CREATIVE

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• CREATIVE
• PROBLEM SOLVING

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

• Introductions
• Purpose
• Learning Objectives

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

• PURPOSE
• To develop the awareness and the skills necessary
  to solve problems creatively.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• 1. Define creative problem solving.
• 2. Be familiar with common mental blocks to
  creative thinking process.
• 3. Explore ways to be more creative.
• 4. Know the steps to the creative problem
  solving process.
• 5. Be familiar with Brainstorming,
• Mind mapping and Multivoting
• 6. Apply tools to solve a problem.

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Workshop Outline

• A. What is creative problem solving?
• B. Why dont we think creatively more often?
• C. How can we be more creative?
• D. What is the creative problem solving
  process?
• E. What are some other specific creative
  problem solving tools and techniques?
• F. Application of learning.

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

• What is creative problem solving?

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Some Additional Thoughts

• The creative person uses information to form new
  ideas.
• The real key to creative problem solving is what
  you do with the knowledge.
• Creative problem solving requires an attitude
  that allows you to search for new ideas and use
  your knowledge and experience.
• Change perspective and use knowledge to make the
  ordinary extraordinary and the usual commonplace.

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DEFINITION

• Creative problem solving is -

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DEFINITION

• Creative problem solving is - looking at the
  same thing as everyone else and thinking
  something different.

Adapted from a famous quote from a former Nobel
prize winner, Albert Szent-Gyorgi.
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EXERCISE
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A SOLUTION
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LETS TALK ABOUT

• Why dont we think creatively more often?
• What are the barriers that get in our way?

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BARRIERS THAT GET IN OUR WAY

• Time
• Why change?
• Usually dont need to be creative
• Habit
• Routine
• Havent been taught to be creative

What are some other barriers that get in our way?
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MENTAL BLOCKS

• Mental blocks are reasons (attitudes) why we
  dont think something different.

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MENTAL BLOCKS

• 1. The _______ answer.
• 2. Thats not _________.
• 3. __________ the rules.
• 4. Be ______________.
• 5. ________ is frivolous.

6. Thats not my _____. 7. ________ ambiguity. 8.
Dont be _________. 9. __________is wrong. 10.
Im not __________.
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MENTAL BLOCK 1

• The right answer.

Only one?
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MENTAL BLOCK 2

• The right answer.
• Thats not logical.

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MENTAL BLOCK 3

• Why rules should be challenged
• 1. We make rules based on reasons that make a
  lot of sense.
• 2. We follow these rules.
• 3. Time passes, and things change.
• 4. The original reasons for the generation of
  these rules may no longer exist, but because the
  rules are still in place, we continue to follow
  them.

• The right answer.
• Thats not logical.
• Follow the rules.

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MENTAL BLOCK 4

• The right answer.
• Thats not logical.
• Follow the rules.
• Be practical.

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MENTAL BLOCK 5

• The right answer.
• Thats not logical.
• Follow the rules.
• Be practical.
• Play is frivolous.

When do you get your best ideas?
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MENTAL BLOCK 6

• Thats not my area.

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MENTAL BLOCK 7

• Thats not my area.
• Avoid ambiguity.

AMBIGUITY
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MENTAL BLOCK 8

• Thats not my area.
• Avoid ambiguity.
• Dont be foolish.

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MENTAL BLOCK 9

• Thats not my area.
• Avoid ambiguity.
• Dont be foolish.
• To err is wrong.

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MENTAL BLOCK 10

• Thats not my area.
• Avoid ambiguity.
• Dont be foolish.
• To err is wrong.
• Im not creative.

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BEING MORE CREATIVE

• How can we be more creative?
• Jot down at least 3 ideas that come to your
  mind.

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Golden Rules of Creative Thinking

• Start small trying to discover new ways to be
  creative, ___________.
• __________ to abandon the old, obsolete ways of
  doing things and explore new ways.
• It is not possible to change the way we think
  about everything. ________ in which to try
  creative thinking techniques.
• Understand that creative thinking requires
  __________, but it is worth it!
• Remember that creative thinking is both _______
  and__________!!!

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Golden Rules of Creative Thinking (Continued)

• _________ on what you can reasonably do. Trying
  to do too many things at once compromises the
  effort and may take away from the results.
• _________creative thinking for today as well as
  tomorrow.
• Include other people in the creative thinking
  process with you. __________fosters creative
  thinking.
• Include _______ and ______ in your creative
  thinking process as well as ___________.
• Keep ________________.

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

• STEP 1. State what appears to be the problem.
• The real problem may not surface until facts
  have been gathered and analyzed. Therefore,
  start with what you assume to be the problem,
  that can later be confirmed or corrected.

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

• STEP 2. Gather facts, feelings and opinions.
• What happened?
• Where, when and how did it occur?
• What is its size, scope, and severity?
• Who and what is affected?
• Likely to happen again?
• Need to be corrected?
• May need to assign priorities to critical
  elements.

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

• STEP 3. Restate the problem.
• The real facts help make this possible, and
  provide supporting data.
• The actual problem may, or may not be the same
  as stated in Step 1.

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

• STEP 4. Identify alternative solutions.
• Generate ideas. Do not eliminate any possible
  solutions until several have been discussed.

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

• STEP 5. Evaluate alternatives.
• Which will provide the optimum solution?
• What are the risks?
• Are costs in keeping with the benefits?
• Will the solution create new problems?

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

• STEP 6. Implement the decision!
• Who must be involved?
• To what extent?
• How, when and where?
• Who will the decision impact?
• What might go wrong?
• How will the results be reported and verified?

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CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

• STEP 7. Evaluate the results.
• Test the solution against the desired results.
• Make revisions if necessary.

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10 Questions To Encourage Ideas

• What if?
• How can we improve?
• How will the Optimist Member and/or the community
  benefit?
• Are we forgetting anything?
• Whats the next step?

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10 Questions To Encourage Ideas

• What can we do better?
• What do you think about?
• What should we add?
• What should we eliminate?
• What other ideas do you have...?

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TOOLS TECHNIQUES

• BRAINSTORMING
• Purpose
• To generate a large number of ideas in a short
  period of time.

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BRAINSTORMING

• Rules for Brainstorming
• The more ideas the better!
• No discussion
• No idea is a bad idea
• Build on one anothers ideas
• Display all ideas

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BRAINSTORMING EXERCISE
How Do We Motivate Our Local Optimist Club
Members?

• Ideas Freely record your ideas as they come to
  your mind.

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BRAINSTORMING GUIDELINES

• 1. Practice question How Do We
  Motivate Our Local Optimist Club Members?
• 2. Clarify understanding. Once all the
  ideas have been generated (it may take
  approximately 5 to 6 minutes), review
  ideas offered.

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BRAINSTORMING GUIDELINES

• 3. Combine items that are similar and/or
  eliminate duplicates.
• 4. Completion.

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TOOLS TECHNIQUES - MULTIVOTING

• Purpose
• To help a group of people make a decision with
  which they are comfortable.
• Definition
• A way to vote to select the most important or
  popular items (alternatives) from a list.

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MULTIVOTING

• Steps
• 1. Generate a list of items and number each
  item.
• 2. If two or more items seem similar, they may
  be combined.
• 3. If necessary, renumber the items.

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MULTIVOTING Steps (Continued)

• 4. Write down the numbers of the items you feel
  are the major cause of the problem.
• 5. Share your votes by a show of hands.
• 6. Eliminate those items with the fewest votes.
• 7. Repeat steps 3 (renumber) through 6 on the
  list of remaining items. Continue this process
  until only a few items remain. If a clear
  favorite does not emerge, the group may discuss
  the items listed and make a choice.

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MIND MAPPING

• Definition A visual picture of a group of
  ideas, concepts or issues.
• Purpose
• Unblock our thinking.
• See an entire idea or several ideas on one
  sheet of paper.
• See how ideas relate to one another.
• Look at things in a new and different way.
• Look at an idea in depth.

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Mind Mapping Exercise

• Over-sized blank sheet of paper.
• Select word, phrase or problem statement to
  serve as a focus for discussion.
• Print it in the middle of the paper.
  Enclose it in a box or oval.
• Let a word pop out of your mind. Print it
  anywhere on the paper.
• Underline it and connect the line with
  the problem statement (or key phrase or
  word) you are working.
• Record the next idea and connect it to original
  focus point or the prior thought.
• Continue printing and connecting words.

1. Initial Tumble of Ideas.
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Mind Mapping Exercise

• EXAMPLE

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Mind Mapping Exercise-- Helpful Hints
A

• Keep your printing large and easy to read.
• Feel free to use symbols and or pictures.
• Have some fun using different colors.

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COMPLETED MAP

• Draw over clusters of similar thoughts that are
  associated with the main focus point. Have fun
  using a different color highlighter with each
  cluster of words.
• How do the variety of ideas relate to one
  another?
• Do you notice any common causes of the problem?
  What are the most important causes?
• You are now ready to brainstorm solutions!

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APPLICATION OF LEARNING

• What Are The Three Greatest Problems /
  Opportunities Your Club is Currently Facing?
• i.e. How do you motivate your club members?
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.