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Generate Ideas with Random Stimulation

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The Random Stimulation technique

Random stimulation is a great way to come up with unexpected and unusual ideas. With this thinking technique, you simply bypass your regular thinking habits and force your brain to work in new paths. This lens will teach you about the method and give you some links and tools to generate random stimulation yourself, online.

How it works?

Basically, the whole idea is to find previously unknown connections between your challenge and the random stimulation, and find a solution or idea that is based upon this connection.

To do that, follow these steps:

1. Clearly understand the challenge you are facing, or what kind of ideas you are looking for.

2. Activate a random stimulation. It can be a word, picture, quote or concept.

3. Explore possible connections between the stimulation and your challenge:
What similar patterns do you see? What differences? See the bigger picture: What deeper concepts lie behind the stimulation and its connection to your challenge?

4. Get inspired by these connections and generate as many ideas as you can.

5. Move on to the next stimulation.

Be patient. In many cases, your initial reaction to the stimulation might be negative. You might feel there is no connection or feel this stimulation will not lead you to a solutions. This is common. Remember, this technique is about thinking in new and different ways, and sometimes your brain tries to revert to its usual thinking patterns. So be patient, even if you don't find a connection at first glance - look deeper and further.

Example

Challenge: coming up with ideas for a new deodorant.
Random stimulation (random word): umbrella
Umbrella is being used during wintertime. Idea: special winter / summer editions.
Umbrella is being used according to climate conditions. Idea: a deodorant that react to changes in body temperature.
Some umbrellas can be folded to a small size. Idea: a small pack to carry in your bag.

Random verbal stimulation sources

just click and get a random word

Find connections between your challenge and the random word as described above. Feel free to rate the links and add your own.

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Visuwords: online graphical dictionary

Graphical thesaurus. You can choose random word or more...3 points

Random visual stimulation

just click and get a random picture

Look at the picture. Notice its subject, colors, composition etc. Understand the story and ideas behind the picture. Get inspired by the picture, find new connections and generate ideas. Feel free to rate the links and add your own.

Random coceptual stimulation

just click and get a random concept

Random concept gives you an abstract idea as a stimulation. Play around with this idea. how can you implement it? change it? Challenge it? Find new connections and let the random concept inspire you. Feel free to rate the links and add your own.

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Random creative thinking strategy

by Roger Van Oech. Refresh the page to get another more...2 points

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Random Bible Quotes

The Bible is full of insights. try one.0 points

Articles about Random Stimulation

Wikipedia
A Wikipedia article
Mycoted Wiki
More explanations about the technique
Why You Need to Be Disorganised to Be Creative
A great post from Wishful Thinking blog, by Mark McGuinness
Peripheral Viewing
An advanced technique using random visual stimulation

Blog Posts from Google

"Random Stimulation" + "Random stimuli"

Updates every 30 minutes
Transformation, Transcendence and Human 2.0
Unfortunately, we know so little about the brain that we are reduced to almost random stimulation of different areas in the hopes that some combination will produce instant genius. As with drugs we don't know the long term cost of directly stimulating ...
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"Random" tag on Del.icio.us

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Random stimulation cards

different card decks for creative thinking

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Ranen_Carmel

A former Construction worker, Musician, Air Trafic Controller, Travel Agent, a Copywriter and a Creative Director.

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