I will supply supplementary readings along the way.

Overlap with Other Classes:
There will be times - particulary with Professor Knott's and this class - when topic areas may overlap. Consider this healthy and beneficial. It means you get multiple perspectives which is all to the good. Also, even though Professor Chen teaches Statisitics, he may comment on your communication or Professor Mojena may coment on your choice of presentation style. As you all know, learning to work your way through the morass of differing and even competing opinions is part of being a good leader and a solid analytical thinker.

Communication:
I expect everyone to use e-mail in order that we can communicate efficiently with each other. There is a listserv at EMBA19@pete.uri.edu. We will use this tool to increase class discussion by posting additional ideas, observations, questions and insights. Remember, this is a public posting to the class. Everyone can read the contents. Please do not use it for extraneous postings. Also, avoid cluttering up each other's mailboxes with quick lines such as "got it" or "thanks." Send personal notes to individuals instead. For any individual or personal issues, contact me at jswift@uri.edu. If you need to meet with or talk to me, call or e-mail and I’ll respond as quickly as possible.

Attendance:
Attendance is expected. You are graduate students and I know you want the stimulation of class discussion with a professor and your peers. If you will not attend on a given day, please call or e-mail. Class participation is an important aspect of my evaluation of your work.

Honor Code:
I expect each of you to contribute his/her own work; however, I also expect you to work together as part of the team process to solve problems, achieve solid analysis, critique performances, and even to prepare and explore the theses of your final papers. I also expect that you will all be direct about crediting yourself and/or others about completed work. Assisting each other is a major part of the intent of this learning experience. The only caveat is to acknowledge that assistance. With regard to group work, you are responsible for disclosing the amount of your work and to be forthright about how much you did or did not contribute. This saves each of you from ever having to be in the awkward position of reporting or covering for another student. Fairness is the watchword. I also know each of you want to be honorable in your individual or group projects. Faculty are asked to inform all students that the University of Rhode Island has very clear rules pertaining to plagiarism.

Philosophy of Teaching:
I enjoy an engaging, active partnership of learning in which I rediscover and discover aspects of communication for leadership and management along with you. There is a plethora of research and opinions on the subject of leadership and management in the business environment. The subject is rich with subjective and subtle areas to explore. The potential for discovering new paths into human behavior is exciting, however, just as no one is responsible for our individual happiness but each of us as individuals, no one is responsible for our intellectual excitement. I will bring mine to the classroom but you also need to be prepared to risk exposing and exploring yours. Learning should be fun and painful–thinking ‘til it hurts–and addictive. I look forward to the time we will have together examining the myriad of subtopics and developing skills for real-world application.

Updates and readings:

Speaking Anxiety
EMBA Writing Manual