Work In Colour - Work. Think. Live. In Colour
Tuesday 14th June 2011 | 5 comments
When I started out running creative thinking workshops, I made an assumption about people's thinking. I thought that everyone has been taught to think logically, so it's only creative thinking that we need to practice in order to have the whole picture, to be able to think inside and outside the proverbial box.
I was wrong. Just because I spent 4 years learning to think like a lawyer doesn't mean everyone understands Aristotelian logic and Socratic questioning.
So last year I rebranded my creative thinking work, and it's now about 'Juicy Thinking', and incorporates both critical and creative thinking tools.
I decided it was about time I had a model too. (They told me when I started in corporate work that I wouldn't be taken seriously if I didn't have a model...)
Whenever I speak, I introduce my model with some video of a marching band. Why? Because that's my model - left, right, left, right. 'Left' is about critical, logical, analytical, evaluative thinking and 'Right' is about creative, possibility, idea generating thinking . It works like this:
Left: Frame the question, consider the scope and collect data.
Right: Generate ideas, insights and alternatives.
Left: Capture ideas, critique them and develop an action plan.
Right: What's missing, what hunches are you ignoring, are there other possibilities?
It's pretty simple to remember, and it gives a bit of a structure when you're trying to change your thinking. Of course, it doesn't always look nearly this neat, but it is a good roadmap if you feel you are a bit lost, or would like a destination to head for on your next thinking adventure.
What do you think of it? Do you have any other models you like to use here?
Tag: thinking
As we get older, our two brain sides begin to naturally work as one. This is observed as wisdom, but in fact is a natural fusion. Mid to late Middle Age is apparently when our rounded thinking capacity reaches it's apogee. This link will explain: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/the-talents-of-a-middle-aged-brain/
Earl, thanks for this link. As the owner of a middle-aged brain myself, I find it all most reassuring :). It squares with the work of the rather fabulous Elkhonon Goldberg, whose book, 'The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger As Your Brain Grows Older' has been a favourite of mine for a while. I interviewed him a few years ago, and was fascinated. Not sure if it's fusion or just all parts of the brain communicating better, but the result is most encouraging!
You have just described the design process.
1. Brief - clarification, limitations, clients needs
2. Research
3. Generate ideas - evaluate, modify, evaluate. PS the most useful tool for this is de bono's PMI - Plus, minus and interesting analysis. Another good tool is his 7 hats when in a corporate setting
4. Develop idea - evaluate
5. Produce final design - evaluate and modify again
Nice example Robyn, glad to see it all matches with your work experience! My aim wasn't to reinvent the wheel or go all grand and clever, but to offer clients an easy structure within which they could play. Thanks for your contribution...
It is amazing how often some thing is obvious once it is pointed out to you. I had never considered which part of the brain I used when I was doing each part of the design process. To add further to this, colour also impacts on the brain, yellow for eg is a colour that stimulates the right side of the brain, hence why it is a good colour in a toy room.