101 Activities For Teaching Creativity And Problem Solving

91. Altered States

Background

Many of the activities in this book are based on changing perspectives. Creating a new

way of seeing things disrupts locked-in viewpoints. Although many people fear change,

changing perspectives should be welcomed in creative thinking. Altering a dysfunctional

or narrow perspective can provide the insights needed to generate breakthrough ideas.

Change your perspective and you’ll open up new worlds of thought.

Hall (1994) developed Altered States to help people change their frames of reference

and see their problems differently. Once a person’s perspective has changed, new ideas

should flow more freely.

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

• Altered States Handout


• Altered States Questions Handout

Time

45 minutes

356 101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving

12 VG 355-388 10/6/04 1:30 PM Page 356