Create New Ideas

Creative thinking in meetings involves generating new ideas by asking the minds of the participants to integrate two or more already existing, but previously unconnected concepts or ideas. For example, the “snowboard” was a new idea that might have been formed from the concepts “skiing” and “snow.” VIS-IT Techniques stimulate and accelerate creative thinking in the following ways:

• Focus thinking with explicit “Focus Questions” that keep the activity on point.
• Use highly visual tools, involving meaningful colors and shapes, to energize, reinforce and organize ideas.
• Capture and build a comprehensive group memory.
• Facilitate communication and follow-up.

To launch a creative thinking activity, begin with one idea, and then position another stimulative idea next to it. Ask the participants to consider both ideas simultaneously, and force their minds to synthesize the two into one, using “what if” questions. Capture the responses associated with each stimulative idea. For example, new product designers might begin with their current model of something, and then position a human sensory or intellectual capability next to it, asking: What if our product could see? What if our product could hear? What if our product could taste? What if our product could touch? What if our product could smell? What if our product could count? What if our product could read? What if our product could write? What if our product could talk? In each case, answers might yield new product ideas that would offer high value to current or new customers. VIS-IT Techniques stimulate creative thinking by physically positioning two written or visual ideas next to each other is such close proximity that the mind tries to create a resolving idea, which synthesizes the two. Our primary creativity techniques are shown below.