Creative thinking in meetings involves generating new
ideas by asking the minds of the participants to integrate two or more already
existing, but previously unconnected concepts or ideas. For example, the “snowboard” was a new idea
that might have been formed from the concepts “skiing” and “snow.” VIS-IT Techniques stimulate and accelerate creative thinking
in the following ways:
- Focus
thinking with explicit “Focus Questions” that keep the activity on point.
- Use
highly visual tools, involving meaningful colors and shapes, to energize,
reinforce and organize ideas.
- Capture
and build a comprehensive group memory.
- Facilitate
communication and follow-up.
To launch a creative thinking
activity, begin with one idea, and then position another stimulative idea next
to it. Ask the participants to
consider both ideas simultaneously, and force their minds to synthesize the two into
one, using “what if” questions. Capture
the responses associated with each stimulative idea. For example, new product designers might
begin with their current model of something, and then position a human sensory
or intellectual capability next to it, asking:
What if our product could see?
What if our product could hear?
What if our product could taste? What
if our product could touch? What if our
product could smell? What if our product
could count? What if our product could
read? What if our product could
write? What if our product could
talk? In each case, answers might yield
new product ideas that would offer high value to current or new customers. VIS-IT Techniques stimulate
creative thinking by physically positioning two written or visual ideas next to
each other is such close proximity that the mind tries to create a resolving
idea, which synthesizes the two. Our primary creativity techniques are shown below.
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