178 101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving
- 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
Handout
- Essence of the Problem Handout
Time
30 minutesRelated Activities
- Name Change [9]
- Switcheroo [11]
- What’s the Problem? [70]
Procedure
- Distribute the Essence of the Problem Handout, review it with the participants,
and answer any questions they may have. - Tell the group members to write down the problem challenge on a flip chart visi-
ble for all to see. - Ask the participants to write down, individually, on a Post-it®Note, what they
think is the essence of the problem, in the form of a word or brief phrase. Tell
them to focus on the objective as demonstrated in the handout. - Have them pass this note to the person on their right.
- Instruct them to review the note passed to them and then write down another word
or phrase on a new note, and keep it without passing it. Each group member now
should have two Post-it®Notes containing “essence” words, one from the person on
their left and the one they just wrote. (Note:There may be duplication among the
group members, but this is to be expected and requires no special action.) - Ask the group members to take turns sharing their two words or phrases and
invite the other group members to use these words as stimuli to help brainstorm
ideas. Tell them not to worry if their initial ideas are not directly related to the
words. Free association is welcome so that one word leads to another. - Have them write down their ideas on Post-it®Notes and place them on flip charts
for later evaluation.
Debrief/Discussion
This is an excellent technique to help participants create new problem perspectives. Its
focus on abstract levels of a problem can prompt ideas normally not possible with con-
ventional approaches.07 VG 167-216 10/6/04 12:17 PM Page 178