Exercise to Stimulate Creative Ideas
Are you ever stuck for an idea? Are you ever in a group where no one is coming up with ideas? Or maybe the ideas that are voiced are boring and dull. But what the situation calls for is something CREATIVE!
What can you do?
Here’s an exercise that rarely fails to prompt inventive thinking and new ideas:
1. Phrase the task or problem or opportunity clearly. Then…
2. Mentally lay that task aside and generate examples in a different “world”. The world of nature is often very productive. But try the world of shopping or science fiction or…the options are endless.
3. Examine the examples to identify underlying principles or dynamics.
4. Using the principles or dynamics, generate ideas that would solve or address the original task. Speculative or “crazy” ideas are welcome at this point.
5. Continue collecting ideas to address the problem or challenge.
This exercise is fun because it takes the group away from the original topic and this refreshes their thinking. Also it encourages wild ideas and creative thinking because it is not a linear process – rather it stimulates more round-about thinking. And this is where the truly NEW ideas come from.
Feel free to comment or contact me with any questions.
Note: I learned this technique in my career at Synectics®, Inc.