14 Creativity exercises to improve your

lateral thinking
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thinking/#sthash.xUqATlH.!p"s
Here are some Creativity exercises to improve your lateral
thinking skills:
# $ Use your 5 senses to inspire yourself with things from around you.
ook %or o"&ects' analyse their shape' their color' where are they coming %rom.
Use all your senses' try to listen to soun!s in your environment' touch the
o"&ects your are looking at' what are the o!ors in the room( )ow try to link
those elements to your "rainstorming session' it will help you to generate new
i!eas.
* $ Use a dictionary, book or magaine for random ideation. Take a "ook'
close your eyes' open the "ook an! pick a wor! that you relate to your issue. +%
this wor! is not giving you a new i!ea start again.
, $ !nalogies and metaphors. -ompare your pro"lem to a known natural
phenomenon .storm' eco-system' river(/' to a mineral' vegetal or animal. 0ou
can also compare your pro"lem with a sym"ol' legen! or story.
1 $ "ake a list of the top 5 words related to your issue. )ow start your
"rainstorm "ut you cannot use those wor!s anymore.
2 $#e$ne your Customer %ourney or product&service life cycle. 3ivi!e
your issue in small steps. Here is an example: in the morning + take my "ike' +
cycle to work' stop %or a "reak%ast' take my "ike' cross the park' get into the
o4ce ( an other exemple: -ustomer take his car %or shopping' step into the
shop' look %or a 5-' ask %or a!vise' "uy the 5-' put it in his car' go "ack to
home' open the 5- "ox(This approach is very use%ul to collect new insight
an! elements relate! to your goal.
6 $ 'andom search on the internet: go on 0ouTu"e an! click on vi!eo titles
that you woul! normally not click on. 3o that %or #7 minutes. +t always
gives %resh an! new i!eas.
8 $ (rite a ) word story of you problem. 9ake it simple avoi! &argon.
0our story shoul! inclu!e images that will appeal the imagination.
: $ *rain writing. 0ou shoul! practice this in a group o% minimum 2
people. ;rite your i!ea or goal on a paper an! you give it to the person sitting
on your right. This person shoul! write a solution on your paper an! give it to
the person sitting on his/her right an! so on.
< $ Create a "ind "ap. This is a use%ul tool to sketch out a lot o% i!eas. +t
works like a hierarchical tree "ut here you start o= with your pro"lem in the
center. A%ter that you !raw the ma&or topics' continue with su"-topics(
#7 $ +tart writing, don,t stop until you,ve hit 5-- words. This is a %ree
>ow exercise. 3on?t think &ust write.
## $ 'olestorming. ;hat woul! you !o i% you were someone else@ Think like
Au!!ha
Aarack B"ama
Cteve Do"s
The opposite gen!er.
0our %ather or mother.
0our girl%rien! / wi%e or "oy%rien! / hus"an!.
A customer.
A colleague.
0our enemy.
(
#* $ 'everse .hinking. Think a"out what everyone will typically !o' then !o
the opposite.
#, $ "eet people you don,t know. This is a special exercise. Eo outsi!e' in
the street' an! ask people %or solutions to your pro"lem.
#1 $ +ix hats of /dward de *ono. A!opt successively various attitu!es
.roles/' through 6 hat colors.
;hite hat: neutrality. 0our share %acts
Fe! hat: emotions. 0our in%ormation tinge! with emotions' %eelings'
intuitions an! premonitions.
Alack hat: negative criticism. 0ou !on?t agree' state !angers an! risks. +t
?s the !evil?s a!vocate.
0ellow hat: positive criticism. 0ou acknowle!ge craGy !reams an! i!eas.
Ereen hat: creativity. 0our are very creative lots o% craGy !reams an!
i!eas
Alue hat: organisation. 0ou %ocus on the processes' the actions an! the
planning

+n conclusion' + woul! like to say that most o% those creativity exercises are &ust
simple ha"its that you coul! a!opt to improve your lateral thinking. Aut !on?t
%orget the most important tipH Have some relaxing time to think a"out your
pro"lems or issues' this is a won!er%ul ha"it %or lateral thinking.
Take-Aways:
)ever think that resources an! solutions are limite!. There are always
options solutions availa"le aroun! you. 0ou &ust have to put your min! to
it.
-reative people !evelop / use lateral thinking ha"its that pro!uces great
results.
Ieep it simple' complexity means !istracte! e=ort. Cimplicity means
%ocuse! e=ort.
5hilosophy is a"out analysis' not thinking. ;e humans are very goo! at
analysis "ut useless at thinking.
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improve-lateral-thinking/#sthash.xUqATlH.!pu%