101 Activities For Teaching Creativity And Problem Solving

Ticklers: Related and Unrelated Stimuli 105

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

19. Say What?

Background

Idea generation should be like a rolling stone that gathers no moss. We should be able to

free-associate so fast we don’t have time to judge our ideas. This is especially true in

groups, in which people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. If we criticize others’

ideas, we should criticize our own.

Figures of speech liven up what we read and hear. They give substance to our com-

munications and can convey intended meanings more clearly. They also can become tire-

some if used repetitively or improperly, as illustrated in the previous paragraph (that is,

“a rolling stone.. .” and “people in glass houses... ”).

We all use clichés, proverbs, and maxims as part of our everyday speech. However, if

we want to use them to resolve our problems, we must use them systematically. That is

where this exercise comes in handy.

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

Materials, Supplies, and Equipment

• For each group: markers, two flip charts, and masking tape for posting flip-chart
  sheets


• For each participant: one sheet each of three different colors of sticking dots
  (^1 ⁄ 2 ” diameter) and one pad of 4 x 6 Post-it®Notes.

Handouts

• Clichés, Proverbs, and Maxims Handout


• Say What? Handout

05 VG 77-118b 10/5/04 5:05 PM Page 105