80. Super Heroes
Background
“Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” These words, which describe the super hero
Superman, may evoke childhood memories of super deeds and exploits—days when a
fantasy character could come to our rescue. Then we grew up and learned that our super
heroes are imaginary and may not always be there for us. Well, fret not. The Super Heroes
have returned! And now they can help us solve some real-world problems.
Consultants Steve Grossman and Katherine Catlin (1985) developed Super Heroes as
a way to introduce a playful spirit during brainstorming sessions. (See VanGundy, 1988,
for a more detailed description.) Group members assume the identity of various super
heroes and use the characters’ perspectives to prompt ideas. It is similar to Rolestorming
[77], but differs in the added stimuli provided by the various powers of the super heroes.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 eachMaterials, Supplies, and Equipment
- For each group: one roll of cellophane tape for attaching yarn to signs, markers, two
flip charts, and masking tape for posting flip-chart sheets - For each participant: one 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper, yarn to attach to the paper, one
sheet each of three different colors of sticking dots (^1 ⁄ 2 ” diameter), and one pad of 4 x 6
Post-it®Notes
Handout
- Super Heroes Handout
Brainstorming with Unrelated Stimuli 325
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