I like this multiple redefinition technique I found over at Mycoted's library of creativity techniques. I've been using it to redefine my project for automatic fiction.
Open-ended problems by definition are not well defined ‘the boundaries are fuzzy’
The following checklist of provocative statements is suggested:
- ‘There is usually more than one-way of looking at problems. You could also define this one as ….’
- '….but the main point of the problem is….’
- ‘What I would really like to do is….’
- ‘If I could break all laws of reality (physical, social etc.) I would try to solve it by ….’
- ‘The problem put in another way could be likened to …’
- ‘Another, even stranger, way of looking at it might be….’
The full details of the technique are over at Mycoted.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Friday, June 24, 2005
Using pre-listing to find assumptions
The pre-listing method can be used to help find assumptions about a subject. If I am looking for assumptions about a particular subject (the Wimbledon tournament, for example), the assumption search could be expressed as the following directive:
List assumptions about Wimbledon
If I convert this to pre-listing format it now reads:
List X-assumptions about Wimbledon
Then I can specify the 'X' by using a word from pangram trigger, directed-association or flip-flop directed-association. If the word chosen is 'end', for example, then the final directive is thus:
List end-assumptions about Wimbledon
What does this suggest? There is the assumption that the tournament will end. Or an 'end-assumption' could be a different category of assumption - perhaps the very last assumption that someone would consider - something unrelated to tennis. (the first assumption about Wimbledon would probably be that it's a tennis tournament.) There is the assumption that the tournament venue has an end (the boundary of the venue). An assumption that the games end. An assumption that players shake hands at the end etc. One pre-listing directive can suggest a lot of possibilities.
List assumptions about Wimbledon
If I convert this to pre-listing format it now reads:
List X-assumptions about Wimbledon
Then I can specify the 'X' by using a word from pangram trigger, directed-association or flip-flop directed-association. If the word chosen is 'end', for example, then the final directive is thus:
List end-assumptions about Wimbledon
What does this suggest? There is the assumption that the tournament will end. Or an 'end-assumption' could be a different category of assumption - perhaps the very last assumption that someone would consider - something unrelated to tennis. (the first assumption about Wimbledon would probably be that it's a tennis tournament.) There is the assumption that the tournament venue has an end (the boundary of the venue). An assumption that the games end. An assumption that players shake hands at the end etc. One pre-listing directive can suggest a lot of possibilities.
The ten percent method
The ten percent method is a simple method for creating ideas.
Information about a subject can be listed using the strategies in the profiling subjects, pangram trigger profiling and category headings/pre-listing posts. The information can be pluralised (if not already a plural) and the ten percent method applied.
Using the ten percent method
This explanation will use the information listed (from both key terms and the main body of information) about the Wimbledon tournament. The template for the idea generation is:
10 % of X is X
so if I use the listed information 'ballboys/ballgirls' the completed template will be:
10 % of ballboys/girls are X
For the 'X' I can systematically insert one of the nine category headings. Which gives:
10 % of ballboys/girls are TIME ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are PLACE ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are THING ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are PERSON ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are DOING ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are BEING ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are HAVING ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are SAYING ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are KNOWLEGE ballboys/girls
I can run through these (and the template: '10 % of ballboys/girls are X') and see if any ideas immediately come to light.
Using the original template '10% of ballboys/girls are X' I reached an immediate idea - that ten percent of the ballboys/girls would be chosen by nationwide ballot or competition. (As it stands I believe the ballboys/girls are selected from local schools.) I'm sure many young people would jump at the chance to do the job.
With '10 % of ballboys/girls are TIME ballboys/girls' I wondered if they could use ballboys/girls from another time. Maybe they could use young people who did the job at other tournaments? Or maybe there could be a kind of exchange system where ballboys/girls from tournaments around the world are given the chance to work at other international tournaments.
In addition to using the nine category headings for 'X' I can use any word/concept produced using directed-association, flip-flop directed-association or pangram trigger.
With the template:
10% of tournament ends are X
I selected the word 'to' to give:
10% of tournament ends are TO
Which made me think there could be a big party off site at the end (that players would go TO) or maybe all competitors from the tournament could run on the court at the end like the competitors at the end of the Olympics?
Other ideas
10% of wimbledon tournaments are X
I converted to:
10% of Wimbledon tournaments are TIME
I chose a time - autumn - and considered what '10% of Wimbledon tournaments are autumn' suggested. This led to an interesting idea - that during the Olympics the Wimbledon tournament could fuse with the Olympics tennis tournament. There have been some problems with the lack of interest in the Olympics tennis tournament. Perhaps this could provide a spur?
10% of Wimbledon courts are CLAY
Perhaps not a good idea in itself, but maybe the winner of Wimbledon could play the winner of another tournament in a match over two legs - one on grass and one on clay.
10% of crowds are X
Reminded me of this idea: A section of seats in TV studio audiences auctioned for charity projects
Perhaps a similar arrangement could be done at the final and other popular games?
10% of finals are X
The doubles finals are around the same time as the singles finals. Perhaps the doubles tournament could take place at another time in the summer. This would attract the top stars as they would not be concerned with their involvement in the doubles jeopardizing their singles chances.
10% of autographs are X
Players sign autographs for fans after the game. There could be an autograph tent where the public can go to meet the players and get autographs, or there could be a shop selling autographed items such as balls and photographs of players in action.
10% of dew that falls onto court overnight is X
I thought the dew could be bottled-up and sold off. A daft idea, but things such as the nets (or even the court) could be auctioned off after the event in a grand auction.
10% of fast serves are X
I used the category heading to give: "10% of fast serves are person" which gave me the idea that there could be an arrangement at the Wimbledon site where the public can serve a ball and have their service speed measured. There could be a competition for the fastest in different categories.
10% of trophies are X
Similar to the World Cup there could be a trophy kept by any player who wins the competition three times.
10% of tickets are X
There could be a cheaper ticket that enables the spectator to view only the practice courts or less popular games. (They may already do this perhaps).
Information about a subject can be listed using the strategies in the profiling subjects, pangram trigger profiling and category headings/pre-listing posts. The information can be pluralised (if not already a plural) and the ten percent method applied.
Using the ten percent method
This explanation will use the information listed (from both key terms and the main body of information) about the Wimbledon tournament. The template for the idea generation is:
10 % of X is X
so if I use the listed information 'ballboys/ballgirls' the completed template will be:
10 % of ballboys/girls are X
For the 'X' I can systematically insert one of the nine category headings. Which gives:
10 % of ballboys/girls are TIME ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are PLACE ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are THING ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are PERSON ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are DOING ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are BEING ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are HAVING ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are SAYING ballboys/girls
10 % of ballboys/girls are KNOWLEGE ballboys/girls
I can run through these (and the template: '10 % of ballboys/girls are X') and see if any ideas immediately come to light.
Using the original template '10% of ballboys/girls are X' I reached an immediate idea - that ten percent of the ballboys/girls would be chosen by nationwide ballot or competition. (As it stands I believe the ballboys/girls are selected from local schools.) I'm sure many young people would jump at the chance to do the job.
With '10 % of ballboys/girls are TIME ballboys/girls' I wondered if they could use ballboys/girls from another time. Maybe they could use young people who did the job at other tournaments? Or maybe there could be a kind of exchange system where ballboys/girls from tournaments around the world are given the chance to work at other international tournaments.
In addition to using the nine category headings for 'X' I can use any word/concept produced using directed-association, flip-flop directed-association or pangram trigger.
With the template:
10% of tournament ends are X
I selected the word 'to' to give:
10% of tournament ends are TO
Which made me think there could be a big party off site at the end (that players would go TO) or maybe all competitors from the tournament could run on the court at the end like the competitors at the end of the Olympics?
Other ideas
10% of wimbledon tournaments are X
I converted to:
10% of Wimbledon tournaments are TIME
I chose a time - autumn - and considered what '10% of Wimbledon tournaments are autumn' suggested. This led to an interesting idea - that during the Olympics the Wimbledon tournament could fuse with the Olympics tennis tournament. There have been some problems with the lack of interest in the Olympics tennis tournament. Perhaps this could provide a spur?
10% of Wimbledon courts are CLAY
Perhaps not a good idea in itself, but maybe the winner of Wimbledon could play the winner of another tournament in a match over two legs - one on grass and one on clay.
10% of crowds are X
Reminded me of this idea: A section of seats in TV studio audiences auctioned for charity projects
Perhaps a similar arrangement could be done at the final and other popular games?
10% of finals are X
The doubles finals are around the same time as the singles finals. Perhaps the doubles tournament could take place at another time in the summer. This would attract the top stars as they would not be concerned with their involvement in the doubles jeopardizing their singles chances.
10% of autographs are X
Players sign autographs for fans after the game. There could be an autograph tent where the public can go to meet the players and get autographs, or there could be a shop selling autographed items such as balls and photographs of players in action.
10% of dew that falls onto court overnight is X
I thought the dew could be bottled-up and sold off. A daft idea, but things such as the nets (or even the court) could be auctioned off after the event in a grand auction.
10% of fast serves are X
I used the category heading to give: "10% of fast serves are person" which gave me the idea that there could be an arrangement at the Wimbledon site where the public can serve a ball and have their service speed measured. There could be a competition for the fastest in different categories.
10% of trophies are X
Similar to the World Cup there could be a trophy kept by any player who wins the competition three times.
10% of tickets are X
There could be a cheaper ticket that enables the spectator to view only the practice courts or less popular games. (They may already do this perhaps).
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Another profiling strategy: category headings with pre-listing
When information about a subject is listed what are the main categories that any listed facts will belong to? I use the following category headings:
Time (duration) Place (area) Thing (object) Person Doing (Activity) Being (Is) Having (Has) Saying (utterance) Knowledge
These category headings can be used to list key information. So, if the subject is 'Wimbledon tournament' I can choose the category heading 'place' and form a directive:
"Name Wimbledon people"
and then list people involved in the Wimbledon tournament:
Players, spectators, umpires, TV presenters, ticket sellers, refreshment providers, cleaners, ballboys/girls, judges, royals, photographers etc.
Or I could have set the directives "Name Wimbledon time", "Name Wimbledon place", "Name Wimbledon object" etc.
Use of pre-listing
I can fine-tune my search by using pre-listing. I will choose a word using pangram trigger - 'bank' - for example then choose one of the category headings - 'place' - for example and then state a directive: "Name Wimbledon bank-place". Which could suggest:
1) Henman Hill
2) The place where the trophies are stored
3) Cashpoints available for spectators
More examples
With pangram trigger word 'wit' and category heading 'time'
Directive = "Name a wit-time at Wimbledon"
1) When players make jokes
2) Exhibition/practice matches
3) Laughter in the crowd (Mexican wave?)
Trigger: 'crew'. Category: 'person'
Directive = 'Name a crew-person at Wimbledon'
1) The boss of the ballboys/girls
2) Coach parties
3) Head of refreshments
Trigger: 'see'. Category: Utterance
Directive = 'Name a see-utterance at Wimbledon'
1) "Did you see that great shot"
2) "What players did you see at Wimbledon today?"
3) "You can't see the ball because the serve is so fast"
My prefered method
I prefer to choose one category heading and list a number of words generated by pangram trigger.
So with category heading 'place' and a list of words:
big, at, chip, clot, see, ma, rent
I will use the directive template "Name X-place at Wimbledon" and choose the first random word to complete the directive "Name big-place at Wimbledon" and attempt to list three facts:
1) Big-place = centre court
2) The whole venue
3) The bar (apparently a big priority for some visitors)
Then set the next directive: "Name at-place at Wimbledon" etc.
Time (duration) Place (area) Thing (object) Person Doing (Activity) Being (Is) Having (Has) Saying (utterance) Knowledge
These category headings can be used to list key information. So, if the subject is 'Wimbledon tournament' I can choose the category heading 'place' and form a directive:
"Name Wimbledon people"
and then list people involved in the Wimbledon tournament:
Players, spectators, umpires, TV presenters, ticket sellers, refreshment providers, cleaners, ballboys/girls, judges, royals, photographers etc.
Or I could have set the directives "Name Wimbledon time", "Name Wimbledon place", "Name Wimbledon object" etc.
Use of pre-listing
I can fine-tune my search by using pre-listing. I will choose a word using pangram trigger - 'bank' - for example then choose one of the category headings - 'place' - for example and then state a directive: "Name Wimbledon bank-place". Which could suggest:
1) Henman Hill
2) The place where the trophies are stored
3) Cashpoints available for spectators
More examples
With pangram trigger word 'wit' and category heading 'time'
Directive = "Name a wit-time at Wimbledon"
1) When players make jokes
2) Exhibition/practice matches
3) Laughter in the crowd (Mexican wave?)
Trigger: 'crew'. Category: 'person'
Directive = 'Name a crew-person at Wimbledon'
1) The boss of the ballboys/girls
2) Coach parties
3) Head of refreshments
Trigger: 'see'. Category: Utterance
Directive = 'Name a see-utterance at Wimbledon'
1) "Did you see that great shot"
2) "What players did you see at Wimbledon today?"
3) "You can't see the ball because the serve is so fast"
My prefered method
I prefer to choose one category heading and list a number of words generated by pangram trigger.
So with category heading 'place' and a list of words:
big, at, chip, clot, see, ma, rent
I will use the directive template "Name X-place at Wimbledon" and choose the first random word to complete the directive "Name big-place at Wimbledon" and attempt to list three facts:
1) Big-place = centre court
2) The whole venue
3) The bar (apparently a big priority for some visitors)
Then set the next directive: "Name at-place at Wimbledon" etc.
Profiling a subject with the pangram trigger
The pangram trigger can be used to help profile a subject.
The pangram trigger is used to suggest random words that can be used as triggers to help list facts/associations about a chosen subject. It is primarily used to suggest short words (or two, three or four letters) but longer words can also be considered and used in profiling the subject.
As discussed in the pangram trigger post, I use the pangram:
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
(A listing of A to Z can be used, but I prefer the pangram above as it leads to a more random choice of letter selection)
and pick a couple of random letters. For example, D and E.
If the two letters form a word I will select that as the word to use for profiling. If not then I add another letter. For example, W. Which obviously forms a usuable word, 'dew'.
This word is then used to list facts in answer to the directive:
"What facts/associations are suggested about Wimbledon tournament by the word 'dew'?"
Wimbledon dew
1) The dew that falls onto the courts/site over night.
2) The moisture (humidity) in the air
3) Sweat
As described in the profiling subjects post, I will allow some interpretation but I also attempt to interpret the word literally.
A number of three letter words would have been possible withe the D and E such as:
Deb, def, del, den, der, des
but the D and E could also have been used to trigger longer words, such as:
Dean, deacon, debutante, debut, declaration, deceased, dealt, decision, deport, depot, demure etc ad infinitum
All of these can be used to find facts/associations with the subject.
So with 'Wimbledon tournament' as the subject and various words formed using the pangram trigger, here are some examples of associations/facts I reached:
Wimbledon tournament: trigger word = bed
1) Officials who stay there over night
2) The foundations of the courts/site
3) The end of the tournament
(As described in the profiling subjects post I try to make three associations although a quota of ten could be set.)
Trigger word = pan
1) The pans used to cook food
2) The panning (criticism) of players
3) 'panning for gold' - looking for the stars of the future (a lot of interpretation there!)
Trigger word = wise
1) People in crowd who are very knowledgeable
2) The players' coaches
3) The umpires
Trigger word = soak
1) Baths/showers used by players
2) Rain
3) Saturation media coverage
Trigger word = ex
1) Ex stars
2) Past tournaments
3) Players past relationships
Trigger word = to
1) How people get to the site
2) Where the tournament is going (long term plans etc)
3) The journey of the players from their hotels etc
Trigger word = run
1) Players running during games (I wonder what distance a player actually runs during an average game?)
2) Unbeaten runs
3) The longevity of the tournament
The pangram trigger is used to suggest random words that can be used as triggers to help list facts/associations about a chosen subject. It is primarily used to suggest short words (or two, three or four letters) but longer words can also be considered and used in profiling the subject.
As discussed in the pangram trigger post, I use the pangram:
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
(A listing of A to Z can be used, but I prefer the pangram above as it leads to a more random choice of letter selection)
and pick a couple of random letters. For example, D and E.
If the two letters form a word I will select that as the word to use for profiling. If not then I add another letter. For example, W. Which obviously forms a usuable word, 'dew'.
This word is then used to list facts in answer to the directive:
"What facts/associations are suggested about Wimbledon tournament by the word 'dew'?"
Wimbledon dew
1) The dew that falls onto the courts/site over night.
2) The moisture (humidity) in the air
3) Sweat
As described in the profiling subjects post, I will allow some interpretation but I also attempt to interpret the word literally.
A number of three letter words would have been possible withe the D and E such as:
Deb, def, del, den, der, des
but the D and E could also have been used to trigger longer words, such as:
Dean, deacon, debutante, debut, declaration, deceased, dealt, decision, deport, depot, demure etc ad infinitum
All of these can be used to find facts/associations with the subject.
So with 'Wimbledon tournament' as the subject and various words formed using the pangram trigger, here are some examples of associations/facts I reached:
Wimbledon tournament: trigger word = bed
1) Officials who stay there over night
2) The foundations of the courts/site
3) The end of the tournament
(As described in the profiling subjects post I try to make three associations although a quota of ten could be set.)
Trigger word = pan
1) The pans used to cook food
2) The panning (criticism) of players
3) 'panning for gold' - looking for the stars of the future (a lot of interpretation there!)
Trigger word = wise
1) People in crowd who are very knowledgeable
2) The players' coaches
3) The umpires
Trigger word = soak
1) Baths/showers used by players
2) Rain
3) Saturation media coverage
Trigger word = ex
1) Ex stars
2) Past tournaments
3) Players past relationships
Trigger word = to
1) How people get to the site
2) Where the tournament is going (long term plans etc)
3) The journey of the players from their hotels etc
Trigger word = run
1) Players running during games (I wonder what distance a player actually runs during an average game?)
2) Unbeaten runs
3) The longevity of the tournament
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Profiling a subject
When profiling a subject the aim is to create a huge list of facts about a particular subject. I can then choose any of these facts for further creative attention. Quite often the mere act of directing attention to a fact is enough to generate an idea.
Finding/choosing a subject
If I'm starting out from scratch with a blank page I can peruse the directed-association results to see if there are any subjects of interest I'd like to profile. But, as it's Wimbledon fortnight, I'll choose 'Wimbledon tournament' as my subject.
Use of random words/concepts and directive
When profiling a subject I use random words and concepts from directed-association results. Instead of using the random words to suggest new ideas (as in De Bono's random word technique) I use them to trigger associations. As a directive, this would be worded as:
"What association/fact does this random word/concept suggest?"
Example of profiling using 'Wimbledon tournament' example.
So with 'Wimbledon tournament' as my subject I pick a random word/concept from this blog's example of directed-association results.
Word/concept = debate
Which initially suggests times when a player disagrees with the umpire's decision.
I try to get three associations/facts from each word so that I don't fall into the trap of stating only the obvious. There certainly wouldn't be any harm in setting a quota as high as ten though.
Second and third associations for 'debate':
2) Discussions on who will win the tournament
3) The discussions between the TV commentators
Word/concept = fundraising
1) Charity collectors that may be on site
2) 'Sponsorship' - the labels that the players choose to wear
3) The actual raising of funds (for prizemoney etc) by the tournament organisers
Word/concept = teenage years
1) Players that are still teenagers
2) Teenagers in the crowd
3) The 'teenage years' of the actual tournament
Word/concept = "the right tool for the right job"
1) How do the tennis players choose their raquet?
2) How much life is there in an average tennis ball?
3) The technology involved in making the decisions
Word/concept = art gallery
1) Portraits of past winners in the Wimbledon complex
2) The photographs taken by the press at the event
3) The art that the players like to have at home
Word/concept = Sex Pistols
1) The music the players like
2) Famous people in the crowd
3) The 'anarchistic' players (or the players with the most unconventional style)
The word/concept trigger can be used literally or some interpretation can occur. As in the 'Sex Pistols' example above, if I took the word literally I would have to consider perhaps John Lydon's interest in the tournament or if any of the players listen to Sex Pistol's music to motivate themselves etc. If I exercise a degree of interpretation I could perhaps consider which players are considered the biggest rebels or even which players playing in the 70s are still playing in some way today.
Word/concept = wig
1) Players with long hair
2) The effect that hair has on body temperature and thus performance
3) Players that do 'zany' things away from court - play in bands etc
Word/concept = climax
1) The final
2) The winning shot in a match
3) What time the crowd leave
Word/concept = inhaling
1) Exciting games
2) Air quality
3) How the players relax/get motivated in their break
Word/concept = Windows
1) The windows at the tournament venue
2) Viewing distance from court
3) The computers that make decisions
Word/concept = vet
1) Vets in the crowd
2) Veteran players
3) Who are the oldest/youngest players in the tournament?
Word/concept = smoking
1) Players that smoke
2) Where the crowd can smoke if they are smokers
3) Fast serves
Finding/choosing a subject
If I'm starting out from scratch with a blank page I can peruse the directed-association results to see if there are any subjects of interest I'd like to profile. But, as it's Wimbledon fortnight, I'll choose 'Wimbledon tournament' as my subject.
Use of random words/concepts and directive
When profiling a subject I use random words and concepts from directed-association results. Instead of using the random words to suggest new ideas (as in De Bono's random word technique) I use them to trigger associations. As a directive, this would be worded as:
"What association/fact does this random word/concept suggest?"
Example of profiling using 'Wimbledon tournament' example.
So with 'Wimbledon tournament' as my subject I pick a random word/concept from this blog's example of directed-association results.
Word/concept = debate
Which initially suggests times when a player disagrees with the umpire's decision.
I try to get three associations/facts from each word so that I don't fall into the trap of stating only the obvious. There certainly wouldn't be any harm in setting a quota as high as ten though.
Second and third associations for 'debate':
2) Discussions on who will win the tournament
3) The discussions between the TV commentators
Word/concept = fundraising
1) Charity collectors that may be on site
2) 'Sponsorship' - the labels that the players choose to wear
3) The actual raising of funds (for prizemoney etc) by the tournament organisers
Word/concept = teenage years
1) Players that are still teenagers
2) Teenagers in the crowd
3) The 'teenage years' of the actual tournament
Word/concept = "the right tool for the right job"
1) How do the tennis players choose their raquet?
2) How much life is there in an average tennis ball?
3) The technology involved in making the decisions
Word/concept = art gallery
1) Portraits of past winners in the Wimbledon complex
2) The photographs taken by the press at the event
3) The art that the players like to have at home
Word/concept = Sex Pistols
1) The music the players like
2) Famous people in the crowd
3) The 'anarchistic' players (or the players with the most unconventional style)
The word/concept trigger can be used literally or some interpretation can occur. As in the 'Sex Pistols' example above, if I took the word literally I would have to consider perhaps John Lydon's interest in the tournament or if any of the players listen to Sex Pistol's music to motivate themselves etc. If I exercise a degree of interpretation I could perhaps consider which players are considered the biggest rebels or even which players playing in the 70s are still playing in some way today.
Word/concept = wig
1) Players with long hair
2) The effect that hair has on body temperature and thus performance
3) Players that do 'zany' things away from court - play in bands etc
Word/concept = climax
1) The final
2) The winning shot in a match
3) What time the crowd leave
Word/concept = inhaling
1) Exciting games
2) Air quality
3) How the players relax/get motivated in their break
Word/concept = Windows
1) The windows at the tournament venue
2) Viewing distance from court
3) The computers that make decisions
Word/concept = vet
1) Vets in the crowd
2) Veteran players
3) Who are the oldest/youngest players in the tournament?
Word/concept = smoking
1) Players that smoke
2) Where the crowd can smoke if they are smokers
3) Fast serves
Flip-flop Directed-association
About this post
Type of technique: free association
Technique in a nutshell: choose two from this list: Has/Is/Does/Thing/Person/Time/Place/Activity/Specify/Utterance/^
Say, for example, you choose 'person' and 'place'. Name a person and then name a place associated with that person. Repeat the cycle.
Example: Person = The Queen, Place = Buckingham Palace, Person = Prince Charles, Place = Wales, Person = Tom Jones
Flip-flop Directed-association
Someone commented that the Directed-association technique was complicated and time consuming. In the directed-association post I attempted to cover all the aspects of the technique in one post. There is a flip-flop way to use the technique.
Flip-flop Directed-Association
At the top of a sheet of paper I will write the guide-words:
Has/Is/Does/Thing/Person/Time/Place/Activity/Specify/Utterance/^
Then choose any two of the guide-words. For example:
Person/Has
and 'flip-flop' between them. So, for the 'person' part I will answer the directive "Name a person" and I could write:
Person = Clint Eastwood
and 'Clint Eastwood' becomes the focus-word. Then for the 'has' part I will answer the directive "Name something Clint Eastwood has" which could give:
Clint Eastwood has gun
Then 'gun' becomes the focus word. Now for the person part I state a directive "Name a gun person" which could give:
gun person = Lee Harvey Oswald
and Lee Harvey Oswald becomes the focus-word and the directive "Name something that Lee Harvey Oswald has" is answered.
This flip-flop cycle continues between the 'person' and the 'has'. Eventually I could end up with something like this:
Clint Eastwood: gun: Lee Harvey Oswald: conspiracy theory: James Randi: website: Bill Gates: fortune: Sultan of Brunei: escalator* : Otis: lifts: Bruce Willis: Planet Hollywood: Sylvester Stallone: career: Donald Trump: The Apprentice
*apparently the Sutlan of Brunei has an escalator with just two steps in his garden!
Changing the flip-flop words
I can choose two different words from the guide-words for the flip-flopping.
Example:
Thing: ^
and continue on from 'The Apprentice' with the directive "Name an Apprentice thing". Which could give:
The Apprentice: competition
and 'competition' becomes the focus-word and the directive "What IS the focus-word? (Step up to concept level)" is set. I try to represent the concept in two or three words, which could give:
competition = dog-eat -dog
With 'dog-eat-dog' as the focus-word (or concept in this case) I form the directive "Name a dog-eat-dog thing" which could give:
Dog-eat-dog thing = evolution
and then continue the flip-flopping between 'thing' and '^' which could give:
Evolution: Darwinian concept: survival of the fittest: characterisitic of life: breathing: lung activity: expanding: increase: exponent: graph
Type of technique: free association
Technique in a nutshell: choose two from this list: Has/Is/Does/Thing/Person/Time/Place/Activity/Specify/Utterance/^
Say, for example, you choose 'person' and 'place'. Name a person and then name a place associated with that person. Repeat the cycle.
Example: Person = The Queen, Place = Buckingham Palace, Person = Prince Charles, Place = Wales, Person = Tom Jones
Flip-flop Directed-association
Someone commented that the Directed-association technique was complicated and time consuming. In the directed-association post I attempted to cover all the aspects of the technique in one post. There is a flip-flop way to use the technique.
Flip-flop Directed-Association
At the top of a sheet of paper I will write the guide-words:
Has/Is/Does/Thing/Person/Time/Place/Activity/Specify/Utterance/^
Then choose any two of the guide-words. For example:
Person/Has
and 'flip-flop' between them. So, for the 'person' part I will answer the directive "Name a person" and I could write:
Person = Clint Eastwood
and 'Clint Eastwood' becomes the focus-word. Then for the 'has' part I will answer the directive "Name something Clint Eastwood has" which could give:
Clint Eastwood has gun
Then 'gun' becomes the focus word. Now for the person part I state a directive "Name a gun person" which could give:
gun person = Lee Harvey Oswald
and Lee Harvey Oswald becomes the focus-word and the directive "Name something that Lee Harvey Oswald has" is answered.
This flip-flop cycle continues between the 'person' and the 'has'. Eventually I could end up with something like this:
Clint Eastwood: gun: Lee Harvey Oswald: conspiracy theory: James Randi: website: Bill Gates: fortune: Sultan of Brunei: escalator* : Otis: lifts: Bruce Willis: Planet Hollywood: Sylvester Stallone: career: Donald Trump: The Apprentice
*apparently the Sutlan of Brunei has an escalator with just two steps in his garden!
Changing the flip-flop words
I can choose two different words from the guide-words for the flip-flopping.
Example:
Thing: ^
and continue on from 'The Apprentice' with the directive "Name an Apprentice thing". Which could give:
The Apprentice: competition
and 'competition' becomes the focus-word and the directive "What IS the focus-word? (Step up to concept level)" is set. I try to represent the concept in two or three words, which could give:
competition = dog-eat -dog
With 'dog-eat-dog' as the focus-word (or concept in this case) I form the directive "Name a dog-eat-dog thing" which could give:
Dog-eat-dog thing = evolution
and then continue the flip-flopping between 'thing' and '^' which could give:
Evolution: Darwinian concept: survival of the fittest: characterisitic of life: breathing: lung activity: expanding: increase: exponent: graph
Friday, April 22, 2005
A nice little strategy for making up ideas
I've been using this nice little strategy for making up ideas. There are three stages.
Stage one: finding an object for focus of creativity
I start with the directive:
Name an X-object
I will use the pangram trigger or directed-free-association to find the 'X'. In this case I choose 'red' and thus the directive reads:
Name a red object
I choose 'post box'.
Stage two: choosing an aspect of the object and cloning
I choose an aspect of a typical postbox and clone that aspect. I choose the slot (where the letter is posted). So I visualise a post box with hundreds of slots. (As explained in cloning aspects, I don't worry about functionality problems; in fact the new multi-slotted postbox concept could be treated as a lateral thinking provocation.)
Stage three: creating ideas
I use pre-listing to create ideas. This is done by creating X-versions of the post box slot. The directive is:
Create X-version of the post box slot.
Using pangram trigger, I create the random word 'call', resulting in:
call-version of post box slot
and consider what ideas this suggest.
This led to an interesting idea: 'a postbox you call with your mobile phone'. This would be useful for posting letters when you have no stamps: you would call a number on the postbox with your mobile and the slot would open when called. The postage costs would be paid for with the cost of the mobile call.
Further points
At the first stage - the 'name X object' stage I will try to list at least five objects from the directive. So 'red object' could lead to: post box, Liverpool shirt, post van, no-entry sign, my rubbish bin etc.
At stage two - the cloning aspects - I will sometimes pre-list again to choose what aspect to clone. The post box example could have led to:
Name X-aspect of post box
And, as an example:
pot-aspect of post box
could suggest that the basket inside the post box (where the letters rest) could be the aspect chosen for cloning.
At stage three - X-versions - I will always make sure I complete an idea and guarantee newness - even if the final idea is quite weak. This takes off the pressure to come up with a good idea every time. Quantity should lead to quality.
Another approach I use at stage three is to imagine that each of the cloned aspects has a sign above it with the random word as the title of the sign. So with the post box example, I would imagine a slot with a sign above it saying "Call slot". Then I have to think of a purpose or function that the sign suggests.
Stage one: finding an object for focus of creativity
I start with the directive:
Name an X-object
I will use the pangram trigger or directed-free-association to find the 'X'. In this case I choose 'red' and thus the directive reads:
Name a red object
I choose 'post box'.
Stage two: choosing an aspect of the object and cloning
I choose an aspect of a typical postbox and clone that aspect. I choose the slot (where the letter is posted). So I visualise a post box with hundreds of slots. (As explained in cloning aspects, I don't worry about functionality problems; in fact the new multi-slotted postbox concept could be treated as a lateral thinking provocation.)
Stage three: creating ideas
I use pre-listing to create ideas. This is done by creating X-versions of the post box slot. The directive is:
Create X-version of the post box slot.
Using pangram trigger, I create the random word 'call', resulting in:
call-version of post box slot
and consider what ideas this suggest.
This led to an interesting idea: 'a postbox you call with your mobile phone'. This would be useful for posting letters when you have no stamps: you would call a number on the postbox with your mobile and the slot would open when called. The postage costs would be paid for with the cost of the mobile call.
Further points
At the first stage - the 'name X object' stage I will try to list at least five objects from the directive. So 'red object' could lead to: post box, Liverpool shirt, post van, no-entry sign, my rubbish bin etc.
At stage two - the cloning aspects - I will sometimes pre-list again to choose what aspect to clone. The post box example could have led to:
Name X-aspect of post box
And, as an example:
pot-aspect of post box
could suggest that the basket inside the post box (where the letters rest) could be the aspect chosen for cloning.
At stage three - X-versions - I will always make sure I complete an idea and guarantee newness - even if the final idea is quite weak. This takes off the pressure to come up with a good idea every time. Quantity should lead to quality.
Another approach I use at stage three is to imagine that each of the cloned aspects has a sign above it with the random word as the title of the sign. So with the post box example, I would imagine a slot with a sign above it saying "Call slot". Then I have to think of a purpose or function that the sign suggests.
Friday, April 15, 2005
The pangram trigger for generating random words
About this post
Type of technique: random word generator
Post in a nutshell: pick two random letters and form words - starting with one syllable and then increasing the number of syllables.
Example: B & L = bell, balloon, bellicose, belligerent etc.
I use a pangram trigger to generate random words. My pangram of choice is:
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
I will choose two random letters from the pangram. Example:
A and C
I will begin by forming the shortest words possible from the letters, thus I will consider if there is a two letter word that can be formed and then if there are three letter words that can be formed. Next I consider words of one syllable, then proceed to words of two syllables and finally list the longest words I can think of triggered by the two letters. Throughout I try to list as many words as possible.
When I use the technique I will list the pangram twice on my pad of paper/PC with the words in various order. This helps me to avoid the habit of leaning towards certain areas - and thus letters - of the pangram as I start to 'get up to speed' creatively. Thus:
brown fox jumps over the lazy dog the quick
over the lazy dog the quick brown fox jumps
Then at the start of the next piece of paper I will change the order again:
dog the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy
fox jumps over the lazy dog the quick brown
Variation
Sometimes I will list the two letters in order: A C
and sometimes I will insert a space between the letters: A_C
as these two arrangements suggest different words (Ace and Arc, for example).
Type of technique: random word generator
Post in a nutshell: pick two random letters and form words - starting with one syllable and then increasing the number of syllables.
Example: B & L = bell, balloon, bellicose, belligerent etc.
I use a pangram trigger to generate random words. My pangram of choice is:
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
I will choose two random letters from the pangram. Example:
A and C
I will begin by forming the shortest words possible from the letters, thus I will consider if there is a two letter word that can be formed and then if there are three letter words that can be formed. Next I consider words of one syllable, then proceed to words of two syllables and finally list the longest words I can think of triggered by the two letters. Throughout I try to list as many words as possible.
When I use the technique I will list the pangram twice on my pad of paper/PC with the words in various order. This helps me to avoid the habit of leaning towards certain areas - and thus letters - of the pangram as I start to 'get up to speed' creatively. Thus:
brown fox jumps over the lazy dog the quick
over the lazy dog the quick brown fox jumps
Then at the start of the next piece of paper I will change the order again:
dog the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy
fox jumps over the lazy dog the quick brown
Variation
Sometimes I will list the two letters in order: A C
and sometimes I will insert a space between the letters: A_C
as these two arrangements suggest different words (Ace and Arc, for example).
Thursday, April 07, 2005
'X-versions' for development of idea germs
The X-versions approach can develop, evolve and suggest alternative applications for existing idea germs.
There are four stages to using this approach.
With the following Global Ideas Bank idea as an example:
Lottery entry slips - tick box for 10% of winnings to charity
Stage 1
I will pretend there is a dictionary entry for the word and that the dictionary compilers have invented a word to describe the action of the idea. Thus:
10%ing: when a lottery has a tickbox indicating that the player agrees to ten percent of winnings being donated to charity
This is the IDEA.
Stage 2
I will state the following directive:
Creat an X-version of the IDEA
Stage 3
I will create the X-word. That is, I will create some short words that, as adjectives, will describe/modify the version of the idea. I create the X-words by listing the following pangram:
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dogs
and I will pick two letters at random and consider what words are triggered by these two letters. I aim to form words of just two or three letters (although if I cannot do this then I will try to form the shortest word possible).
Example:
C and T could trigger: cut, cat, cot
I choose 'cut'.
Stage 4
I will restate the directive, with the random word replacing the 'X'. Thus:
Create a cut-version of the IDEA
and I consider what variations are suggested by the directive.
Cut-version to me suggests that the player could choose the percentage that would be donated to charity instead of automatically agreeing to ten percent. Expressed as an idea:
Lottery players can choose a percentage of winnings that will be donated to charity.
More examples
I generated the following random words: final, sync, bit, chip, spot, do, age, act, chq and sad which led to these variations of the idea germ:
Final-version = the '10 percent to charity' idea would be done on one lottery draw only per year - perhaps at the end of the year or Christmas. In buying the ticket the player would automatically agree to the arrangement.
Sync-version = all the world's lotteries would carry out the tickbox idea to see the total that could be raised (perhaps this could be a once-per-year event).
Bit-version = the idea would only be implented online, for online purchasers of lottery tickets.
Chip-version = players of casino fruit machines (particularly fruit machines with substantial jackpots) could agree that ten percent of jackpot winnings would go to charity. (Perhaps there would be a special button on the fruit machines that is pressed to indicate the agreement.)
Spot-version = the lottery player 'spots' a cause and indicates on the lottery slip that the ten percent should go to that specific cause.
Do-version = a group of people could agree to defintely do (implement) the idea of their own initiative. The lottery organiser's website could have a place where players can register their names and agree that a percentage of winnings goes to charity.
Age-version = the lottery player's agreement on 'ten percent to charity' would 'last an age'. That is, they would register once and the agreement would stand for life.
Act-version = the big musicals could, in their first week, put a ten percent premium on ticket sales. Punters would be informed of this arrangement.
Chq-version = cheques could have a tickbox where the account holder agrees that ten percent (or perhaps a set amount of £1) of a transaction would be given to charity.
Sad-version = young people could agree to ten percent of their 'wealth' being donated to charity on the (unlikely) event of their death.
Further notes:
Following the precept that 'quantity leads to quality' it can be worth expressing the directive with the plural of 'versions'. Thus:
Create X-versions of the idea
This is also a reminder to 'look beyond the first idea'.
Sometimes I will adapt the dictionary definition to a broader concept level.
Example:
10%ing = when something has a tickbox agreeing to ten percent to charity
or
10%ing = when ten percent of a transaction goes to charity.
This helps to open up the idea germ to other possibilities.
There are four stages to using this approach.
With the following Global Ideas Bank idea as an example:
Lottery entry slips - tick box for 10% of winnings to charity
Stage 1
I will pretend there is a dictionary entry for the word and that the dictionary compilers have invented a word to describe the action of the idea. Thus:
10%ing: when a lottery has a tickbox indicating that the player agrees to ten percent of winnings being donated to charity
This is the IDEA.
Stage 2
I will state the following directive:
Creat an X-version of the IDEA
Stage 3
I will create the X-word. That is, I will create some short words that, as adjectives, will describe/modify the version of the idea. I create the X-words by listing the following pangram:
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dogs
and I will pick two letters at random and consider what words are triggered by these two letters. I aim to form words of just two or three letters (although if I cannot do this then I will try to form the shortest word possible).
Example:
C and T could trigger: cut, cat, cot
I choose 'cut'.
Stage 4
I will restate the directive, with the random word replacing the 'X'. Thus:
Create a cut-version of the IDEA
and I consider what variations are suggested by the directive.
Cut-version to me suggests that the player could choose the percentage that would be donated to charity instead of automatically agreeing to ten percent. Expressed as an idea:
Lottery players can choose a percentage of winnings that will be donated to charity.
More examples
I generated the following random words: final, sync, bit, chip, spot, do, age, act, chq and sad which led to these variations of the idea germ:
Final-version = the '10 percent to charity' idea would be done on one lottery draw only per year - perhaps at the end of the year or Christmas. In buying the ticket the player would automatically agree to the arrangement.
Sync-version = all the world's lotteries would carry out the tickbox idea to see the total that could be raised (perhaps this could be a once-per-year event).
Bit-version = the idea would only be implented online, for online purchasers of lottery tickets.
Chip-version = players of casino fruit machines (particularly fruit machines with substantial jackpots) could agree that ten percent of jackpot winnings would go to charity. (Perhaps there would be a special button on the fruit machines that is pressed to indicate the agreement.)
Spot-version = the lottery player 'spots' a cause and indicates on the lottery slip that the ten percent should go to that specific cause.
Do-version = a group of people could agree to defintely do (implement) the idea of their own initiative. The lottery organiser's website could have a place where players can register their names and agree that a percentage of winnings goes to charity.
Age-version = the lottery player's agreement on 'ten percent to charity' would 'last an age'. That is, they would register once and the agreement would stand for life.
Act-version = the big musicals could, in their first week, put a ten percent premium on ticket sales. Punters would be informed of this arrangement.
Chq-version = cheques could have a tickbox where the account holder agrees that ten percent (or perhaps a set amount of £1) of a transaction would be given to charity.
Sad-version = young people could agree to ten percent of their 'wealth' being donated to charity on the (unlikely) event of their death.
Further notes:
Following the precept that 'quantity leads to quality' it can be worth expressing the directive with the plural of 'versions'. Thus:
Create X-versions of the idea
This is also a reminder to 'look beyond the first idea'.
Sometimes I will adapt the dictionary definition to a broader concept level.
Example:
10%ing = when something has a tickbox agreeing to ten percent to charity
or
10%ing = when ten percent of a transaction goes to charity.
This helps to open up the idea germ to other possibilities.
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