I read an article today about a small town in Montana putting a mural on the side of an empty building. I commented that it was a great idea and I was happy to see it. Tori Wyman, who was mentioned in the article, responded with:
We clung to your advice from the Idea Friendly Method!
The Idea Friendly Method works, here are the steps:
Have a Big Idea — maybe your idea is to make your town look beautiful or fix the empty buildings or clean up the junk in yards (or any idea you’re excited about.)
Gather Your Crowd – who are the people who like your idea? Invite them to come visit about your idea. (Not at city hall, but over a cup of coffee, or your backyard during a picnic, or any place that is casual and relaxing.) Then talk about your idea.
Build Connections – who do you know that might be able to help and has something you need? Like a weed whacker to help clean up someone’s yard. Or someone who has some paint.
Take Small Steps – Get started. In small ways. Want to clean up the junk in people’s yards? Start with your yard. Or your mom’s yard. Or a friend that could use some help. Take pictures and hashtag #cleanmyownyard and put on social media. Make it fun. Encourage others.
Becky and I are committed to making it easier to build community. Using the Idea Friendly Method makes it easy to get things done. And rural people are good at just getting things done.
Are you ready to use the Idea Friendly Method in your community? Ready to reach more people, but need to get them up to speed? Need a certificate to show your progress? Our new Idea Friendly Method toolkit makes it easy!
