Free Association Activities: “Blue Skies” 215
Time
30 minutesRelated Activities
- Get Crazy [5]
- Imaginary Mentor [42]
- We Have Met the Problem and It Is We [48]
Procedure
- Read the above Background information to the participants.
- Distribute the What if...? Handout, review the example with the participants,
and answer any questions they may have. - Instruct the participants to brainstorm within their groups by saying the
following:
“Stretch your problem in as many ways as you can think of by asking ‘What if... ?’ Assume any-
thing is possible. Don’t worry about what won’t work or why something can’t be implemented. Just
let your mind go. Have someone in your group write down all of the ‘What if... ?’ statements on a
flip chart.” - After they are finished writing, say the following:
“Return to reality and examine each question while thinking, ‘Well, we can’t do that, but maybe we
can... .’ Brainstorm ideas by finishing this sentence and generate more practical ideas. Record all
your ideas individually on Post-it® Notes and place them on flip-chart paper.”
Debrief/Discussion
What if...? is one of the simplest, yet most powerful, activities available. It is often over-
looked, however, because it is so simple. If participants truly suspend belief during this
exercise, the results can be outstanding. Ask participants how they think this approach
compares with more traditional brainstorming activities and why.
Also consider having participants debrief using the following questions:- What was most helpful about this exercise?
- What was most challenging?
- What can we apply?
- How would you rate the value of this exercise to helping us with this issue?
- Will this exercise be helpful in the future for other sessions?
- What did you learn?
- What will we be able to use from this exercise?
- What ideas were generated, and which ones were most interesting?
07 VG 167-216 10/6/04 12:17 PM Page 215