This presentation might be useful for graduate and masters students

1. Creative thinking
Dr Jayasree Krishnankutty
Professor (Agrl Extension)

2. Imagine your are the opposite sex (Male Vs
Female), name 3 most important things you
will take care of in your daily life.

3. A way of looking at problems or situations from a fresh
perspective that suggests unorthodox solutions (which may
look unsettling at first)
Thinking outside the box also thinking out of the
box or thinking beyond the box
Ex : Alphabetize Adventure
1.Think of any word or see a word on a magazine cover or
billboard (preferably six or so letters).
2. Stop looking at the word and just picture it in your mind.
Then arrange all the letters in your head so they are in
alphabetical order.
For example, take a word like NUMBER. You would spell it
as follows: B-E-M-N-R-U.

4. Riddle of the Sphinx.
According to myth and legend, when Oedipus approached
the city of Thebes he encountered a gigantic sphinx
guarding entrance to the city. The menacing beast
confronted Oedipus, posing the following riddle to him, and
warning him that if he failed to answer it correctly he would
die instantly at the Sphinx's hands:
What has four feet in the morning, two at noon, and three at
night?

5. Removing Mental Locks
•The Right Answer
•That’s Not Logical
•Follow The Rules
•Be Practical
•Play Is Frivolous
•That’s Not My Area
•Don’t Be Foolish
•Avoid Ambiguity
•To Err Is Wrong
•I’m Not Creative
von Oech R. (1998). A Whack on the Side of the Head

6. Ideas are the currency of success. They separate
you from your competition.
- Edward de Bono

7. Definition of Creativity
"Creativity is the ability to respond to all that goes on around
us, to choose from the hundreds of possibilities of thought,
feeling, action, and reaction that arise within us, and to put
these together in a unique response, expression, or message
that carries moment, passion, and meaning."
Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women Who Run With the Wolves

9. RAWE creativity - ice breaking
Top 3 questions asked in Walt Disney
Theme Park
1. Where is the Toilet?
2. Where am I now?
3. Where is my Car? (after playing 10 hours,
holding tons of souvenir and 2 kids, at 11:00
pm)
Answer Creatively and Solve the Problem.

10. Exploring Creative Thinking Techniques
Visual Thinking Activities:
Perceptual, imagery, daydreaming, metaphoric, synectics, patterns
Idea Listing Activities:
Attribute listing, morphological synthesis, second best answer,
checklist, just suppose
Writing Activities:
Webbing, mapping, wet inking, reflection writing, story starters
Group Interaction Activities:
Simulation, role play, creative dramatics, six hats, fish bowl,
brainstorming, reverse brainstorming
Process-Product Activities:
Problem finding, problem defining, problem-based learning

11. Creative thinking techniques
I Brainstorming
II Mind Mapping
III Morphological Matrix
IV S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Techniques
V Value Grid
VI R.A.F.T. Strategy
Encouraging Creative Thinking

12. A Mind Map is a powerful graphic technique
which provides a universal key to unlock the
potential of the brain. It harnesses the full
range of cortical skills – word, image,
number, logic, rhythm, colour and spatial
awareness – in a single, uniquely powerful
manner. In so doing, it gives you the
freedom to roam the infinite expanses of
your brain.

13. Start in the CENTRE of a blank page turned sideways. Because starting in the
centre gives your Brain freedom to spread out in all directions and to express
itself more freely and naturally.
Use an IMAGE or PICTURE for your central idea. Because an image is worth a
thousand words and helps you use your Imagination. A central image is more
interesting, keeps you focussed, helps you concentrate, and gives your Brain
more of a buzz!
Use COLOURS throughout. Because colours are as exciting to your Brain as are
images. Colour adds extra vibrancy and life to your Mind Map, adds
tremendous energy to your Creative Thinking, and is fun!
CONNECT your MAIN BRANCHES to the central image and connect your second-
and third-level branches to the first and second levels, etc. Because your Brain
works by association. It likes to link two (or three, or four) things together. If
you connect the branches, you will understand and remember a lot more easily.
Make your branches CURVED rather than straight-lined. Because having nothing
but straight lines is boring to your Brain.
Use ONE KEY WORD PER LINE. Because single key words give your Mind Map
more power and flexibility.
Use IMAGES throughout. Because each image, like the central image, is also
worth a thousand words.

16. The changes SCAMPER stands for are:
S - Substitute - components, materials, people
C - Combine - mix, combine with other assemblies or
services, integrate
A - Adapt - alter, change function, use part of
another element
M - Modify - increase or reduce in scale, change
shape, modify attributes (e.g. color)
P - Put to another use
E - Eliminate - remove elements, simplify, reduce to
core functionality
R - Reverse - turn inside out or upside down.

19. 7
The six thinking hats - Process and rationale
Rationale
Cooperative exploration
replaces adversarial
thinking
Ego factors are removed
Negativity is “not allowed”
Process
Meeting of several people
Deliberate “putting on” of
different hats i.e. different
attitudes
Everyone wears each hat
simultaneously
Hats are changed during
meeting

20. 8
Six thinking hats
White hat Red hat Black hat
Association
White paper:
neutral
carrier of
information
Fire, warmth Strict judge, intolerant
of wrong doers
Area of focus Data and
information
Feelings,
intuition
Critical judgement
Questions/discussion
topic
This is what I feel
My gut feel is that
I don’t like the way
My intuition tells me
The regulations don’t
allow
He doesn’t have the
experience
Those prices won’t be
profitable
We won’t fill capacity
What info do we
have?
What info is
missing?
Where will we get
it?
How will we get it?
Source Edward de Bor

21. 9
Six thinking hats continued...
Yellow hat Green hat Blue hat
Association Sunshine
Optimism
Logical, positive
view
Vegetation,
Rich growth
Sky
Overview
Area of focus Benefits (logically
based)
Feasibility
Creative thinking
New ideas
Additional alternatives
Agenda
Next steps
Process control
Questions/discussion
topic
Are there alternatives?
Could there be another
reason?
What is a creative
solution
Let’s summarize views
Let’s look at priorities
The points to discuss
are...
This would work if
we did X
The benefit would
come from Y
High labour costs
mean a lower
workforce
Source Edward de Bono

22. Paper Towers or Bridges
Paper Towers or Bridges encourages organisation,
delegation and creativity.
Candidates have to construct the longest bridges out
of paper.
The most innovative thinking team wins!

23. Elements of Creativity
• Use the pressure of a time limit.
• Use a goal or quota.
• Be relaxed.
• Suspend judgment.
• Focus your attention.
• Have fun with it.
• Use a different perspective.

24. Verbal Insight Problems
Hole: How can you cut a hole in a 3 x 5 card that is big enough
for you to put your head through?
Twins: Marsha and Marie were born on the same day of the
same month of the same year to the same mother and the
same father - yet they are not twins. How is that possible?
Spatial insight problem
Can you figure out where to put the letter Z, top or bottom line
and Why?
A EF HI KLMN T VWXY
-------------------------
BCD G J OPQRS U

25. Describe each of your fellow group
members using ONE word!

26. Smart Beautiful handsome leader lazy
Cunning tall punctual pious studious
Hardworking efficient helpful kind
Quiet short -tempered egoistic selfish
Show-off pleasant artistic just
Childish impatient patient paavam clever
Positive negative superfluous disorganised
Singer dancer sportsperson movie enthusiast
Systematic timid bold brave sincere

27. Look at this peanut.
How is this peanut like
you?
Can you come up with 10
answers in 3 minutes?

28. 1.The swimming pool in the hotel is no use during rainy season during June - Aug, just
brainstorm 5 possible uses of the swimming pool here. (profit or non-profit)
2.Name as many as possible the use of used newspaper.
3. Imagine you have the power to get 3 “yes” answers from anyone to ask. What are the
Three (3) questions?
4.Imagine you have the power of telling 3 persons to do anything in the coming 24 hours.
Which 3 persons and what are their duties?
5.Imagine you are the famous doctor inventing a medicine that can control headache,
create a “NAME” for it for patent application.
6.If you are the Food & Beverage Director of a hotel, how can you make the hotel guests
visit minimum 2 restaurants per stay here?
7.If you are the Director of a TV station, think as many creative ideas as possible to attract
audience to watch daily “Late News” at 11:45 pm - 12:00 midnight.
8.Imagine you are the Chairman of Jack Fruit Association. Describe how you would
increase the sales volume of this fruit consumption in Kerala.
9.Describe as many possible uses of “straw” in this world.
10 Describe as many possible uses of paper clip .

29. Low difficulty:
Captain Scott was out for a walk when it started to rain. He did not have an
umbrella and he wasn't wearing a hat. His clothes were soaked yet not a hair on
his head got wet. How could this happen?
In what year did Christmas and New Year's fall in the same year?
How many cubic centimeters of dirt are in a hole 6 meters long, 2 meters wide
and one meter deep?
A father and his son get in a car accident. The father is sent to one hospital, and
the son is sent to another. When the doctor comes in to operate on the son, the
doctor says, "I cannot operate on him. He is my son." How can that be?
Solve: |r|e|a|d|i|n|g|

30. Thanks, until we meet
again!