The Disney Method
The Disney Method
5 minutes
The Disney Method is a 3-step tool for brainstorming and developing ideas with your team. It is a helpful way in generating ideas and working together to shape them into practical plans.
Created by Neuro-Linguistic Programming expert Robert Dilts in his book “Strategies of Genius Volume I”, this method emulates how Walt Disney himself transformed his creative ideas into the films and characters we know and love today.
Why use it? A study published in the International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change investigated the impact of the Disney Creative method on higher-order thinking skills (e.g. solving problems, evaluating arguments, and creating new ideas). They found that the Disney Method’s structure was effective in bringing out critical thinking skills and examining problems in different angles. Moreover, it is also effective in developing higher-order thinking skills far more than the usual teaching methods.
It involves using three thinking styles: the Dreamer, the Realist and the Critic. Here are the details to each mindset below:
There is no room for practical solutions just yet. This stage is all about dreaming and imagining without limitations.
What idea is possible? Which dream can we actually make happen?
This phase is about deciding which of these can realistically come true with the available time, budget and resources.
As you imagine and develop your ideas, you and your team move from one role to the next. By focusing on each mindset one at a time, each phase can truly serve its purpose.
The Disney Method gives space for both creativity and practical decisions. Here, you can explore creative ideas freely, determine which ones can be realistically done, and critically analyse how it can be brought to life.
See how you can apply The Disney Method with this practice tool.
