Steve Mensing, Editor (The Above Photo is of the Worlds Fastest Super Computer in China)
♦ The Multi-Solutions Generator for Business, Education, Law Enforcement, Government, and Any Problem Solving Required in Life:
The Multi-Solutions Generator, based on solutions-oriented approaches developed in the 1990’s to work with emotional and behavioral challenges. This particular streamlined version was reengineered and appeared in one of my books “Your Emotional Power”.
Multi-Solutions Generator (MSG) goals focus on:
• What humanly can be accomplished
• The present
• Concrete and observable change
• Allowances for errors and learning
• Changes in viewpoint and action creating desirable outcomes
MSG focuses on solutions rather than problems. The MSG recognizes most groups and individuals possess abilities and strengths required to remake perspectives and to take solutions generating action. Present and future oriented, the MSG avoids talk of the past. Viewpoints, formed from a past perspective, tend to give strong life and power to present challenges. With the MSG, explanations and history are regarded as creations after the fact. Numerous explanations may fit the facts well and may hold equal truth, yet searching them out slows the solutions process and saddles it with excess baggage. Seemingly no one correct way of verbally constructing realities exists. The MSG avoids all beliefs not worthwhile to the desired change. The MSG focuses on observable physical actions. If problems are mentioned, they are described in the past tense. Solutions are represented in the present and future.
The MSG demonstrates we do not need to know a difficulty’s cause in order to find its solution. Insight is an unrequired factor in the change process. No theory or hypothesis in needed for challenge resolution.
The MSG utilizes whatever groups or individuals bring to the question and answer session. This form of inquiry evokes resources, solutions, strengths and brings them to attack a problematic situation. The MSG employs language making a future solution appear probable and realistic. This probability and realism makes the solution more likely to occur because the approach nurtures a realistic self-fulfilling prophecy.
In overcoming problems, the MSG either erases the problem completely or makes the problem appear manageable by reducing its strength and size. Frequently difficulties are undercut by demonstrating they only occur at certain times or in changeable situations. Often problematic behavior is relabeled, has its direction altered, or is linked to an extremely difficult task to create resistance to further performance. Difficulties are generally found in: (1) Frequency of certain happenings. (2) A situations labels and meanings. (3) Sequence of actions. (4) The direct or indirect involvement of certain groups or individuals. (5) Specific physical locations. (6) Factors in the environment. (Crime, economics, employment etc.) (7) The degree the problem is outside an individual’s or group’s control . (8) Focus of blame. (9) Extremely negative predictions.
Difficulties are often kept alive by either seeing no solution or believing the only alternative is another problem. The MSG avoids the trap of repeating ineffective solutions. The MSG gets us to look at how reality might appear without a particular problem. Here small changes are seen to affect the larger picture. The MSG focuses us on altering actions in problematic situations and in trading fixed negative labels for everyday positive descriptions. The main tools of the MSG are questions, clarifications, action assignments, and relabeling.
Multi-Solutions Generator Questions:
Are you seeking a solution?
These questions will assist you in rapidly formulating a clear direction for your solution. Jot down your answers so you can review them or clarify them further.
–Why are you using the MSG?
–Are there clues leading you to believe a challenge actually exists?
–Is there something you desire more of? If so, specify what is it? Something tangible? Something you or other persons are doing? Something happening in your environment? Something else?
–Is there something you want to maintain? If so, specify what is it? Something tangible? From you? From someone else? From the environment? From a group?
–Is there something you want less of? If so, specify what is it? Something tangible? From you? From someone else? From the environment? From a group?
After reviewing the 5 previous questions, jot down what the challenge was. Be clear and specific in jotting down the details to describe what the challenge was. Example: Our city has extraordinary poverty and its affecting our crime, education, drug abuse, and ability to attract business.
• What realistic new label will you give this challenge? (A failure was relabeled a valuable learning experience)
• What specifically took place during the (Your new label)? Then what happened? And then what happened?
• Who was present during the (New label)? What did each person say or do? Then what happened? And then what happened?
• Where did the (new label) most frequently occur?
• Was there a particular time of day, month, or year when the (new label) was most likely to happen?
• How was this (new label) a challenge for you?
• If a close friend, associate, or boss was present now, what would he or she say about the way you went about solving this (new label)?
• You just snapped your fingers and blinked. Suddenly a change occurred and your (new label) was solved. How would you know the (new label) was solved? What would be different?
• When you have a solution, what would you be doing? How would you feel? What would you be saying to others?
• Right after you found a solution, what would life be like? What would you see? Hear? Feel? Smell? Taste?
• Immediately after the solution arrives, what challenge would you overcome next? Or would you rather relax and take it easy for awhile?
• Describe your (new label) free times.
• What happens when you don’t experience your (new label)?
• What is different about the times you are getting what you want?
• What are you and others, involved in the (new label) doing differently during the (new label) free time?
• In describing the (new label) free times, on what do you focus?
• In describing the (new label) free times, what do you ignore?
• What is different about those times when the (new label) is manageable?
• When do these (new label) free times happen?
• Would you rather have a complete solution today or a few days or weeks from now?
• (If the (new label) is not yet solved) Before the next session would you rather observe all the (new Label) free times and make a note of your observations or would you rather do something differently during the time when the (new label) most often occurs?
Auxiliary MSG questions to be added if continued problem solving is required:
• Did you notice something different occurring since the last session? Would you desire those changes to continue happening?
• Have you arrived at a better new label for your former challenge?
• What will you call your situation 2 years after you’ve solved it?
• Did your (new label’s) frequency of occurrence make it a challenge? How can you best increase or decrease the frequency?
• Where did the (new label) happen? Could you change the (new label’s) location? Where would the (new label) no longer be a challenge?
• To what degree was the (new label) out of your control? Can you exercise more control over it? In what ways?
• Who was involved in the situation? Were they involved directly or indirectly? Can you have them become more involved or less involved?
• Was there an environmental factor (economics, employment etc.) that might have been involved in this situation? How can these environmental factors be altered? Are there ways to compensate for these environmental factors?
• At this moment what has worked? At this moment what might work?
• Do the challenge-free times appear to happen without a pattern or reason? If so, can you describe the randomness of your problem-free times?
