This document provides a cheat sheet for creative thinking techniques. It introduces 9 mini techniques for generating creative solutions: Separate, Opposite, Best Practice, Alien, Diverge, Attribute, Worst Case, Aspects. Each technique is explained with an example and guidance on when to use it. The overall document encourages practicing these techniques to improve creative thinking skills.

1. A creative thinking cheat-sheet

2. Creativity comes from a combination of:
 your knowledge (what you know)
 your motivation (your need to be creative)
 your social environment (acceptance of new
ideas)
 your creative thinking skills
This presentation is intended to help you with
your creative thinking skills.

3. The basics of creative thinking skills
 The mixing of different ideas
 Taking a different perspective on things
 Thinking inside other boxes (rather than „out
of the box‟)
 Willingness to take risks
 Openness to new ideas

4.  Each slide has a mini-technique. Each mini-
technique is designed to stand alone.
 Pick the min-technique that best suits the
problem you are dealing with.
 If one mini-technique doesn‟t work, try
another.
 Practice in quiet moments.

5. Approach Example
1. Separate the outcome from • “I want to achieve result „A‟
the mechanism used to and the way I choose to
achieve it. achieve it is mechanism „B‟.”
2. State the current mechanism
as a choice. • “Is there any other way I
3. Go find other choices. could choose to do this?”
When to use How it works
• Use when you know what the • It forces you to separate the
desirable outcome is but the desirable (outcome) from
current ways of doing things undesirable (the mechanism).
seem to be a problem. • If you state the mechanism as
a choice it gives you a sense
of control.

6. Approach Example
1. Think about what would • “What would happen if I did
happen if you the opposite of what would
2. Look at possible advantages normally be expected?”
from an opposite approach
• “What possible benefits are
there from an opposite
approach to this problem?”
When to use How it works
• Use when there appears to be • It forces a new perspective on
a logical approach but your thinking.
experience shows that this is
unlikely to work.

7. Approach Example
1. Think about an industry that • “What industry deals with this
has to deal with a specific type of problem that has to
type of issue. get it right: e.g.
2. Look at what they do. • Airlines for quality
3. See what can be used to • Police for crisis response
solve your problem. • Formula One racing pit
crew for cycle time”
When to use How it works
• Use this when you have a • It provides access to
clearly defined problem that solutions and thinking from
you need to solve such as industries that have to get
quality, responsiveness or things right. Their thinking
cycle time. will probably be very
advanced.

8. Approach Example
1. Pick a hobby or something • “What could „X‟ tell me about
you are interested in and my problem? Where „X‟ could
learn about it. be any discipline, e.g.
2. As you learn, relate what you • a type of sport,
learn back to the problem • history,
you face. • A pastime, or
• something else”
When to use How it works
• Use when problem‟s concepts • It forces you to understand
are difficult to find. the concepts to be able to
• Use when you seem to come relate them between different
up with the same set of fields of knowledge.
solutions again and again. • It forces the problem into the
back of your mind to prevent
repeating the same solutions.

9. Approach Example
1. Find as many different ideas • “How many different
as you can to the problem. solutions can I come up with
2. Focus on finding as broad a for solving this problem.”
range of ideas as possible.
• “How many different
categories can I put them
into?”
When to use How it works
• You have a problem and you • A large number of ideas
don‟t know where to start. ensures you consider
different perspectives.
• A broad range of ideas gives
you more opportunity to mix
ideas together.
• Is a form of brainstorming

10. Approach Example
1. List as many attributes about • “How many attributes can I
the problem as you can. find for my problem?”
2. Think about the significance
of each attribute as you list • “What does each attribute I
them. find tell me about my
problem?”
When to use How it works
• You need to rely on a logical • It forces you to uncover
and rational approach. individual attributes about a
• You need to think creatively problem.
and you don‟t know where to • It allows you to think of each
start. attribute in isolation.
• Being a methodical approach
it reduces the sense of risk.

11. Approach Example
1. Come up with a descriptive • “A worst case solution is to
worst case solution (avoid do „X‟.”
numeric solutions such as
cost) • “„Y‟ and „Z‟ are less damaging
2. Work backwards from the than „X‟ so may provide
worst case. partial solutions.”
When to use How it works
• Use when you have a high • Starting with a worst case
stakes problem that seems solution puts other solutions
impossible to solve. in perspective.
• Use when you have difficult • Avoiding a numeric outcome
stakeholders. avoids the trap of coming up
with numeric half-way house
solutions.

12. Approach Example
1. Come up with different • “What are the different
perspectives. perspectives I want to cover,
2. Think about the problem e.g. positives, negatives,
from each perspective in risks, etc?”
turn.
• “What does my problem look
like from each perspective?”
When to use How it works
• Use when you have a complex • This is a version of „thinking
problem. hats‟ forcing you to use
• Use when there are different different perspectives.
stakeholders who have their • Different perspectives opens
own views. up different lines of thinking.

13. Technique Summary
Separate  Separate the method and the outcome
Opposite  Imagine doing the opposite of what seems logical
Best Practice  Find a solution from an industry that has already
solved the problem
Alien  Related the problem to an unrelated industry
Diverge  Think of as many different solutions as you can
Attribute  Break the problem into pieces and think about the
bits
Worst Case  Imagine the worst case outcome and work
backwards
Aspects  Come up with different perspectives and think
about the problem from each perspective in turn