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Creative thinking can help you come up with new ideas in order to solve particularly tricky problems. There are plenty of creativity techniques available to help you get started. Here are some of our favorites.
1. Random Word
This technique uses the generation of a random word to prompt creative thinking. The trick to the exercise is stop your mind from thinking that this is silly and to concentrate on the exercise.
- Select a word at random from a magazine, newspaper or dictionary.
- Establish some bridging ideas from the random word to the topic you are trying to generate ideas around. For example, suppose you were trying to generate ideas about dining rooms and the random word was spaceman. The bridging idea could be to think about the implications of having a dining room in space and the impact gravity would have on eating.
- Try replacing the problem object with the random word and see what ideas you can generate.
- How can you apply ideas behind the random word to your problem?
- What are the benefits you want to achieve? How could the random word help you?
Some things to bear in mind when using this technique:
- Try not to replace a random word because you do not think it is suitable.
- Do not select short words which have little scope, e.g. the, of, and, or, etc.
2. Draw It
This is a good activity to use in a team situation when the thinking gets stuck.
- When an individual or the team becomes stuck, have them draw any image that comes to mind immediately.
- Get the others in the group to try to articulate the thoughts behind the picture by drawing their own pictures. You need to make sure everyone keeps an open mind and lets their thoughts come to the surface.
- Ask everyone to add a few key words to their drawings and then see if you can link the thoughts, ideas and drawings.
- Are there any ideas worth following through?
3. False Rules
Like the ‘Random Word’ technique this method forces individuals and teams to think about a problem in a new light.
- Select a rule that is obviously a false rule to your situation. A good way is to choose a rule from a different situation to the one you face, eg. assume that applicants must be over 75 or that the product must be heated in the oven before use.
- As per the ‘Random Word’ technique, establish a bridging idea to your problem.
- Look at applying the rule to your problem and see where this takes you.
- Why does the rule exist in its environment? Is there something similar in your environment?
4. Escapism
Escapism is a technique where you use the wildest and most outrageous ideas that you can generate. There are no rules, laws or standards that apply, no physical limitations or boundaries that need to be applied.
- The idea is that you write down the most ridiculous, stupid or daft ideas that you can think of.
- Once you have your list of ideas, look back over it and see if you can turn any of the ideas into something practical.
5. Breaking the Rules
This technique will get you to question the well-established organizational rules that you work within to help you to generate new and fresh ideas.
- Think about your organization, department or team (whichever is most appropriate) and write down the rules that underlie the way things are done. E.g. ‘we don’t have the budget to make any changes’ or ‘we don’t provide that service’.
- Now, imagine that these rules no longer exist within the organization. Brainstorm ideas for solving your particular problem, remembering that you are not limited to what you think is feasible.
- Look through your ideas. Are any worth breaking the rules to pursue? Can any be adapted to work within the rules?
