Tools for BrainsTorming in the office

Absence Thinking

When to use it
Use it when you are stuck and unable to shift thinking to other modes.
Use it when you want to do something that has not been done before.

How to use it
Think about what you are thinking about, and then think about what you are not thinking about.
When you are looking at something (or otherwise sensing), notice what is not there.
Watch people and notice what they do not do.
Make lists of things to remember that you normally forget.In other words, deliberately and carefully think about what is absent.

Example
An artist draws the spaces between things.
A market manager for a furniture wonders about product areas where customers have made no comment. She watches them using tables and notes that they leave the tables out when not using them. She invents a table that can be easily be folded and stored.

How it works
The psychology of thought is such that we are very good at seeing what is there, but not at all good at seeing what is not there. Absence Thinking compensates for this by deliberately forcing us to do what we do not naturally do.

PSI: Problem + Stimulus = IDEA!

When to use it
PSI is a simple approach that can be used in several ways.
As a simple thinking tool, it can trigger an effective thinking process.
As a framework for a whole approach, it can accommodate a number of methods of stimulating ideas.
It is a good tool to use when you are stuck, as it gives a logical structure.
As a quick tool it sets a direction. More serious use requires effort to define the problem and experiment with stimuli.

How to use it
Define the Problem

The P of PSI stands for Problem. The first step is thus to clarify the problem that you are seeking to solve. If you are not clear on the problem, you will have difficulty in finding a good solution! Some thoughts for this:

• Try writing it down in several ways.
• Say the same thing in different words.
• Describe it from different viewpoints.
• Think about what 'success' means.
• Think backwards: what is 'not success'.

For example, if you are seeking to stop a window leaking, you can define the problem as staying dry or keeping out water, it can be about sealant or surfaces, materials or coatings, corners or the entire frame. You can even look at it from the viewpoint of the rain or the window.
Find a Stimulus

The S of PSI stands for Stimulus. It is amazing the number of stimuli you can find around you. Almost anything will do, although something evocative is better, as it will trigger more ideas. The bottom line with stimuli is that if they work, then fine, but if they do not work or run out, then there are plenty more lying around.

For example, a stimulus for the leaky window could be found by looking through the window. Can you see a tree, a car, a running child?

Bang them together
The magic equation of PSI is: P + S = I or, more fully: Problem + Stimulus + Idea

In other words, you bang the Problem and the Stimulus together and see what Ideas this creates. It sound simple, and is. But that does not mean it is not effective. As in much creativity, it's the simple things that work best.

Thus, for example, when you look at the tree, you could wonder how the inside of the tree stays dry. Could you apply some bark? It has fibres in it. Could you pack the area with waterproof fibre? Or what about the car. That has windows - how does it keep out the water, especially at speed in the driving rain. It uses rubber seals that fit closely over the window and flex with any movement.

Example
Problem: How to get plants to grow in contaminated soil.
Stimulus: Fire
Idea: Have a bonfire in a pit to burn away the contamination, then root the plant in the ashes.
How it works

PSI uses the principle of forced association, which gets your brain out a rut by bringing together things that have not previously been combined. In its flight from the discomfort of this, the subconscious brain will give you whatever you want, including useful ideas.

PSI takes this a step further by deliberately using the problem as one part of the combinatory equation.

Braindrawing:

When to use it
Use it when you have a group of people who prefer non-verbal methods of creativity.
Use it as a break from verbal creative methods (a different approach often helps).
Use it when you have space to pin up a number of flipchart pages on the wall (and space for people to walk about in front of them).

How to use it
Prepare
Pin or tape up a number of flipchart pages around the room. About three to seven is usually adequate. Have enough flipchart pens so everyone can write on these. A mixture of colors is good.Tell everyone what you are going to do.

Do the doodling
Ask people to go to one flipchart at a time and start or extend the doodles there. Do an example yourself to show this. The idea is that people do not fill the paper, but simply add to what is there, so the result is a mixture of everyone's doodles.

Stop the doodles when all flipcharts are reasonably full (but not overloaded) with doodling. This will not take long - only a few minutes normally.

Use the results as stimuli
Ask people what shapes they can see in the pictures, what it reminds them of and then how this can be brought back to create ideas to solve the problem at hand. Capture the ideas on another flipchart and process afterwards in the normal way.

Example
I am looking for a job and ask some friends to come around and help me come up with some ideas. We use Braindrawing, and one of the pictures created is as below:

How it works
Braindrawing works by providing non-verbal stimulus to the creative (and non-verbal) right brain.
Having the doodle done by everyone ensures that it is completely random, with a number of different elements. Mixed colours adds to the stimulation.

Reversal

When to use it
Use Reversal to stimulate new thinking when you are stuck in a rut.
Use it to reframe a problem, looking at it from a different angle.
Use it when you are seeking different views to define the problem.

How to use it
Take any part of the problem

Select all of the problem or just a part of the problem. If thinking about flying, you could take the concept of flying, wings, jet engines, take-off, fuel burn, etc.
Reverse it in some way
Any form of perverse, backwards or other-sighted thinking is allowed.

Look at it from the opposite viewpoint. If male, view from the female viewpoint, and vice versa. Instead of looking up at it, look down. Look from the inside instead of at the outside, and so on.

You can reverse the basic concept, principles, physical elements, attributes, etc.

Example
The room is dark. I am looking for ways to make it lighter. Instead of looking for ways of adding light, I look for ways of removing dark, for example by putting mirrors or white paint in darker corners.
You can also use reversals as simple provocation: - e.g. 'Orange drinks me' rather than 'I do not drink orange'.

How it works

Reversal is a simple but surprisingly powerful method that kicks you out of your current rut but easily finds another view (so you don't have to wander around lost, looking for new and useful place to dig.

Six Thinking Hats

When to use it

Use it in teams where you want to use different types of thinking.
Use it where individuals would feel inhibited by taking these roles without prior legitimisation.
Use it to encourage further use of a range of thinking processes.
You can use it to explore ideas when selecting which to take forward.
You can use it to explore how other people will react when you try to implement your idea.

How to use it

Explain the hats
Explain to the team the meaning of the hats below. If people are not used to them, a sheet of paper each with the colors and explanations clearly displayed on them.
It can be a good idea to have a little bit of practice first, to help people get used to the idea and how to use them.

When you have been regularly using this method in a team for a while, you will not need to explain or even discuss them. People will naturally start sentences, with such as 'Well, in a Black Hat way, I would say that...'.
Use the hats

In conversation, people now precede a comment that is using one of the six thinking styles by mentioning the hat, or even the color. For example, you could say, 'With the White Hat on, I'd like to ask if anyone else knows about this.' (and in doing so, be forgiven for not being totally expert in all things).

If you are the leader or facilitator, add to the legitimization by using the hats yourself. Model behavior for others by regularly using all hats. Don't over-do it by using them in every sentence, but do model early and at regular intervals, especially if people are missing viewpoints or are not using the hats well enough.

Some people even use a set of fold-up flags (which you can make or buy). When you are using a given style, you fold up the flag that denotes the style, thus giving other people a continuing signal as to the thinking you are using.

Example
'With my Green hat on, I'd say we should all flap our wings and zoom around the building with our eyes shut.'
'Feeling a bit Red here: I'm getting twitchy about doing this now.'
'With a Black hat, I'd say that we could not afford to do that.'
'Blue calling: The whole contraption is too heavy. It will sink without trace.'
'White hat says I can't decide yet, I need to find out more. Any ideas?'

How it works

Many people have preferred thinking and communication styles and feel uncomfortable working outside this style. They also may feel that by using a different a different style that they will be judged as inconsistent by other people and socially punished. As a result, they will avoid using those styles that they do not feel others will accept.

Hats are useful metaphor: they go on your head (where you think), and to some extent act as a disguise.

By publicly discussing and agreeing to use the hats, these different thinking styles are not only legitimized but also actively encouraged. Particularly when others start using them, the more timid people will also feel empowered to 'step outside the box'.

Just by discussing the hats, even people who are less inhibited can also get the idea of deliberately thinking in a broader fashion. They can try on the hats to take different views on the situation.