Creativity Information

The Elements of Creativity: What-ifs?


What if there is no toilet paper and I am halfway through doing the "do"?

What if one of my team members decides to leave the project halfway and he happens to be the most knowledgeable guy there?

What if I turn colour blind, how should I adapt to the environment?

What-if, what-if and more what-ifs?

The technique of asking What-ifs provokes an individual to think and to produce something new. At times, in order to find original solutions to old problems, one must take the leap of faith and ask 'crazy' and imaginative questions to get us out of the rut of stale, conformist routine.

So, when you are walking, relaxing and or plain daydreaming, practice the techniques of What-ifs and have a ball of a time stimulating your brain juices!

You never know when your What-ifs Questions and Answers (Q&A) practice sessions could come in handy in sprouting innovative solutions to everyday problems.

I was just wondering about the invention of the mobile phone (or cellphone). Could it be the result of several fun and crazy What-ifs sessions among some guys in a restaurant, just talking off-the-cuff? What kind of questions could lead them into the invention of our beloved mobile phone? Hmm..

The questions asked could be the following:

  • What if I go out and I cannot receive an urgent phone call from my wife? (Especially when I am out so late and so often)

  • What if I have to make an emergency call and there is no public phone around? (Where's the fire truck when you need one?)

  • What if I cut the wires of my home telephone and bring the phone along with me? (That could be COOL! No more getting entangled!)

One must remember that the What-ifs techniques are often used more to excite your imagination, not to develop a real solution to your problem. Though it happens!

The next step in the What-if process is to weigh up the responses and see if there lies a connection that may be used to solve the problem at hand.

Here are the steps of the What-ifs technique:

1.Write out specifically the nature of your challenge/problem. (How can I stop losing my car keys?

2.Ask as many WHAT-IF scenarios as you can. Any crazy what-ifs will do. Don't be too pre-occupied with facts of the problems you want to solve. Imagine. Be a non-realist!


(What if I put my car keys within my body?)

3.Try to answer the what-if questions.


(I could develop a system whereby my thumb-print/ voice could be used to open the car's door- yes; it's been done already! The bio-metric technology)

Putting Your Elements to Work:

Get cracking and develop your own original responses to the following questions. Have FUN!

  • What if my pet dogs starts talking to me?

  • What if the Internet service is shut down for a week and I am in the online business selling my products?

  • What if the book I am reading now is laughing at me for not being able to understand the meanings of certain word?

  • What if my friend turns out to be alien from Mars?

  • What if I have a Television that tells me to stop watching too much T.V?

    Crack your Head and have FUN!

    About The Author

    Dr. Alvin Chan is a Senior Research Consultant at First Quatermain Centre of Collaborative Innovation (www.firstquatermain.com).

    Please contact heartware2002@yahoo.com as a courtesy when reprinting the article online and/or offline.

    bizguru88@hotmail.com


    MORE RESOURCES:
    Google

    UCSC camp encourages kids to unleash digital creativity
    San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 19 hours ago
    "We're tapping into their creativity." The camp, which expects 30-40 kids per week, runs weekly sessions from June 29 to Aug. 1, and is a hands-on, ...


    China Daily

    'Kung Fu Panda' punches away at controls on creativity
    China Daily, China - 13 minutes ago
    ... vanquish the curse of China's lacklustre film industry after the country's senior advisors on Friday called for less government control on creativity. ...


    Glastonbury weekend inspires the type of creativity that can also ...
    guardian.co.uk, UK - 5 hours ago
    It is a purely creative, interactive experience which can only enrich our daily working lives. Work and play are seen as opposites. We are either at work, ...


    Chelsea Killed Mikel's Creativity - Odemwingie
    Goal.com, Switzerland - 11 hours ago
    The view expressed by the Lokomotiv Moscow striker is one shared by several Nigeria sports journalists, who believe thats , John's creativity that so ...


    Schools should enhance students? creativity : CU VC
    The Statesman, India - 7 hours ago
    Das said that students should hone their skill and creativity. The school authorities should help them to become self-dependent. He criticised the teaching ...


    STREGA AWARD: BONDI, GIORDANO SYMBOL OF ITALIAN CREATIVITY
    Agenzia Giornalistica Italia, Italy - 12 hours ago
    (AGI) - Rome, July 4 - "Paolo Giordano represents that young, fresh and creative Italy which we hope will come out ever clearer" said Culture Minister ...


    Back to basics for a geyser of musical creativity
    The Gazette (Montreal), Canada - 21 hours ago
    For Arthur - especially lately - it appears to be more of a compulsion: the constant product of a mind that would rather keep creative juices flowing in all ...


    DSBN is lacking creativity in solutions for NDSS enrolment
    St. Catharines Standard, Canada - 2 hours ago
    ... his comical solutions were unfortunately more creative than those of most long-standing members of the District School Board of Niagara. ...


    Canon cooks up a new idea to celebrate creativity
    Crewe and Nantwich Guardian, UK - 12 hours ago
    By Mark Hilditch » A CREWE clergyman is employing his skills in the kitchen to give churchgoers a creative feast this weekend. Canon Bill Baker, vicar at St ...


    McLeish eyes midfield creativity
    Teamtalk.com, UK - 16 hours ago
    Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has put a creative midfielder at the top of his summer transfer window wish list. The Blues have added former Everton ...
    James McFadden is backed to play leading role BirminghamMail.net
    Lee Carsley: Only the title will do! BirminghamMail.net
    all 3 news articles

    Creativity - Google News

  • home | site map
    © 2006