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.
Friday, June 24, 2005
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
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