Welcome to the Creativity Techniques section of the web site. Here you will find a number of techniques designed to improve your creative ability.

The Reversal Technique

You should apply the reversal technique to challenge your assumptions of a particular subject area. Just because something has always been a particular way doesn’t mean that it necessarily needs to be that way in the future.

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

The Scamper Technique

Use the SCAMPER technique to manipulate an existing idea. SCAMPER stands for Substitute; Combine; Adapt; Magnify-Modify; Put to other uses; Eliminate; Rearrange-Reverse.

The PMI – Plus / Minus / Interesting technique

Use the PMI – Plus / Minus / Interesting technique to weigh up the pros and cons of an idea or decision. A lateral and creative thinking technique developed by Edward De Bono which is pretty similar to the pros and cons technique that people have used for many years.

The Brainstorming Technique

A lateral thinking process used to gather a large number of ideas usually related to a specific problem or topic area.

It is a popular technique used by many as it can quickly produce many new ideas in a short period of time. For further information please see my article on brainstorming.

Image by TeroVesalainen from Pixabay

The Nominal Group Technique

If you’re not getting enough group participation from your brainstorming session then you may like to try the nominal group technique.

This technique has many similarities to brainstorming however it enables participants to submit their ideas anonymously.

The Brainwriting Technique

Brainwriting is an attempt at improving on the brainstorming technique. It prevents people’s ideas from acting as a barrier to other people’s ideas and is supposedly more likely to get all in a team to contribute.

Day Dreaming

Start daydreaming. Let your mind wander off to far away or strange places. Doing so can be an excellent method for getting creative ideas. Visit the daydreaming page for some ideas and examples.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Lateral Thinking

Use lateral thinking which attempts to make you consider changing concepts or perceptions to find a creative solution to a problem domain. It gets you to consider methods that might at first seem illogical or not quite right.

(Cartoon credit: Catnip by Jeff Hoyle)

Other Creativity Techniques

For a technique related to the opportunity recognition of an existing idea in terms of your customer’s perceptions then please take a look at the perceptual map tool.

If you’d like to read about a technique that enables you to improve on an existing idea and to encourage buy-in then read about the catchball technique or if you need a systematic method for finding innovative solutions to problem domains then you may like to learn about the Triz theory of inventive problem-solving.