Creativity Challenge 2002

WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT? REVISITED AGAIN

Creativity Challenge 2002 #47

This week's CC was sparked by a new book I am currently reading: WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT? written by Judge Charles W. McCoy, Jr. The title has been used several times that I remember, one by a creativity friend from CPSI and the Buffalo State University Creative Studies program, Roger Firestein and the others I do not recall the names usually focused on strange, yet highly successful, unique ideas or products.

McCoy's book is focused on logical thinking that usually people fail to do when they are trying to solve problems or challenges.

He structures the book around 8 questions we can each ask to help increase and improve our thinking.

1. Why didn't I see that? 2. Why didn't I concentrate on that? 3. Why didn't I catch that? 4. Why didn't I realize that? 5. Why didn't I come up with that? 6. Why didn't I sense that? 7. Why didn't I appreciate that? 8. Why didn't I anticipate that?

This week's CC is sparked by his early reminder about the use of the 5Ws and 1 H questions that CPSI and CPS people in general all remind us to use early in creative problem solving when we are Fact Finding or Data Collecting.

So let's get our objective gray cells working this week each day during our 15 minute creative exercise times.

For those of the older set you may a strong similarity of this approach to the excellent work of Kepner-Tregoe from the past.

MONDAY
- WHO? Each day take up a magazine, newspaper, book or some other source of information and randomly pick an article based on a headline or a photograph without reading the article or material. Then ask Who? questions, such as: Who is involved? Who Might be involved? Who is not involved? Who might have been involved? Who probably out to be involved?

TUESDAY
- WHEN? When did it happen? When might it happen? When might it have happened in the past or might in the future?

WEDNESDAY
- WHERE? Where did it occur? Where might it occur? Where else might it occur or have occurred?

THURSDAY
- WHAT? What happened? What might happen next? What might have happened just before this happened?

FRIDAY
- HOW? How did it occur? How might it have occurred? How might it occur in the future?

For those who write to me to say that often they find the weekly CCs too much work that is exactly one of McCoy's main points, "we do not accept that thinking (creative or analytical) is generally work."

Each day challenge yourself to work at thinking.

Have a creative week.

Alan

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