Creative Thinking Techniques – Forty Uses For A Brick

Creative Thinking Techniques – Forty Uses For A Brick Written by Sandy Cormack Creative thinking techniques help us learn to proliferate ideas. When we learn to proliferate ideas we become better at divergent thinking - one of the most powerful tools in a... More

Creative Thinking Techniques – Forty Uses For A Brick Written by Sandy Cormack Creative thinking techniques help us learn to proliferate ideas. When we learn to proliferate ideas we become better at divergent thinking - one of the most powerful tools in a creative thinker s tool belt. When someone asks you to come up with ideas to solve a problem, how many do you typically produce? One? Two? Five? It’s possible to train yourself to produce lots of ideas. New, novel ideas, ideas you’ve never though of before. The following example illustrates how we can use a few simple creative thinking techniques to generate tons of useful ideas. The problem: How many different ways can we use a brick? Our goal is forty ideas. Step One - Empty Your Mind Rapidly list all the ways you can think of, off the top of your head, to use a brick. 1. Build a wall 2. Build a mailbox 3. Side a house 4. Use it for a desk paperweight 5. Use it as a melee weapon (whack someone on the head) 6. Use it as Less