Inspiring Communal Genius in Associations

Have you ever been part of a conversation where ideas are flowing—not just flowing but pouring out of people? Maybe most of these ideas were silly or half-formed or messy in the beginning, but those baby ideas were the ball that everyone needed to run. There’s an energy created when ideas sprout up and are batted back and forth, and that energy releases more ideas.

If you were a fly on the wall during one of these episodes, you might see the gears turning in everyone’s mind. People finish each other’s sentences. They all nod vigorously as each person talks because they have the same idea simultaneously. You’d see that each individual felt like a part of something bigger than themselves. The ideas are better than any one person could have developed because many great minds are at work, making the concepts bigger, grander, and more alive.

This is the feeling, behaviors, and excitement I try to curate when I lead Labs, facilitate board meetings, or even give a keynote. Even if it happens for a fleeting second, it’s a gift. I’ve been calling it collaborative co-creating until I saw another term—Communal Genius.

In her weekly newsletter, Association Brain Food (you should sign up), Deirdre Reid highlighted an old but still significant article from Kevin Kelly and asked how associations can nurture Communal Genius among members.

Great question!

Communal Genius doesn’t usually happen during traditional networking. It’s more than just creating the space and place.

Communal Genius often springs up when there is a problem to be solved. Not just any problem but a challenging, thorny problem. An issue that impacts many with solutions that are not readily apparent. When we simply and correctly articulate the problem, we may find that people are excited to come together to try to find solutions.

And solutions don’t spring up magically. The best flow of ideas happens when people feel safe. So the next time you want to try to inspire Comunal Genius, think about the participant culture, vibe, or environment that will lead to the best outcomes.

At the end of his post, Kevin notes that you can’t “command” a long-term community of Communal Genius into being. He might be right. But you can nurture an hour-long Lab, a half-day Design Session, a retreat, or a working group where motivated people come together and make a real dent in solving a crucial problem while experiencing the excitement, energy, and this-is-bigger-than-just-me-ness that makes these activities magic.