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
5. Get Crazy
Background
Look waaaaay down inside yourself. There are lots of hidden recesses down there, aren’t
there? Things known only to you and perhaps a few of your intimate friends. Things you
normally don’t show in polite company. That strange side only you know about. The side
that views things differently.
If you look long enough, you may eventually discover the wacky you down there—
the side of you that every now and then thinks of an off-the-wall idea. It’s the side that
makes a sudden leap of intuition, jumps to conclusions, and goes off the deep end (the
side filled with clichés). You know it’s in there, so admit it. Use it occasionally to your
advantage. Get crazy, get zany, get ridiculous. View your problems with new eyes and
use the steps that follow to help produce this same effect within the participants.
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
Handout
- Get Crazy Handout
Time
45 minutes
52 101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving
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