DIPLOMA IN POLICING AND

INVESTIGATION

DPI 2413
CREATIVE THINKING
AND INNOVATION

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 DPI 2413
Lecture by:
LALITA ANBARASEN

CHAPTER 6:
TOOLS OF CREATIVE
THINKING
6.1. MIND MAPPING

 Mind mapping aka brainstorming or

spider diagrams is the little black dress of
idea generation, it never goes out of
fashion.
 The key to mind mapping is to take note of
every idea that comes up.

 Do not neglect anything, no matter how far-

fetched it may seem.

 Save the critical selection process for later.

 Generate as many ideas as possible - the

more you jot down the bigger the chance of
finding that golden ticket idea.
6.2. THE CHECKLIST

 Young children are amazingly creative. Their

curiosity, imagination and thirst for knowledge
seem boundless.

 They ask questions about everything, because

practically everything is new to them.
Six universal questions that can be asked:
i. What
ii. Why
iii. When
iv. Who
v. Where
vi. How
Ask yourself these questions in some form
every time you create content and the
chances are you will get some interesting
answer.
6.3 LATERAL THINKING

Another term coined by Dr. de Bono, this involves

looking at your situation in a different way.

The simplest answer is not always right. We solve

most problems in a linear fashion.

For example,
“if something happens it must have been... because
of..”
 We take a step by step approach to finding
our answers.

 De Bono encouraged others to look at their

situation differently, to step sideways for a
second if you will.

 This allows people to re-examine their

predicament from a much more creative
point of view.
6.4 RANDOM WORD GENERATION
 Simply pick two random words and try and tie your
content to it in the most imaginative way possible.
The real fun part is how you choose to come up
with words.

 You could use online generator, you could flick

through a dictionary; or you could write words on a
bunch of plastic balls, throw them into the air and
then choose the words on the first two balls you
catch.
6.5 PICTURE ASSOCIATION

 By the time you stuck for ideas, perform an image search on your
topic of choice, pick a random photo.

 Work backwards from the picture, developing a story around how the
photo was taken.
 6.6 CHANGE PERSPECTIVE

 This can be often hard to do, but trying putting yourself in

other people's shoes.

 Sometimes you can get too attached to your own work, I

know I always do it.

 You may be too close to notice that there are faults visible
from afar.
 Share your own ideas with others, and get a fresh
pair of eyes to look at your work.

 Encourage constructive criticism, you do not have

to take it all on board but it may offer up some
seriously beneficial observations.
 6.7 GET UP AND GO OUT

 People underestimate the value of being bored. If you

work around screens all day, if can often prove both
relaxing and rewarding to just get up and walk about for a
bit.

 Let your mind wander instead of focussing on a task so

hard it hurts.
 Take a walk around your local woods; indulge
yourself in your own personal contemplation
montage as you skim rocks across a pond.

 Let the miracle of nature, and that brief moment of

what is hopefully peace and quiet, inspire and
energize you.

 Similarly, many believe that the practice of

meditation, clearing their mind of all thoughts and
allowing them to be at peace, is a fantastic method
to help spur creativity.
6.8 THE 8 TYPES OF THINKING MAPS

There are 8 different thinking maps, each one for a specific

purpose and thought process.
6.8.1 Circle Map
 The purpose of the circle map is to brainstorm an idea or topic using
the information we already know.

 A circle map consists of a large circle with another circle inside.

 The inside circle is where the main topic or idea takes center stage.

 Surrounding it is the larger circle where corresponding ideas flow.

 As the second circle fills up, connections and definitions grow

organically and visually.

 In the second circle, any type of wording can define the main idea:
nouns, adjectives or even phrases.
 Pre-schoolers use the circle map to learn simple concepts like colours
and shapes.

 For example, the triangle shapes. The world triangle goes in the
centre and surrounding it are things that have a triangle shape. The
outer circle can even include how a triangle makes them feel.

 Circle maps are great for brainstorming the very beginning of an idea.
You can use a whiteboard for a group brainstorm session. With the
help of a circle map, great ideas can begin to take shape and then
become complete and complex plans.

 A circle map is great to get the ball rolling with a newly created team.
If the team members don't know each other very well, a circle map
exercise can break the ice and get them to open up about their ideas.
Use the interior circle to ask, "What do we want to achieve with this
project? and watch the interaction flourish.
6.8.2 Bubble Map

 The bubble map's purpose is to define the main topic with specific
adjectives and phrases.

 In this instance, the center circle stems off into other circles or
bubbles which surround it. Each connected circle will include a
defining adjective or phrase.

 In schools, the bubble map makes a regular appearance in science

classrooms. Students learn to define new lessons visually, by defining
the main topic with a bubble map.

 For example, animal families. The center bubble is mammals and the
surrounding circles are given birth to live young, have fur, etc.
In a marketing setting, we can make a bubble map to define
an audience persona. In the middle circle, we state the
general idea of the persona: o multiracial millennial male.

In the surrounding circles, we add defining adjectives like:

works for himself, lives in the city, considers his friends his
family.
6.8.3 Double Bubble Map
 The third thinking map is a combination of two bubble maps and is
called the double bubble, also commonly known as a Venn diagram.

 The double bubble map is a comparison map that defines

differences and similarities between two topics.

 The two central circles contain the two main ideas. Stemming out
from both are bubbles of two types. Between the main circles are
the bubbles that hold the shared similarities.

 Towards the sides, are the bubbles that define the differences of
each central circle.
 This type of map is perfect for situations in which concepts or ideas
need a visual comparison.

 School students use double bubble maps for literature classes.

 They compare characters, situations, and parts of the story, making it

all easier to grasp.

 Another situation in which a double bubble map could come in handy

is for making decisions.

 If you have to choose between two solutions to a problem, a double

bubble map can help you make a final decision, By comparing and
contrasting visually, the option becomes clearer. In the same way, a
double bubble map can be a slide inside a presentation. It can show
the comparison between two concepts.
6.8.4 Tree Map
 When it's time to classify and organize information, the
tree map can be of great help.

 Visually, the tree map resembles a real tree, and some

people even associate it with a family tree.

 The topmost section is the main title or topic, below that

is the qualifiers or subtopics. Below the subtopics, the
relevant information forms a list.

 In an elementary school setting, the tree map can help

classify concepts such as animal families or types of
sentences.
A tree map can be used as a visual outline for any type of
written project like an essay or
blog post. The title and introduction is placed at the top and
the paragraphs branch out underneath.

A practical way of using a tree map is to organize tasks for a

large project. The name of the project goes at the top and
each team is a subtopic below.

Further below that are the names of the team members

and their relevant tasks.
6.8.5 Flow Map

 A flow map is pretty much the same as a flowchart.

 A flow map is a visual representation of a process, progression or set

of instructions.

 The main topic of a flow map is labelled outside of the map itself in
the rectangle that surrounds it.

 Connected rectangles form the steps in the progression or

explanation of the map.

 Some rectangles can also have an extra rectangle below it to

describe that step.
6.8.6 Multi-Flow
 The multi-flow map helps to figure out the causes and effects of
certain events.

 The way to use a multi-flow map is to start with the main event,
which fills the main central rectangle of the map.

 From the main rectangle, other connected rectangles stem out to

the left and right.

 The rectangles to the left represent the causes that helped the event
happen.

 The rectangles on the right are the effects of the chosen event.
 In some occasions, an effect can also become a cause,
creating a feedback loop.

 It can help to show the ways in which something is

achieved by using the causes functionality.

 For example, be more productive is the main event.

 To figure out how to be more productive, you use

rectangles to the left representing the causes.

 Some of these could be, spend less time on social media,

use a calendar or use a timer.
 Another way to use a multi-flow map is to predict the outcome of a
certain event.

 For example, We move the office to a bigger place downtown is the

main event.

 To predict possible effects, you have to connect rectangles to the

right of the main event and fill them in.

 Some of the resulting effects could be, it would be a longer commute,

or we would be closer to networking events.
6.8.7 Brace Map
 A brace map helps analyze the parts of a whole and the
relationship between them.

 Visually, a brace map looks like a sideways tree map. The

difference is that a brace map spreads out into all the
parts of the original whole.

 The tree map is more conceptual and used for organizing

rather than separating.

 This type of map must include a real object or situation as

the initial premise. Concepts and ideas are not what brace
maps are for.
 Outside of a school setting, brace maps can help visualize
the creation of a website.

 The initial object is the website as a whole. To the right of

the initial object, a brace opens to reveal the main parts, in
this case the website's pages.

 Each page then opens a new brace which reveals

everything that should be inside that page.

 A brace map can extend sideways until all the parts have
been identified.
Another great use for a map is for workplace organization.

A beautifully designed brace map can be made into a poster

showing all the sections of a startup office, including who
works where and where to find them.

Or for a premier co-working space that houses all sorts of

enterprises.

A fun brace map can be used as an outline to show

everyone how they can network with each other.
6.8.8 Bridge Map
 The last map of the collection is the bridge map. This is a
map used to find similarities between things and create
analogies.

 In a few words, an analogy is a comparison of two things

by showing their similarities.
 A bridge map can be used to create a narrative style for a
piece of written work.

 By using the main words in an idea and creating analogies

with them, it can make content more appealing.

 From business proposals to informative blog posts,

analogies add a personal touch.

 Another use for the bridge map is for a training session of

a new team member.

 With the use of analogies, the training can be more fun

than just a bunch of information they need to learn.
Conclusion
 As you can see, thinking maps are a rich resource when it
comes to creative analytical thinking processes.

 They help us visualize even the most complex ideas and

make them tangible.

 Sometimes, when we take on a new project, it can feel

daunting and enormous.

 By using thinking maps, we can relieve our brains of

excessive thought work.
End of Chapter