Making the most of your IANE Inventors Clinic

The Inventors Clinic provides a very special opportunity to explore and expand your innovation and marketing abilities. If you have not yet attended, please do soon. If you have, please return with your experience. And if you have not yet presented one of your own ideas, please give yourself and all of us the gift of your creativity and enthusiasm. Speakers get to test and refine ideas and presentation skills, gain needed feedback, and connect with helpful resources. Everyone else also benefits: participating in collective real-time innovation around others' ideas is a very comfortable way to polish one's own insight. And we all have fun! The Clinic structure has been refined around focused 15-minute presentations, giving more time for informal, self-organized discussion. Keeping the sessions tight gives more folks a chance to participate, and keeps energy high. The Clinic works best for everyone, both presenters and listeners, when we all prepare a bit before each session. We offer the guide below as a suggestion to help us all support each other in the most effective, productive and enjoyable way possible.

For everyone:   The Big Question

What do I want to achieve as an innovator?   e.g.: Some $ now—salary, fees, other incentives More $$$ later—build a business, sell or license my product, ... My name and creation "out there" Do good in the world—help people with my product Enjoy challenge, fun, learning, collaboration, ... Play with ideas, technology, products, people, ... Sense of autonomy or community, achievement/completion, influence, contribution, involvement, effectiveness, security, immortality, ... Where am I taking this specific invention? Hint: if you want to make money, what is your business idea, exit strategy or end-game? Who might pay you, and for what? It is fine just to have fun and enjoy the creative process! And if you want to get a product to market and make some money, it is important to focus on activities that will help you to achieve this.

For presenters

What do I want to get out of this specific meeting? Useful feedback on my idea in itself A collective sense of market potential Ideas for improvement in design, functionality, user experience, etc. Ideas for manufacture, distribution, patenting, licensing Specific help, resources or connections Other ... How will I know if I am achieving my goals during the session (beyond just feeling good at the time)? Check off needs/completions on a prepared list Agreement or other feedback from people who seem to understand A few "Aha!" moments Greater clarity about my vision and implementation Questions/comments, and body language of audience  ... How can I course-correct if I'm not making real progress? Change pace or emphasis Skip pieces that aren't helping people to engage Respond to audience questions Ask for guidance from session facilitator or audience  ... What help might I like, in advance and/or during the meeting?? Assistance in preparation (objects, materials, practice run) Cues for staying on track & meeting audience needs Sympathy  ...

For audience members

What do I want to give to and get from this group in this session? Full attention to presentation & speaker's needs: one conversation Readiness to share my opinions Learn new ways of thinking, managing group process  ...

Designing your presentation

Chunking, sequencing, timing: What are the key elements of my presentation? What is the most effective order in which to present them? How much time/detail/explanation does each one really need? Hint: plan for <10 min; questions and discussion will fill the time Presentation materials: Posters, flip-charts, etc. Models or working examples: show/operate/pass around handouts not recommended due to distraction and side-talking Delivery: Room setup (where to put what; ensuring sight-lines) Managing the balance of talking/listening Time signals, other cues from the floor Close: How will I know that I am done? Then what happens?  (during the break, next day or two, weeks later) Who may be involved? How will we connect?

A (strongly) suggested format

Opening: mainly to frame the talk and guide audience attention Name of idea—just a title to focus the presentation Description—three sentences maximum: What problem does it solve, and how is it distinctive? Purpose—your main questions for this audience Body: a concise description of what you have and what you need Context—just the minimum technology/market background Your idea—what it is, what it does, what benefit it provides What is the essence of your invention? Hint: think of Claim 1 in the patent you need What you have done so far; what remains to be done— completes and incompletes, knowns and unknowns Close: clarify new insights; prepare to move on Collect ideas, suggestions, challenges Invite people to connect afterward Take a moment to write down ideas while they remain fresh

And above all: have fun!