In the book, THINKERTOYS, Michael Michalko, presents sets of techniques for generating ideas.
In my previous posts, I covered Ideation Techniques (Part 1 of 3) and Ideation Techniques (Part 2 of 3) for generating new ideas.
In this post, I’ll cover ideation techniques that help you change perspective so that you can gain new insights or breakthroughs.
Technique #1: Brutethink (Random stimulation)
Force a connection between two dissimilar concepts to create a new idea.
Technique #2: Hall of Fame (Forced Connection)
Produce ideas and insights by creating a relationship between your challenge and the words and thoughts of the world’s great thinkers.
Technique #3: Board of Directors (Forced connection)
Use a fantasy board of powerhouse business leaders and innovators who will assist you in overcoming your business challenges.
Technique #4: Circle of Opportunity (Forced connection)
Generate ideas by forcing a connective link between common attributes and your challenge.
Technique #5: Ideatoons (Pattern language)
Use abstract symbols instead of words to generate ideas.
Technique #6: Clevor Trevor (Talk to a stranger)
Increase the number and kind of people you talk to about your challenges to get ideas.
Key Take Aways
Here are my key take aways:
- My favorite techniques from this set are Hall of Fame and Board of Directors. I really like the ideas of using reference examples such as your personal heroes in business and life. While they are a bit of work up front, I can see how they get easier over time. Imagine the personal cabinet of advisors you build over time to draw upon whenever you choose.
- I think some of the concepts in Smart Questions: Learn to Ask the Right Questions for Powerful Results
parallel the Clever Trevor technique.
Additional Resources
- CreativeThinking.Net (Michael Michalko’s site)
- Smart Questions: Learn to Ask the Right Questions for Powerful Results
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Ideation Techniques for Generating New Ideas (Part 1 of 3)
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