Cre8ng eureka

Cre8ng: Getting to Eureka and Beyond Robert Alan Black, Ph.D.

Cre8ng: Getting to Eureka and Beyond:

Getting to Eureka and Beyond Robert Alan Black, Ph.D.


IntroductionIntroduction

The Energizer Funny - Warm-ups & Energizers

Robert Alan Black, Ph.D., CSPCre8ngPeople, Places & Possibilities


Your speaker today is…

Dr. Robert Alan Black


Who?


Alan


1960 - today!47 in 48

1 day to 25+ yrs


Winner of the Employee of the month award

300 months in a rowsince June 1984


Freelance Writer

LicensedArchitect

Interior Designer

CollegeProfessor

Creative Thinking Consultant

Cartoonist

TelevisionNews writer

& editor

Signage &GraphicsDesigner


1976 to todayFortune 100 to 10,000 to 20,000 businessesGovernment agencies & Police/Fire/EMT depts.

Volunteer Leadership groups, Universities &Creativity conferences around the globe

3,200+presentationsprogramsspeeches


Since 98


Hu

nga

ry

Th

aila

nd

Ru

ssia

Taiwan

Jap

an


73

8 trips around

Tu

rkey

Kor

ea

South Africa

Taiwan


Alan


A colorful “white” man named

Black!


IntroductionIntroduction




1 Reason1 Reason

1 Goal1 Goal




Who Might Be


Cre8ng: Getting to Eureka and Beyond Robert Alan Black, Ph.D.Getting to Eureka and Beyond Robert Alan Black, Ph.D.


Land of Eureka!


Being creativeis a choice…

Individuals, leaders,entire organizationscan make the choice.

a daily choice!


Getting to Eureka & Beyond

Overcoming Blocks32 Creative Thinking Traits12 Creative Thinking Tools4 Systems: Whacky to Real12 Jumpstarters6 Ways to set up a…

Cre8ng Community


Find the people whocan answers yes to these questions.

Then have them sign their name on one of the faces. Only one per person.

“Who Are We?”

Same astrological

sign

Likes avacados

Is from a town

same sizeas yours

Has neverbeen toDisneyWorld

Has had the most

jobs

Has traveledIn at least

4 countries

Knows the names of10 US

presidents

Has read aStephen

Kingnovel

Knows whofirst stepped

On the Moon & when

OwnsAn

Applecomputer

Collects coins orstamps

Liked mathin school


No MoreCreative Blocks!



WhatCauses

YourCreative

Blocks?


NO TIME

GRIEF

DEPRESSION

ILLNESS

NATURAL RHYTHM


SOMETHING'S PERCOLATING

BRAIN'S RECHARGING

EXCESSIVE SELF-CRITICISM

PERFECTIONISM


Creative block?


What WeCan Do w/

CreativeBlocks!


What Do You Do w/

CrreativeBlock?


1.2.3.4.5.6.


Add one ritual behavior

Brainstorm

Change clothes

Do one chore

Write somewhere else


Make a pointless rule (end in vowel)

Meditate

Quit beating yourself up

Read

Relax


Take a walk

Taking a break,

Talk to a toy, stuffed animal

Try "chunking"

Try free-writing


Creative Thinking ToolsCan help remove or

EliminateCreative Block


OBSESSING ON ONE PIECE /

STORY TOO HARD

EXPECTATIONS: FANTASY & REALITY

LOSING FAITH IN THE PROCESS

THE WELL IS EMPTY

STRESS & PANIC

BEAT YOURSELF UP

SET UNREALISTIC SCHEDULES

NO TIME

GRIEF, DEPRESSION, & ILLNESS

NATURAL RHYTHM

SOMETHING'S PERCOLATING

BRAIN'S RECHARGING

EXCESSIVE SELF-CRITICISM

PERFECTIONISM

WRITING WHAT YOU SHOULDINSTEAD OF WHAT YOU LOVE

Causes


Add one ritual behaviorBrainstormChange clothesDo one choreDo something important that’s very easyDo something out of the ordinaryGet away from the computerListen to new musicMake a pointless rule (end in vowel)MeditateQuit beating yourself upReadRelaxReturn to writing after a lapseSet a time, write whatever comes to mind, w/o stoppingStretchTake a shower

Take a walkTaking a break, Talk to a toy, stuffed animalTry "chunking"Try freewritingWatch movies, plays or tv for inspiration.Work on the titleWrite a basic plot outline of the storyWrite about an experience of your ownWrite crapWrite five wordsWrite from a personaWrite or type out a complete short story by one's favorite authorWrite someplace newWrite the middle

Aides/Cures


See possibilitiesSelf- knowledgeableSelf-actualizingSelf-disciplinedSense of destinySensitiveSeverely critical of… self, their work, potential of field potential of other people

Specific interestsSynthesize correctly often intuitively

Tolerant of ambiguity

Adaptable

Curious

Divergent thinker

Energetic

Fantasize, able to

Flexible thinker

Fluent

Future oriented

Humor

Idealistic

Imaginative

Independent

Ingenious

Learning, always

Non-conforming

Not motivated by money

Observant, highly

Open-ended

Original - uniqueness

Passionate about their work

Perceive world differently

Question asker

37Getting to Eureka and Beyond Robert Alan Black, Ph.D.


32 TraitsSee possibilities

Self- knowledgeable

Self-actualizing

Self-disciplined

Sense of destiny

Sensitive

Severely critical of…

Specific interests

Synthesize correctly

often intuitively


Adaptable

Curious

Divergent thinker

Energetic

Fantasize, able to

Flexible thinker

Fluent

Future oriented

Humor

Idealistic

Imaginative

Independent

Ingenious

Learning, always

Non-conforming


Observant, highly

Open-ended




Question asker



32 TraitsSee possibilitiesSelf- knowledgeableSelf-actualizingSelf-disciplinedSense of destinySensitiveSeverely critical of… self, their work, potential of field potential of other people



Adaptable

Curious

Divergent thinker

Energetic

Fantasize, able to

Flexible thinker

Fluent

Future oriented

Humor

Idealistic

Imaginative

Independent

Ingenious

Learning, always

Non-conforming


Observant, highly

Open-ended




Question asker

2828

All born with….



32 TraitsSee possibilitiesSelf- knowledgeableSelf-actualizingSelf-disciplinedSense of destinySensitiveSeverely critical of… self, their work, potential of field potential of other people



Adaptable

Curious

Divergent thinker

Energetic

Fantasize, able to

Flexible thinker

Fluent

Future oriented

Humor

Idealistic

Imaginative

Independent

Ingenious

Learning, always

Non-conforming


Observant, highly

Open-ended




Question asker

All are learnable…



Thinking ToolsDivergent & Convergent



UsingUsingTools & TechniquesTools & Techniques


What?What Else!Why?Why Not!

WW

WW

WH


Forced Obj.MetaphorsExcursionsBionics

Cla

ssic

s!


ImprovImaginationPerspectiveNon-Human


5 SensingIdea Grids! Excursions?

Super Heroes!


CartoonsImaging!

Famous FolkAlphabetizing!


=Divergent Thinking Tool

Brainstorming

Quantity breeds Quality

Freewheeling of ideas

Hitchhike/Combine Ideas

No Judgement




Brainwriting

Quantity breeds QualityFreewheeling of ideasHitchhike/Combine IdeasNo Judgement




Alphabetizing

ABCDEFG

HIJKLM

NOPQRST

UVWXYZ



Accounting Restaurant DiscountAdvertising Hotel/Motel SoftwareArchitecture Insurance SportsAutomotive Interior Design TravelBeekeeping Health/Exercise TruckingCall Services Janitorial VendingDentistry Legal UndertakingEngineering Real Estate Yacht DesignForestry Retail/Discount Zoo Keeping

Too often we allow our experience and expertise to cloud our visions and thinking.

In order to break out of such traps we can take time to imagine how other industries, businesses,

professions, occupations might view the problem and possibly solve it.

OTHER INDUSTRIES


stretch it raise the price make it breakablecombine it make it terryifying make it funnyappeal to kids separate it cushion itWinterize it appeal to seniors make it flyilluminate it darken it do it backwardgo clockwise slow it down magnetize itfreeze it loosen it make it invisiblemisspell it go under it put it in picturessweeten it put it to music make it weaker

Throughout our schoolingwe are asked “WHAT IS IT?”

To expand our creativenessand our creative skills we need only change the question to…”WHAT IF WE?” or “WHAT ELSE MIGHT IT BE?”

“What If We?”


English is a Funny Language

There is no egg in eggplant No ham in hamburgerApple nor Pine in pineappleEnglish muffins weren’t invented in England norFrench Fries in France.Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads are not sweet.Quicksand works slowly, Boxing rings are square

Writers writers, fingers do not fingGrocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham

If you get rid of all but one of your odds and endsIs it an ODD or an END?

What are some you can think of?

The English language is funny and filled with oddities.


S.C.A.M.P.E.R. CHECKLISTING

S.C.A.M.P.E.R. is a form of CHECKLIST. A CHECKLLIST is a prepared list of words, verbs, questions that you can use that can spark new ideas, change your thinking or your point of view or even you mood and the direction your thinking at the moment and take you into many directions.

S.C.A.M.P.E.R. was created by Bob Eberle, teacher/educational consultant in the 1970 s to teach the concept of CHECKLISTING to school children by using a memory device (acronym) that they could easily remember when they needed to generate new ideas or remember existing or past ideas. It is used as the foundation for Michael Michalko’s excellent Creative Thinking Tools book…THINKERTOYS.

First StepWrite out the word S.C.A.M.P.E.R. vertically on a piece of paper or on a flip chart/chalkboard or other surface that the group can see.

Second StepWrite out what the 7 letters stand for.

Third StepThen use each of the 7 by asking questions using these verbs to improve/change/revise your challenge or problem to generate potential ideas and solutions.

Fourth StepRead over the ideas you have produced and select the bestTo work on to turn them into HOT SOLUTIONS to use.

=

S. = substituteC. = combineA. = adapt, adoptM. = minify, magnifyP. = put to other usesE. = eliminateR. = reverse

Divergent Thinking Tool


Forced RelationshipsThis is an idea generating technique that appears in many books about creative thinking and creative thinking or innovation tools.

First Stepchoose something totally unrelated to the problem or challengeYou or your group are working on.

Second StepList everything you or your group know about it.(Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?… physical, visual, tactile,…all senses, good and bad)

Third StepList everything you or your group know about your problem or challenge. (WWWWWH…and using all the senses)

Fourth StepTake items/details/aspects from the first list and FORCE FIT them to features Or details from the second list. Your goal is to see if the features from The randomly chosen, unrelated thing/animal sparks ideas for

improving, Changing, correcting features of the problem.

A traditional example or warm-up for doing this consists of…

1st. Ask the person or group to write everything they know about a canary (or a bird in their country.

2nd. Ask the person or group to write everything they know about the chair they are sitting in.

3rd. Then I ask them to combine (FORCE FIT or make a FORCED Relationship) one item from the canary list with The chair’s list with the goal to improve, change, correct the chair design or to generate ideas for designing the ultimate chair.

Sample

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.QuickTime™ and a

TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.+ =

Feathers-Soft + chair is hard = make seat softYellow + chair is ship gray = add color



Sample

+ =

Idea 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Ideas1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Idea2

Idea4

Vertical 2 = make the chair out of woodHorizontal 4 = make the color changeable

Ideas might be….cover, removable film or skin


are needed to see this picture.

Idea GridsFirst StepWith this Cre8ng Tool we first generate 12 to 24 ideas through Brainstorming or any other technique.

Second StepThen draw a grid made up of as many vertical and horizontalCells as you have ideas.

Third StepCombine the ideas on the vertical side of the grid With the ideas on the horizontal side one by one and write them into the separate boxes where the two ideas meet.. 6 ideas canThen produce 36 ideas, 12 can produce 24, 100 - 10,000

Fourth StepRead over the ideas you have produced and select the bestTo work on to turn them into HOT SOLUTIONS to use.



Idea or Morphological GridsThis is a logical/left-brain convergent tool that can be used to generate large numbers of ideas. 6 columns of 10 examples of each variable can produce 1,000,000 possible combinations.

First StepGenerate list of variables of problem or story

Second StepGenerate lists for each of the variables: i.e.: heroes: cowboy,Rancher, sheriff, shopkeeper, teacher, minister.

Third StepNumber each list for each variable 1 to 2 to 3 to …...

Fourth StepRandomly pick one number for each variable column from 1 to ?

Fifth StepThen write a story using one from each of the columns Sample

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


hero

es

hero

ines

villi

ans

crim

eslo

catio

ns

Variables of story


Wild, Whacky, Weird

ToReal


Easier to take a WILD, WHACKY, WEIRD Idea

& TAME IT DOWN

Then to make a boring idea EXCITING


Useless

Inventions



Useless

Inventions



1. A black highlighter pen 20. Powdered Water2. A book on how to read 21. Reusable ice cubes3. A dictionary index 22. Seatbelts for motorbikes4. A pedal powered wheelchair 23. See through toilet tissue5. AC adaptor for solar calculators 24. Silent alarm clock6. Battery powered battery charger 25. Skinless bananas7. Braille drivers manual `26. Smooth sandpaper

` 8. Do-it-yourself road map 27. Solar powered flash light9. Double sided playing cards 28. Submarine screen doors

10. Ejector seats for helicopters 29. Waterproof towel11. Fireproof matches 30. Toe implants12. Fireproof cigarettes 31. Turnip ice cream13. Glow in the dark sunglasses 32. Watermelon seed sorter14. Hand powered chain saw 33. Waterproof sponge15. Inflatable anchor 34. Waterproof tea bags

`16. Inflatable dart boards` 35.17. Mechanical pencil sharpener 36.18. Non-stick cellotape 37.19. Zero proof alcohol

Useless Inventions?


Value GridsThis is a logical/left-brain convergent tool that can be used to select ideas to turn into solutions

First StepGenerate ideas

Second StepSelect a workable number of ideas you or the group like

Third StepGenerate a list of values that final solution can be evaluated with.

Fourth StepExamine each idea one by one for each value.OrExamine each value one by one comparing the chairs.

Fifth StepIf one idea ends up better from the analysis than one that you or the group have a strong feeling for then go back and re-evaluate the weak areas and strengthen or change them.

Sample

+ =

Idea A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

Values1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

IdeaB

Value4



Idea B = make the chair out of woodValue 4 = better aesthetics

Wood would make it easier to tool, the grain willGive a natural beauty to the chair

Convergent Thinking Tool


PCP-Pluses/Concerns/Potentials

Pluses/Concerns/Potentials a convergent thinking tool used for analyzing a list or group of ideas that have been generated by an individual or a group.

First StepNarrow down the number of ideas to a comfortable number (3 to 6)

Second StepThen one by one write out 3 lists of thoughts about each idea.

a. Pluses of the ideasb. Concernsc. Potentials

Third StepThen compare the results.

Fourth StepIf one idea falls behind the others yet the group seems more excited about it or committed to it, then go over each of the concerns and think of ways to eliminate or strength them with that idea.

Sample

=



Idea 1Make the chair out of XXX plastic and apply electrical lighting to it.

Pluses - Plastic will be cheaperLighting will make it more useableThe plastic will provide more color options

Concerns - We have no experience with plasticElectrical wiring will add costIt may be too easily tipped over

Potentials - Could lead to a product that could be sold anywhere in the world.Could expand our technical capacitiesCould open up new markets for our other products.



Hits & MissesHits & Misses is a convergent thinking tool used for quickly choosing ideas from several that have been generated.

First StepGenerate many ideas….24, 48, 144…..on Post-It notes or slips of paper or index cards or simply write them on a surface where everyone can see them easily.

Second StepTell the group to go up and scan the total group of ideas and mark which ones their “gut” tells them is a hit. No discussion. Just simply read and react.OrTell the group to go up and move the ideas they think are HITS to an area labeled HITS and the MISSES to another area labeled thus. Leave the “NOT SURE” ones where they are.

Third StepThen discuss, organize by popularity, group, cluster the ideas by categories.

Fourth StepSelect the one or more that can be used at the same time or the ones that can be combined into a single idea

Sample



Hits Unsure? Misses



Jumpstarting Jumpstarting your Creativenessyour Creativeness


NormalOrdinaryRegularBoring

Unique

Unusual

Wild

Exciting


Be Childish

Be Childlike



http://www.cre8ng.com



MONDAYsquiggle versus straight line How have you been a squiggle versus a straight line? What does it mean to be a squiggle? A straight line?

TUESDAY out of the box versus in the box Are you an "in the box" or an "out of the box" thinker? How have you been an "out of the box" thinker in the past? How might you be in the future?

WEDNESDAY off the wall versus on the wall What about being on or off the wall? How have you been an "off the waller"?

Alan’s Cre8ng Challenges

THURSDAYin step versus out of step What are some ways or times that you chose to "step out of line"?

FRIDAY fit in versus dance to a different tune How and when have you danced to a different tune or chosen not to fit in?

Have fun exploring your creative life this week.




Think/A

ct Like

Mavericks


Created Laughter




What Some Corps Do…






% Of Profit

15% Rule

Creativity or Idea Clubs

Company Books (Dupont)

Contests

Creativity/Innovation

Newsletters - Print/Electronic

Creativity/Innovation Rooms

Groups---Oz Group

Guest Speakers

Idea Meetings

Idea Systems

In-House Training

Innovation Fairs

Libraries

Management Support

Newsletters - External

Posters

Problem Solving Teams

Rebel Groups-Unofficial

Retreats

Rewards & Reward Systems

Seminars

Support Conference Attendance

Training Programs

Workshops




% Of Profit

15% Rule

Creativity or Idea Clubs

Company Books (Dupont)

Contests

Creativity/Innovation

Newsletters - Print/Electronic

Creativity/Innovation Rooms

Groups---Oz Group

Guest Speakers

Idea Meetings

Idea Systems

In-House Training

Innovation Fairs

Libraries

Management Support

Newsletters - External

Posters

Problem Solving Teams

Rebel Groups-Unofficial

Retreats

Rewards & Reward Systems

Seminars

Support Conference Attendance

Training Programs

Workshops


None do it

Systematically

or Throughout

or for more than

18 months



S.P.R.E.A.D.SPREAD

UPPORTINGROMOTINGECOGNIZINGNCOURAGINGPPLYINGEVELOPING



May you live In the

Land of EurekaWhenever You Choose!



They laughed at Columbus, Fulton, the Wright Brothers. They also laughed at Bozo the Clown.”

Carl Sagan, founder & first President of The Planetary Society



If your goal is to create something new and big, you're going to have to do something

that everybody else will laugh at -

so that becomes the test. Marc Andreessen, founder of Netscape



“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.”

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr, humanist



Dr. Seuss

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.

Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope and that enables you to laugh at life's realities.”



“All it takes is one idea to solve an impossible problem.”

-- Robert H. Schuller



The highly Creative Thinkerlooks at every ideaas a possibility.

Robert Alan Black, Ph.D., CSP



YourBeginning!


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Cre8ng eureka