101 Activities For Teaching Creativity And Problem Solving

92 101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving

101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving.Copyright © 2005 by John Wiley &

Sons, Inc. Reproduced by permission of Pfeiffer, an Imprint of Wiley. http://www.pfeiffer.com

16. PICLed Brains

Background

We all have had our brains tickled many times while listening to others talk. Although we

may not hear every word spoken, we often scan the output selectively and focus on a few

key words and phrases. These words and phrases are the ones that frequently spark new

ideas. Sometimes we may not be aware we are influenced by someone’s words; other

times, we may have an instant “Aha!” when we hear a certain word. In either case, the

ideas usually flow freely.

PICLed Brains is based on the Product Improvement CheckList (PICL) (VanGundy,

1985) poster and uses a similar process to generate ideas. However, instead of relying on

someone else’s words, we can use random stimulus words, most of which should be

unrelated to a problem.

This technique is based on the brain’s ability to free-associate when presented with

something new. When we first confront a new word, a stream of mental associations is

triggered in our brains. Each of these mental associations has the potential to spark

unique ideas, mostly because the associations are unrelated to our problems.

The Product Improvement CheckList contains stimulus words organized into four

categories:

1. Try to... (for example, inflate it, twist it, sketch it, wipe it, tighten it)


2. Make it... (for example, transparent, soft, magnetic)


3. Think of... (for example, time bombs, escalators, oatmeal)


4. Take away or add... (for example, anticipation, layers, sex appeal, friction)

To generate ideas, randomly select a word from one of the four categories and see if it

suggests any new ideas. Then free-associate from this word to get started. If you don’t

have a copy of the PICL, you can use the sample words in the handout.

Objectives

• To help participants generate as many creative ideas as possible


• To help participants learn how to use the activities to generate ideas

Participants

Small groups of four to seven people each

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