Ideas, Ideas, How to Create More Ideas

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 41 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #21 in How-To, #310 overall

Just How Do You Generate More New Ideas?


What are Ideas, where do they come from, how can we have more Ideas? This lens explores how you can create more Ideas by becoming aware of how you currently generate them!



Do you need business ideas, ideas for new Squidoo lenses, ideas for parties, ideas for new lyrics, plots for books, money making ideas, artistic ideas, ideas for recipes the list goes on.



This ambitious lens will cover how to get more ideas, how to analyze how you got an idea, how to recognize good ideas and tips and techniques on how to be more creative. Turn yourself into an idea factory!



Could you be just one idea away from success? Find out how to generate your brilliant idea below!

Idea Birds: Why you Must Write Down Your Ideas Immediately 

Ideas are like Last Night's Dream

Ideas just seem to spring into your head out of your subconscious but rather like last night's dream they can disappear and be forgotten just as easily. It is therefore vital to immediately jot them down on paper or in your cell phone notes.

Look sharply after your thoughts, They come unlooked for, like a new bird seen in your trees, and, if you turn to your usual task, disappear. Ralph Waldo Emerson

What Are Ideas, Where Do They Come From? 

Ideas are connections that you make spontaneously or otherwise as you review in your mind events or problems. Many of your best ideas happen when you are in idle mode. You have to train yourself to recognise an idea and then evaluate whether it is worth pursuing in any case you should write it down.

Everyone has ideas but many people have no confidence that they can make use of of their ideas, thus they never train or discipline themselves to boost there idea generating abilities.

Decide today to focus on how you think, what you think about for the next few days.

Ideas Don't Have to be BIG! 

People often think that to have useful ideas they must think of something extraordinary or revolutionary but in fact ideas can be small and simple, a quicker way to work, a way to organise your paperwork, a way to get your work done more efficiently, an attention grabbing title for your new essay or blog posting, a simple gift that would provide pleasure for a friend or relation, a surprise for a colleague, an exciting vacation, a new recipe, a way of using some ingredients that might go stale soon.

All of these can make life a little easier or more pleasant or earn you more money

The Wonder of Serendipity 

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.

So the more you do and learn the more knowledge you have, the more you experience the more you promote the possibility of discovering something.

What's the Best Way of Creating Ideas 

Brainstorming

Hold regular Brainstorming Sessions3 points

Free Writing

Begin with a blank sheet of paper or a blank scree more...3 points

Serendipity

Ideas just come from nowhere2 points

Put Your Ideas Into Action

This will stimulate more ideas because you will ha more...2 points

Listen to People Learn their Problems, Needs, them Solve them

1 point

Learn divergent thinking

Learn how to turn ideas upside down1 point

Exposing your Ideas to Critics

Get useful advice and or be made aware of flaws. B more...1 point

Imagination is more important than knowledge

Einstein1 point

There's no such thing as a bad idea!

Bad ideas are good ideas that are just not relevan more...1 point

Go for a Morning Walk

There's something refreshing and invigorating abou more...1 point

Write Down Every Idea no Matter how Trivial or Fanciful

0 points

Study More, Read More, Learn More

Knowledge is the fuel of ideas0 points

Scamper

A systematic way at looking at an existing product more...0 points

Lateral Thinking

Out of the Box thinking methods developed by Edwar more...0 points

Elusive Obvious

Developing the capacity to re-examine almost anyth more...0 points

Be Just a Little Bit Crazy?

Is this a necessary ingredient for a brilliantly o more...0 points

Be Lazy

A lazy person is always looking for an easier alte more...0 points

Doodle

Doodling is another way to create abstract ideas0 points

Be Left Handed

Left handed people are supposedly more creative0 points

The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas

Linus Pauling0 points

Search

Be Unique. Stop copycatting!0 points

Learn More About Idea Generation 

Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius

Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 12/10/2009) Buy Now

The Zen of Creativity: Cultivating Your Artistic Life

Amazon Price: $12.24 (as of 12/10/2009) Buy Now

Increase Creativity

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 12/10/2009) Buy Now

Ideas Mind Map 

Study the related concepts here

Thinking Out Of The Box 

This is an exercise often used by corporates to come up with original ideas for products or services. Participents are invited to turn ideas and current practice upside down until something useful comes up; this is done without fear of ridicule.

What you must try to do is eliminate Blocking Parameters or Limiting Parameters these are unconscious assumptions/prejudices you have when approaching a problem. See the Placing a Dot Exercise where most people will docilely place the dot in the centre.

Placing a Dot Exercise 

Group Exercise to Demonstrate Most People's Conformity

Hand out a Piece of Paper containing a square or circle. Casually ask people to place a dot on the paper. Get them all to stand and then ask those (80%) who put the dot in the very center to sit down. Then find out where the rest put their dot, praise those with the most ingenuity, eg someone who put his dot on the other side!!

Use this as a warm up exercise to show your participants how docile they are and how much they are going to have to stretch themselves

Creativity Mind Map 

Brilliant Idea Links 

Amazing Visual Thesaurus
Look up words in the Visuwords online graphical dictionary and thesaurus to find
their meanings and associations with other words and concepts. Produce diagrams reminiscent of a neural net. Learn
how words associate. Follow one word to another until you get an idea
Creativity defined on Wikipedia
Learn more about Creativity with lots of good links to follow
Ezine Articles
EzineArticles.com allows expert authors in hundreds of niche fields to get massive levels of exposure in exchange for the submission of their quality original articles.
Free Keyword Suggestion Tool From Wordtracker
Use the free keyword suggestion tool from Wordtracker to get ideas, type in a keyword and see what comes up. eg type new idea
Ask.com Search Engine - Better Web Search
Put a Keyword into ASK and then look at the Search Synonyms/Search Alternatives they suggest
SquidU Discussion Forum
Read and answer questions posed in the Newbie and Critique Me forums. It may surprise you how often you will get a new idea
Web/Lens Idea Generator
Quickly and easily generate hot new ideas for your next niche market website by using this powerful new idea creating online tool.
Brainstorming .co.uk for all your brainstorming needs
Everything you need to know about brainstorming - rules, software and free training including a random word generator. Creative and lateral thinking problem solving techniques

Brainstorming with a Paperclip 

Exercise for a Seminar (Divergent Thinking)

Divide people up into four groups or so. Allow 5 minutes for each group to list down as many uses of a paperclip as possible.

Ask how many uses were found from each group leader, them write each idea down on a white board ignoring duplicates. Your audience will be surprised how many things were possible with such a common place item. It will also open their eyes to the power of the collective intelligence.

In fact if you repeated the exercise you would come up with even more ideas, showing there is practically no limit to our powers of imagination

How Do You Get Your Ideas? 

Ideas Hot House

How Do You Get Your Ideas

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SueM11 says:

Many times when I am doing something which only require physical effort I find my mind will try to think of ways to do it better. It is when I am relaxed that the creative juices come more easily. So if I am in the middle of a project, just stepping back for a while helps greatly.

Jewelsofawe says:

mostly through serendipitous events I would say

thesuccess says:

Hi Scrapbook-Events, I think it's much harder to invent a physical device/widget/gadget than create an idea or a technique. In fact this blocked me for a long time thinking of inventions with associated problems of patents and manufacturing (a good lens subject for someone?) . No ideas can be tiny improvements to things you already control. You must be always seeking ideas for your scrapbooks, I guess you carry a notebook. You suddenly think of a new material you can use, or a novel way of transforming/improving something, adding a "twist" to something that makes it more interesting. Become aware of that ideas process and then boost it!

Scrapbook-Events says:

Many times I will be working on something and I think.... Man I wish there were an easier way to do this... Then I will think of an easier way to get the job or activity done by creating widget xxxxx. The problem is, I never do anything with the idea. I have some great ideas or at least I think they are great. I just don't know what to do in order to make my idea take off.

Kapalbility says:

They just pop out anywhere. And I mean anywhere. Even at the gym. That's why I always carry my handy dandy notebook! We just fired out Blue's Clues!

arncyn says:

By thinking sideways/laterally. It helps to shake things up and look at things from all perspectives. It was a pretty useful technique that I learned when I was in the ad industry!

 

Divergent and Convergent Thinking 

Divergent thinking is a thought process or method, which is usually applied with the goal of generating ideas. It is often used for creative and problem solving purposes in conjunction with Convergent thinking.

Convergent Thinking, in which the person is good at bringing material from a variety of sources to bear on a problem, in such a way as to produce the "correct" answer. This kind of thinking is particularly appropriate in science, maths and technology.

Divergent Thinking is inspired by creative elaboration of ideas prompted by a stimulus, and is more suited to artistic pursuits and study in the humanities. Eg the Paperclip Exercise described elsewhere.

A very creative person might combine both convergent and divergent thinking to generate a completely original idea.

SCAMPER 

SCAMPER is a checklist that helps you to think of changes you can make to an existing product to create a new one. You can use these changes either as direct suggestions or as starting points for lateral thinking.

  • S - Substitute - components, materials, people
  • C - Combine - mix, combine with other assemblies or services, integrate
  • A - Adapt - alter, change function, use part of another element
  • M - Modify - increase or reduce in scale, change shape, modify attributes (e.g. colour)
  • P - Put to another use
  • E - Eliminate - remove elements, simplify, reduce to core functionality
  • R - Reverse - turn inside out or upside down

Lateral Thinking : Edward De Bono 

Edward de Bono is popularly known for his lateral thinking puzzles, the solution of these problems require you to avoid making normal assumptions and to think out of the box. (Simple one A boy is rushed into A&E. The surgeon takes one look at the boy, and exclaims, "I can't operate on him; he's my son!" The surgeon is not the boy's father. How can this be?)

De Bono has detailed a range of 'deliberate thinking methods' - applications emphasizing thinking as a deliberate act rather than a reactive one. His writing style has been lauded for being simple and practical. Avoiding academic terminology, he has advanced applied psychology by making theories about creativity and perception into usable tools.

De Bono's work has become particularly popular in the sphere of business - perhaps because of the perceived need to restructure corporations, to allow more flexible working practices and to innovate in products and services. The methods have migrated into corporate training courses designed to help employees and executives think outside the box. (quote Wikipedia)

Tracking how you Create Ideas/ Exposure 

Ideas often appear to arrive fully formed in your consciousness. It can be useful to spend some time tracking down where the seed of the idea came from. Often they originate in some banal event, a meeting, an overheard remark, a newspaper article.

It is said that your weaker links are more important in this case than your stronger links. Stronger links are say colleagues you see frequently who can become a shield protecting you from the world. Weaker links are people who you see rarely but when you do see them are thus more likely to reveal unexpected information.

Exposure to unexpected or challenging situations is thus important for idea creation, you should seek out situations which challenge you or are outside your comfort zone, or out of character , do anything and everything to add to the cocktail of experiences that contribute to your life.

Example:- You go on vacation on your own in a foreign country although this will be uncomfortable you will likely be forced to meet new people make new connections go off on unexpected tangents.

The Elusive Obvious 

The idea here is to look at things philosophically. Try to notice the unseen, get thru the obvious shell and look into the REAL thing.

The trick is to spot something is so obvious that no one has ever noticed it before

Seeing the ellusive obvious is like getting a new pair of glasses. Because every new idea that becomes a part of you, every new reality you discover makes you see the world in a new way.

Sharing and Fertilizing Your Ideas 

Don't be scared to share your ideas with other people that way you can get useful feedback. While you have to avoid being discouraged by the inevitable negativity that you will get even from friends you should be discerning enough to take on criticism which points out valid problems with your idea. If you feel reluctant to share an idea it may be a sign that you inner doubts yourself

SuccessTheory Blog 

My Ideas Blog

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Affinity Diagrams 

Organizing Ideas Into Common Themes

Also called the KJ method, after its developer Kawakita Jiro (a Japanese anthropologist) an affinity diagram helps to synthesize large amounts of data by finding relationships between ideas. The information is then gradually structured from the bottom up into meaningful groups. From there you can clearly "see" what you have, and then begin your analysis or come to a decision.

Affinity diagrams can be used to:

* Draw out common themes from a large amount of information.
* Discover previously unseen connections between various ideas or information.
* Brainstorm root causes and solutions to a problem.

Because many decision-making exercises begin with brainstorming, this is one of the most common applications of affinity diagrams. After a brainstorming session there are usually pages of ideas. These won't have been censored or edited in any way, many of them will be very similar, and many will also be closely related to others in a variety of ways. What an affinity diagram does is start to group the ideas into themes.

From the chaos of the randomly generated ideas comes an insight into the common threads that link groups of them together. From there the solution or best idea often emerges quite naturally. This is why affinity diagrams are so powerful and why the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers consider them one of the "seven management tools."

What Ideas People are looking for (Xmas 2008) 

From http://labs.wordtracker.com/keyword-questions/

01 good ideas on how to get revenge 81
02 ideas on how to decorate a kitchen 21
03 where did shakespeare get his ideas for his work 20
04 where did shakespeare's ideas come from 19
05 what are the ideas of the democratic party 19
06 what are good stocking stuffer ideas 18
07 where did shakespeare get his ideas from 16
08 free ideas how to make paper roses 13
09 gift ideas man who likes to exercise 13
10 where can i find ideas for planning a elegent wedding 11
11 how to recover from libertarianism's worst ideas 9
12 ideas for what to write in christmas card 9
13 ideas of what to eat on a lacto ovo diet 8
14 ideas of where to apply vinyl decorations 7
15 what are good christmas gift ideas 7
16 what are some good prank call ideas 7
17 gift ideas for someone who has everything 7
18 ideas on how to wrap a gift mean and evil 7
19 ideas about how to make a spider for halloween 7
20 how can a marketer market and package ideas 7
21 ideas on how to improve employee satisfaction 6
22 how to teach main ideas 6
23 science fair topic ideas what factors effect a balls height 6
24 how great thou art bulletin board ideas 6
25 how do you paten your ideas 6
26 how to patent ideas 6
27 ideas to teach first graders how to tell time 6
28 horton hears a who party ideas 6
29 ideas on how to get people speaking about your event 6
30 who to contact with show ideas for clean house 5
31 who buys movie ideas 5
32 ideas on how to teach a nutrition class using art and craft 5
33 what are some good senior project ideas 5
34 how a manager can improve group communication ideas 5
35 ideas on how to decorate bird houses 5
36 history of the microscope and how it changed our ideas 5
37 how to save company money with differnent ideas 5
38 how to have the best halloween party and ideas 5
39 what are some good ideas for a first date 5
40 ideas on what to make for supper 5
41 what are ideas for a sweet 16 party 5
42 ideas on how to furnish a hair salon 4
43 companies who will pay royalties for ideas 4
44 cute ideas on how to make anniversaryu cards 4
45 what are some ideas for bridesmaid gifts 4
46 what if good ideas were common 4
47 ideas how to set up a science lab in school 4
48 ideas how to decorate a gingerbread house 4
49 what a great idea home decor craft ideas 4
50 how to make your elementary computer lab ideas for learning 4
51 ideas on how to save electricity 4
52 ideas on how to become rich 4
53 how do the manufacturers of video games come up with ideas 4
54 what is the war of ideas in the middle east 4
55 qvc honora pearl set ideas how to give as separate gifts 4
56 ideas on how to decorate a table for halloweem 4
57 how do andrew carnegie's ideas relate today 4
58 christmas ideas for people who ride motorcycles 4
59 ideas of what to do with preschoolers 4
60 project ideas for for how to kill a mockingbird 4
61 ideas on how to make dog sweaters 4
62 where did william shakespeare get his ideas from 4
63 how do you screen new ideas in research and development 4
64 what were thomas jefferson's democratic ideas 4
65 cute ideas on how to decorate a giner bread house 4
66 ideas on how to cover a keep sake box 4
67 ideas on how to celebrate birthdays of 50 years 4
68 who buys ideas for royalties 4
69 how does reading help one to express their ideas 3
70 pattern and ideas on how to sow beads onto a wedding dress 3
71 teacher ideas when students need help during seatwork 3
72 ideas how to display wall art 3
73 how to topic ideas 3
74 ideas on how to wrap money as a gift 3
75 haunted hay ride how to ideas 3
76 peirce how to make our ideas clear 3
77 how did microscopes change our ideas 3
78 how does republicans spread their ideas 3
79 frugal ideas on how to decorate a small apartment 3
80 how does john locke's ideas help america and french 3
81 journal writing ideas what to put jounal 3
82 ideas on how to decorate your trunk for halloween 3
83 how do they come up with ideas for video games 3
84 how to come up with specific statement topic ideas 3
85 how to encourage bright ideas in the pmo 3
86 fundraiser raffle ideas on how to sell tickets 3
87 ideas on how to redo my bedroom 3
88 how to decorate for fall with martha stewart ideas 3
89 high pressure hydraulic piston how to design ideas 3
90 how to sell your ideas to a large coporation 3
91 ideas on how to design a church logo 3
92 ideas what to do with beach sea glass 3
93 ideas on how to bring youth to church 3
94 ideas for students who can't sit still in class 3
95 ideas for how to speech 3
96 how microscopes changed our ideas 3
97 funny how to speech ideas 3
98 ideas for teaching english to a 5 year old who speaks arabic 3
99 ideas on where to hang christmas lights in bedroom 3
100 language, art and ideas in the man who loved children 3

Google Keyword Tool Results for "Ideas" 

Another view of what ideas people are looking for

halloween ideas
idea
costume ideas
gift ideas
party ideas
christmas ideas
birthday ideas
wedding ideas
business ideas
design ideas
teaching ideas
craft ideas
decorating ideas
bedroom ideas
costumes ideas
gift idea
home ideas
kids ideas
new ideas
birthday party ideas
cake ideas
great ideas
cheap ideas
painting ideas
room ideas
creative ideas
ideas for kids
Iesson ideas
bathroom ideas
decoration ideas
homemade ideas
interior ideas
kitchen ideas
parties ideas
project ideas
theme ideas
baby ideas
gifts ideas
interior design ideas
business idea
Iiving room ideas
money making ideas
paint ideas
table ideas
unique ideas
activities ideas
colour ideas
holiday ideas
house ideas
ideas for decorating
science ideas
style ideas
wedding gift ideas
cool ideas
new idea
ideas forum
ideas projects
reception ideas
website ideas
bedroom decorating
ideas
decorations ideas
flower ideas
planning ideas
wedding ideas

Million Dollar Ideas 

Well I haven't had one yet so this section is rather empty! Here are some jokey ones

  • Create a line of address books, cell phones, wallets and purses that, like cordless telephones, beep when they're lost.

  • Mobile Gym for rent to Film Popstars on Tour
  • Brain Foods 

    Chocolate, wine and tea enhance cognitive performance. Let's qualify that, Dark Chocolate, Green Tea and MODERATE wine drinking can enhance cognitive performance according to tests run by Oxford Universiry Researchers.

    The role of micronutrients in age-related cognitive decline is being increasingly studied. Fruits and beverages such as tea, red wine, cocoa, and coffee are major dietary sources of polyphenols, micronutrients found in plant-derived foods. The largest subclass of dietary polyphenols is flavonoids, and it has been reported in the past that those who consume lots of flavonoids have a lower incidence of dementia.

    Idea Creation Formula 

    The components that make up your creative ability

    All the things and experiences that make you up the cocktail that is you and makes you unique.

    So the Formula is

    Chance of Creativity= Past Experiences+Environment+Education+Study+Previous Successes+Previous Failures+Career+Imagination+Time Spent Reflecting+Hobbies+Interests+Stimulating Friends/Colleagues+Exposure to New Situations+Previous Exposure to Challenging environments+Open Mindedness+Analytical Capacity
    • Your Formal Education Formal and your Continuing Self-Education
    • Your country, culture, religion
    • Your jobs , employment, profession
    • Your hobbies, interests, sports
    • What you've read
    • Your friends and colleagues
    • General Open Mindedness, Lack of Prejudice
    • Your Curiosity

    The Importance of Weak Associations or Links in Idea Creation 

    Your social circle, family, work colleagues are your strong links these are people you see frequently, the danger is however that can become a barrier between you and new experiences. Weak links are say an old school friend you happen to bump into at a conference or on a flight.

    Weak ties can provide you with information that you might otherwise not have come in contact with, something our closest associates, who share very similar experiences, cannot do. Why does this happen? well the Weak Link can help you see perspective, offer unexpected advice, criticism, or suggest people you might contact. They might have succeeded, failed, dropped out, changed religion in some way or other they might surprise challenge you, things your strong links rarely do. They might embarrass you by asking if you've achieved your dreams.

    So why not phone or email an old colleague now?

    Creative Lenses 

    Hubs, Networks 

    Hubs are strong links to like-minded people

    Hubs are important and obviously a good hub of motivated, confident, inspirational people can also be vital in developing your career or business. Take care to move on once the hub becomes stale.

    Ideation is Idea Creation 

    Yes this is an actual word and not new either

    -verb (used with object)
    1. to form an idea, thought, or image of.
    -verb (used without object)
    2. to form ideas; think.
    -noun

    So what have you ideating today?

    ThinkerToys 

    Thinkertoys is the best single collection of quick creative thinking exercises that I've found in a single book, ever. It's not a be-all end-all compendium of these exercises, but many very good ones are in the book, including a few great ones that I knew before reading it and several more that I added to my repertoire after reading it.

    The book gives you several methodologies (ThinkerToys) where you can map or draw out ways of analysing a problem or concept or proposal in order to create new ideas.

    Unusually for Creative Thinking Books it's very readable and easy to digest, you don't even need to read it any particular order.

    Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques (2nd Edition)

    Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/10/2009) Buy Now

    The Bright Idea Deck: Breakthrough to Brilliance

    Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/10/2009) Buy Now

    How to Set Up a Create or Brainstorming Session for a Group 

    You need an initial formal structure to get the meeting going, breakdown resistance and prejudices. You'll find once things get going the session will run itself, but without that initial structure there is a great danger that the meeting will stall.
    1. Start with a "fun" creative exercise for example the "Uses of a Paperclip" Exercise
    2. Divide your group up, either deliberately into natural groups eg male, female, department etc or do the opposite mixed groups.
    3. Give each group an identifying funny hat or badge. Try and be creative and or provocative with each group's name/badge/hat (break the ice)
    4. Now do 10 minutes or so theory, breaking down a problem, moving elements about, challenging assumptions, etc
    5. Now move on to the main brain storming session once again have prepared hand outs, give each other the same task and then see get them to compare solutions and ideas or give them each a part of the problem.
    6. Monitor the groups, provide a few hints where necessary, after a few hesitant steps the group will take over and your presence will happily be superfluous!

    Props/Equipment for a Creative Brainstorming Session 

    Remember the Props help provide structure and help break the ice
    1. Flipcharts, one for each group
    2. Different Colored Post-It Notes, Markers. Get Everyone to write an idea on a post-it note stick them on to a board then move them about and mix them
    3. New Toilet Paper Rolls, get the groups to write an idea/proposal on these, then make a pyramid. Then (importantly) get them to rearrange the pyramid to better structure/mix up the ideas. (Another great ice breaker)
    4. Whiteboards with markers

    Note Taking, List Making, De-Briefing 

    How to Capture Ideas, Knowledge and Learning

    Stimulating your Creative Juices
    • During Pauses, Coffee Breaks, Make a list of everything you need to do, ideas you've had
    • Debriefing Yourself : When ever your return from a talk, meeting, exhibition or whatever debrief yourself note down what you learnt, promised, proposed, ideas had while your memory is still fresh (VITAL)
    • Become a compulsive Note Taker. Note taking is a vital part of analysing what you've just heard and at the same time fixing it or memorising it

    Synetics Idea-generating technique, similar to Brainstorming 

    (from Wikipedia)

    Synectics is a problem solving approach that stimulates thought processes of which the subject is generally unaware. This method, developed by William J. J. Gordon, has as its central principle: "Trust things that are alien, and alienate things that are trusted." This encourages, on the one hand, fundamental problem-analysis and, on the other hand, the alienation of the original problem through the creation of analogies. It is thus possible for new and surprising solutions to emerge. Synectics is more demanding of the subject than brainstorming, as the many steps involved mean that the process is more complicated and requires more time and effort.

    Kipling Technique 

    Rudyard Kipling used a set of questions to help trigger ideas and solve problems and immortalized them in the poem:

    I have six honest serving men
    They taught me all I knew
    I call them What and Where and When
    And How and Why and Who

    * What is the problem? My suitcase is too heavy
    * Where is it happening? At the airport
    * When is it happening? In the evening, coming back from France
    * Why is it happening? Because I have bought wine
    * How can you overcome this problem? Get the wine shipped
    * Who do you need to get involved? Winery will do it for me
    * When will you know you have solved the problem? When it arrives at home

    A Whack on the Side of the Head 

    A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative

    Amazon Price: $11.04 (as of 12/10/2009) Buy Now

    Crawford's Slip Writing Method/ Group Brainstorming 

    (photocopy the slips beforehand)

    Invented in the 1920s by Dr. C. Crawford, Professor at the University of Southern California, the method simply involves collating input from people on slips of paper

    The benefit of using this type of group brainstorming is not only in the variety of ideas and solutions that can be triggered: It also helps people get involved and feel that their contributions are valued. Writing rather than speaking during the group brainstorming can have added advantages: It allows individuals' thoughts to flow freely on to paper without interruption, and it can also level the playing field between quieter and more outspoken participants, allowing people to contribute equally.

    There are two techniques one idea per slip, or a grid with room for several.

    This can be done in teams, with an elected team captain collating ideas.

    You can then have a showdown between teams.

    Catalog all ideas and then email then to all participants

    The Back of the Napkin 

    So many projects, products and businesses start off this way!

    The premise behind Roam's book is simple: anybody with a pen and a scrap of paper can use visual thinking to work through complex business ideas. Management consultant and lecturer Roam begins with a watershed moment: asked, at the last minute, to give a talk to top government officials, he sketched a diagram on a napkin. The clarity and power of that image allowed him to communicate directly with his audience. From this starting point, Roam has developed a remarkably comprehensive system of ideas. Everything in the book is broken down into steps, providing the reader with tools and rules to facilitate picture making. There are the four steps of visual thinking, the six ways of seeing and the SQVID- a clumsy acronym for a full brain visual work out designed to focus ideas. Roam occasionally over complicates; nonetheless, for forward-thinking management types, there is enough content in these pages to drive many a brainstorming session

    The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

    Amazon Price: $16.98 (as of 12/10/2009) Buy Now

    Idea Creation Vocabulary 

    Some words to make you think

    analogy
    association
    brainstorming
    coincidence
    conceive
    concentration
    conception
    convergence
    creativity
    cross-fertilization
    day dreams
    divergence
    dreams
    eureka moment
    genius
    imagination
    ingenuity
    innovation
    inspiration
    intuition
    inventions
    juxtaposition
    memory
    misunderstanding
    nurture
    originality
    reflection
    serendipity
    simile
    subconscious
    tangential

    Idea Creation Strategy 

    Produce more ideas

    The more ideas you produce, the more likely you will find high-quality ones.

    Here are several ways to produce more ideas:
    1. Capture all ideas : A basic way to increase the quantity of ideas is simply to avoid losing ideas. Don't let an idea slip by once it comes to you. Whenever you get an idea, capture it as soon as possible. Write it down or record it. Always carry a notebook.
    2. Don't filter your ideas : By definition, filtering your ideas will reduce the number of ideas you have. Even if an idea doesn't look good, let it sit for now. Later you might see it from a different perspective which shows the usefulness of the idea. If it doesn't, you can always trash it later.
    3. Find more ideas than you need : If you need five ideas, find ten. If you need ten ideas, find twenty. Finding more ideas than you need is good because you can then choose the best out of them.
    4. Produce ideas consistently : Keep producing ideas regardless of your mood. If you are a blogger, keep writing posts. If you are a designer, keep creating new designs. If you are a programmer, keep writing codes. Allocate time for it and make it a habit.
    5. Use Free Writing : In free time create lists, just write something, debrief what you've just done, prepare for what you going to do
    6. Create an Expectancy/Excitement about the Ideas you are soon to create:

    Left Brain - Right Brain 

    RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS

    Uses feeling
    "big picture" oriented
    imagination rules
    symbols and images
    present and future
    philosophy & religion
    can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
    believes
    appreciates
    spatial perception
    knows object function
    fantasy based
    presents possibilities
    impetuous
    risk taking

    LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS

    uses logic
    detail oriented
    facts rule
    words and language
    present and past
    math and science
    can comprehend
    knowing
    acknowledges
    order/pattern perception
    knows object name
    reality based
    forms strategies
    practical
    safe

    The Wonder of Free Time for Idea Creation

    I was on the train and got my notepad out and started jotting down notes but nothing came. Finally had my first idea, second idea then came an idea rush I was in the Idea Zone. This is how idea generation seems to work so don't get immediately frustrated.

    How Many Ideas Are There? 

    How Many Lightbulb or Eureka Moments?

    There are an infinite number of ideas waiting to be thought of, there always will be. In garages and bedrooms the new Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are already working on products and ideas which will revolutionize the future.

    "Everything that can be invented - has already been invented" Attributed to Charles Duell, Commissioner of the United States Patent Office, 1899

    "Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible," ... Lord Kelvin, President Royal Society, 1895

    Some people attribute ideas and creativity to some universal or supernatural force, whatever the truth I know that I can improve my idea productivity by personal brainstorming by positive thinking and by expectancy.

    The Law of Attraction or The Secret 

    The Secret has been hotly debated for the past few years. For me the real value of the Secret is in raising people's expectations of success and of the possibility of success. Yes your personal success secret is out there!

    Edward de Bono Six Thinking Hats 

    There are six metaphorical hats and the thinker can put on or take off one of these hats to indicate the type of thinking being used. This putting on and taking off is essential. The hats must never be used to categorize individuals, even though their behavior may seem to invite this. When done in group, everybody wear the same hat at the same time.

    White Hat thinking

    This covers facts, figures, information needs and gaps. "I think we need some white hat thinking at this point..." means Let's drop the arguments and proposals, and look at the data base."

    Red Hat thinking

    This covers intuition, feelings and emotions. The red hat allows the thinker to put forward an intuition without any ned to justify it. "Putting on my red hat, I think this is a terrible proposal." Ususally feelings and intuition can only be introduced into a discussion if they are supported by logic. Usually the feeling is genuine but the logic is spurious.The red hat gives full permission to a thinker to put forward his or her feelings on the subject at the moment.

    Black Hat thinking

    This is the hat of judgment and caution. It is a most valuable hat. It is not in any sense an inferior or negative hat. The rior or negative hat. The black hat is used to point out why a suggestion does not fit the facts, the available experience, the system in use, or the policy that is being followed. The black hat must always be logical.

    Yellow Hat thinking

    This is the logical positive. Why something will work and why it will offer benefits. It can be used in looking forward to the results of some proposed action, but can also be used to find something of value in what has already happened.

    Green Hat thinking

    This is the hat of creativity, alternatives, proposals, what is interesting, provocations and changes.

    Blue Hat thinking

    This is the overview or process control hat. It looks not at the subject itself but at the 'thinking' about the subject. "Putting on my blue hat, I feel we should do some more green hat thinking at this point." In technical terms, the blue hat is concerned with meta-cognition.

    Six Thinking Hats

    Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 12/10/2009) Buy Now

    Rules for a Brainstorming Session 

    from http://www.brainstorming.co.uk

    • Rule 1: Postpone and withhold your judgment of ideas
    • Rule 2: Encourage wild and exaggerated ideas
    • Rule 3: Quantity counts at this stage, not quality
    • Rule 4: Build on the ideas put forward by others
    • Rule 5: Every person and every idea has equal worth

    Offline Places to Find Ideas 


    • Newsagents : Check what magazines are being sold, what are the headlines

    • Libraries : Check the recently returned books shelves

    • Libraries : Check the recently bought books shelves

    • People: Listen to people in lines, the coffee bar, what are moaning about

    • Avoid Newspapers: Too much gloom, negativity, confirming what you already know

    Student Guide to Research in the Digital Age: How to Locate and Evaluate Information Sources

    Amazon Price: $48.00 (as of 12/10/2009) Buy Now

    Online Places to Look for Ideas 

    Finding Sources of Information [VHS]

    Amazon Price: (as of 12/11/2009) Buy Now

    Contention : There is Always an Workaround or Solution to any Problem 

    Given time and effort there is always a tactic

    You must brainstorm with the assumption that there is a solution (vital)

    101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques: The Handbook of New Ideas for Business

    Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/11/2009) Buy Now

    Big Bucks Brainstorming System : 5 Step Idea Creation System 

    FIVE STEPS to Better Ideas: How To Turn Any Ordinary Idea Into A Brilliant Brainwave Bonanza with the Easy Brainstorming System

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    Click here for more ideas

    Or click the image below

    Creating More Ideas Blog 

    My very latest idea is to create an ideas blog!!

    Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention

    Amazon Price: $11.51 (as of 12/11/2009) Buy Now

    Creating More Ideas in a Nutshell 


    • Ideas in your head are useless, get them written down as quickly as possible, keep a log/diary

    • Expose yourself to new experiences, try new things, experiment

    • Become conscious of when and how an Idea pops into your head

    • Use odd spare time to jot down to do lists, this will stimulate idea creation

    • Look forward to the Ideas you are going to have!

    Creativity Exercises 

    Boost Your Observation Skills


    • Play Sherlock Holmes: Discretely choose one passer by and try and guess as much about that person as possible

    • Look at what people have put in their Supermarket Trolley and then try guess their life style

    Analyzing Social Settings: A Guide to Qualitative Observation and Analysis

    Amazon Price: $53.99 (as of 12/11/2009) Buy Now

    Best Environment for Brainstorming 

    Well trains work best for me, there is a going places optimism about them. When I try my cafe I'm not always in a good enough mood.

    So mood and ambiance play a role. That's why professional brainstormers often go to a nice hotel.

    Sherlock Holmes used to go to concert when he had a difficult case to solve, much to Watson's consternation who thought that he wasn't taking things seriously.

    Thinkpak: A Brainstorming Card Deck

    Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 12/11/2009) Buy Now

    Idea and Creativity Quotes 

    Idea Tips

    • Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.John Steinbeck
    • When I'm inspired, I get excited because I can't wait to see what I'll come up with next. Dolly Parton

    This Lens has been nominated for "Best Potential Giant Lens"

    If this Lens got your Creative Juices flowing then please vote for it here:-

    Vote 2009 Giant Squid Awards

    and see the other 19 great lens at the same time!

    Your Creativity Techniques or Tips 

    Become aware of your own Idea Creation Process

    You can increase your idea generation ability by having your idea radar switched on all the time. You can certainly teach yourself to recognize and classify the ideas you create. You can start an idea diary.





    Now that I am actively monitoring my own Idea Creation Process I am finding that what I had thought had come out of no-where actually originated from a specific event or stimulus. Once the germ of the idea had been subconsciously sown days weeks or months might pass before the idea apparently just popped out.





    But what tips or tricks do you use?

    submit
    • Reply
      skiesgreen skiesgreen Dec 10, 2009 @ 1:59 pm
      Wow, where did you get all these ideas. This is a great topic and well done. 5* fave and lens rolled. I voted for you. Norma
    • Reply
      thesuccess thesuccess Dec 10, 2009 @ 4:17 pm
      Skiesgreen I triple thank you!
    • Reply
      Ener-G Ener-G Dec 8, 2009 @ 1:52 pm
      Whew! A veritable encyclopedia...beautiful lens and didn't just tell us how to create ideas but showed use as well!

      Blessings and a vote from me.
    • Reply
      ronpass ronpass Dec 6, 2009 @ 4:03 pm
      Great lens on creating ideas with lots of hints, encouragement, tools and techniques. I' think techniques like the Six Hats can be used in creative ways. I 've used this approach to energize groups that were suffering anxiety over a pending task/activity. I usually start with the black hat (to get the negatives out) and progress to the yellow hat and green hat. It's surprising how this activity re-energizes the group.
    • Reply
      thesuccess thesuccess Dec 6, 2009 @ 4:21 pm
      Ron (who is a very well known Squidoo-er)
      The 6 Hats Technique is as you suggest a good way of stimulating a group who may not be very enthusiastic about brainstorming and even be unwilling participants. By the way I used your LinkedIn tip thanks
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