creative thinking
What is Creative Thinking? If
you played with a kaleidoscope, you can see creativity in action. In the end of
the revolving drum, pieces of glass are mixed together to form a pattern. If
you shake the cylinder, the pieces of glass will form a new pattern. This is
what creativity is all about. A creative person is someone who mixes together
the information and experiences stored in his mind, and then generates new
associations. A creative person also seeks new information and new experiences
to help derive new associations, combining new and existing information.
Creativity will help you:
-
Increase your sensitivity to problems, needs, and
opportunities, and your power to observe and perceive with more wide-awake
attention.
-
Look at situations from new and different
perspectives.
-
Break the habitual patterns and escape from the
rut of old ideas.
-
Rid yourself of old solutions, old attitudes, and
old ways of doing things that are no longer appropriate or relevant.
-
Think beyond the safe, tired, and sure ways of
doing things. (Known as “thinking outside the box.”)
-
You will discard your concern for failure because
you know that a creative approach will provide you the opportunity for success
and that failure is not attempting to find a creative solution to a problem.
-
Increase the number of alternatives, which you
will be able to identify in solving a particular problem.
-
Extend, expand, improve, develop, and express your
creative capabilities.
-
Look to the future always searching for a
‘creative’ opportunity for success.
-
Rekindle the spirit of experimentation and fun,
making life more interesting and more satisfying.
-
Provide yourself with a greater sense of
accomplishment and purpose.
-
Reduce the number of unsolved problems and the
frustration that is created by an unsolved problem.
-
Get excited about life and how you can help others
accomplish their goals.
-
Improve your mental health.
-
Make life fun, more interesting, and more
satisfying.
-
Provides a fundamental ‘brick’ in your foundation
for personal and leadership growth and development, which helps ensure success
and happiness.
How to Improve Your Ability To
Think Creatively
- EXERCISE YOUR
IMAGINATION:
Stretch your
imagination. Do not rule out any creative thought you may have. Place no
judgments on your thinking. Keep negative thoughts of what others may think or
previous negative experiences out of your mind. Avoid categorizing your
thoughts prematurely. For example – “that won’t work,” or “it’s already been
done,” or “it’s a dumb idea,” etc.
- DON’T THINK ABOUT THE WAY
IT IS – THINK ABOUT THE WAY IT SHOULD OR COULD BE:
Limit your
thinking to new combinations. Try to think of a new whole – possibly made up of
old parts and possibly of new parts, or a combination of each. Avoid assessing
the immediate value of an idea. Think in terms of improving your ideas – one
idea leading to another.
- SET THE MOOD FOR
CREATIVITY:
Do you think
best alone or in a small group? Do you like a quiet atmosphere or some
background noise? Do you like to sit at a desk or in a nice soft chair?
Analyze your environment so that you can do your best thinking.
- IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY:
Creative
thinkers call on their memories for associations of past experiences. Past
experiences many times will help to stimulate creative thinking. Becoming
familiar with other people’s experiences through reading, watching movies,
plays, etc., also help the creative thinker to build a backlog of experiences to
call upon for creative thoughts.
- DON”T GIVE UP:
Thomas
Edison’s famous comment is relevant here: “Creative thinking is 1% inspiration
and 99% perspiration.” Creative people are persistent. They continue to try
ideas many times, failing again and again. They don’t give up easily, knowing
that one fresh, creative idea will reward them greatly for all the time and
energy they spent generating the idea.
Brainstorming
PURPOSE OF BRAINSTORMING:
The purpose of brainstorming is
to generate as many ideas as possible on a topic, whether good or bad, in a
short amount of time. Brainstorming allows one’s mind to be open to new ideas
and concepts. Brainstorming enables a person to be creative, either by oneself
or in a group.
RULES OF BRAINSTORMING:
1.
Everyone in the group has ideas and must participate in brainstorming.
2.
No idea is good or bad while you are brainstorming. Participants in
brainstorming suspend critical judgment.
BRAINSTROMING PROCESS:
1.
Everyone in the group sits in a circle, so that everyone can be seen and
heard.
2.
A recorder is appointed who writes down each idea brainstormed on an
easel pad of paper, which can be seen by all.
3.
The leader goes around the circle, asking each participant to throw out
an idea.
4.
Keep going around the circle, asking each participant to throw out an
idea.
5.
If, after the first go around, a person in the group does not have an
idea to offer, the person simply says “pass.”
6.
Participants should pay attention to the ideas suggested. An idea may
well prompt another’s creativity, leading to another idea. This is called “idea
building.”
7.
As ideas are suggested, no one comments on the idea, either pro or con.
Save critical judgment until later in the process.
8.
Once all ideas have been recorded, the group is lead in a discussion of
each idea to determine what each idea is about and the support it has within the
group. During this time, a less formal form of brainstorming often takes
place. These new ideas should also be recorded on the easel pad of ideas.
9.
Through discussion and further informal brainstorming the group narrows
down the ideas to the one that all can reach consensus on.
10.
If the group is large, it can be broken down into smaller brainstorming
groups, who report out their lists when the entire body comes back together.
Remember: Brainstorming is high
energy and can appear chaotic. By following the process outlined above, high
energy can be channeled into a great end product.
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