The Key to Better Creativity? A Easy Brainstorming Approach (Opinion)

How do I assist college students brainstorm successfully?

After they get caught, you may inform them concerning the artistic cliff phantasm. Right here’s one thing I wrote concerning the subject for Character Lab as a Tip of the Week:

“I don’t know what to do with 1,000 tennis balls!”

My scholar Nick was annoyed with the task. I’d requested the scholars to think about they had been working on the U.S. Open tennis event. After the event ended, a supervisor provided them the calmly used tennis balls hit in the course of the occasion by stars like Serena Williams and Roger Federer. Their job was to promote the balls for a revenue.

“I had a few good concepts at first,” Nick mentioned. “I may promote them as canine toys or to hospitals that would put them on the underside of walker frames to maintain them from slipping.” Then he struggled to think about extra choices and determined that was the perfect he may do.

Most individuals consider that good concepts come shortly or by no means—nevertheless it seems that’s not the case. Researchers name this the artistic cliff phantasm, the sense that we’re unlikely to land on good concepts in the event that they don’t tumble out the minute we begin pondering.

The reality, although, is that the perfect concepts usually come later. Your first concepts are likely to replicate widespread knowledge, and pondering like everybody else isn’t a recipe for creativity. The answer is to persist, regardless that persevering feels onerous. When you proceed working, extra fascinating and unique concepts will emerge.

I defined this to the category, and we spent one other 10 minutes pondering collectively. Nick realized that he may promote the balls utilizing two completely different methods: promoting a small portion for some huge cash as signed souvenirs to tennis fanatics and the remainder at a reduction to tennis faculties serving underprivileged children.

Don’t assume your first concepts are at all times your finest ones.

Do maintain brainstorming after you suppose you’re out of recent concepts. Clarify to the younger individuals in your life that it’s price spending 10-Quarter-hour longer on a job, as a result of the perfect concepts are doubtless simply across the nook.