In the book, THINKERTOYS, Michael Michalko, presents sets of techniques for generating ideas. In my previous posts, I covered Group A linear techniques, Group B linear techniques, and Group C linear techniques for ideas. In this post, I’ll cover the Intuitive techniques. The Intuitive techniques help you tap your unconscious to find ideas that you already have.

Key Take Aways
Here are my key take aways:

• It seems to me that the keys to using intuition are being open to it and being in a relaxed state. Stress seems counter-productive to intuitive modes.
• My favorite techniques are Stone Soup and The Shadow. I like thinking through “what if” scenarios, and I like the metaphor of personal guides.
• I see parallels across techniques that use personal mentors. While the means may vary (spirit, mentor, power animal), the end remains the same – tap into your higher part of your unconscious.

Techniques

• Chilling Out (Relaxation) – Relaxation techniques designed to clear your mind.
• Blue Roses (Blue Roses) – Ways to use intuitive, and how to develop it.
• The Three B’s (Incubation) – Describes incubation and demonstrates how to use it.
• Rattlesnakes and Roses (Analogies) – How to use personal, direct, symbolic, and fantasy analogies to originate ideas.
• Stone Soup (Fantasy questions) – Coaches you to direct your imagination with fantasy questions and how to use your fantasies to generate ideas.
• True and False (Fantasy questions) – How to think in terms of contradictions and paradoxes.
• Dreamscape (Dreams) – How to capture the ideas in your dreams.
• Da Vinci’s Technique (Drawing) – How to use freehand scribbling, doodling and drawing to inspire ideas.
• Dali’s Technique (Hypnogogic imagery) – How to originate surrealistic imagery, and how to find the associative link between the images and your challenges.
• Not Kansas (Imagery) – How to direct your imagination with guided imagery scenarios to find ideas in unlikely places.
• The Shadow (Psycho synthesis) – How to create your own spiritual adviser to help you solve your challenges.
• The Book of the Dead (Hieroglyphics) How to find ideas in the hieroglyphics from the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Additional Resources

• CreativeThinking.Net (Michael Michalko’s site)
• Spirit Allies: Meet Your Team from the Other Side – techniques to contact your own guides.
• Solve Tough Problems With a Brain Reboot

My Related Posts

• Linear Techniques for Ideas – Group C
• Linear Techniques for Ideas – Group B
• Linear Techniques for Ideas – Group A
• THINKERTOYS