Creativity Alphabet
Since 1978, when I first went to CPSI – Creative Problem Solving Institute, created by Alex Osborn, creator of Brainstorming, and learned that there were creative thinking systems, techniques/tools, approaches/attitudes, methods, processes, strategies (organizing system S.T.A.M.P.S.™ that I created in 1978) I began collecting, creating and coaching or teaching people in how to use existing ones or create their own.
Tonight, December 18th, I created in a stream of conscious manner, another one I called Alphabet of Creative Thinking and sent out 26 separate Tweets™ representing what they might be. Then I received several supportive tweets and one the follower recommeded that I add them to my website. Mike Brown (Brainzooming™ creator) also suggested that I include cartoons. That I will work on.
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Here is the initial stream of consciousness (my impatience on steroids) version from my Twitter™ page.
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A is for adapt, alter current ideas
B is for broaden, break, back up from your ideas seeking new ones
C is for change, control, collapse, chaos, combine ideas
D is for dig deeper, wider, longer, divide, divert, dust off
E is for exercise, energize, excite, eliminate
F is for fix, forget, forge ahead, fill up, fudge
G is for generate, go around, over, under, through…
H is for halve, happy, hand-make, …
I is for innovate, invent, imagine, inject, integrate, initiate
J is for joke with, about, instead of, jolly up, jettison, jack up, just don’t sit there
K is for kindle, kindness,
L is for lighten, laugh. lift, lilt, longer,
M is for minify, magnify, modify, maximize, muddy around with
N is for noodle, needle, nudge
O is for oversize, outsize, organize, re-organize,
P is for put to other uses, paint, put under, over, around, pat, put,
Q is for quantify, quality, quake (shake up), quicker, quote others
R is for run, rip, rap, rut, rot, replicate, reduce, re-arrange
S is for size differently, set up, set aside, six, safer, smaller…
T is for tastier, tougher, tighter, typical, a-typical, tinier
U is for uncover, unwrap, undivert, unconvert, unteam, undo
V is for Vacate, validate, vanish, veneer…
W is for weatherize, wall up, work around, whip,
X is for xeric, Xerox, xylograph, xyolophone
Y is for yaff, yahoo, yarn, yellow, yeast
Z is for zip, zap, zup, zeal, zest
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Now here is a more complete listing using 600 verbs found on the website:
http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/regular-verbs-list.htm
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When seeking to instantly generate ideas, to spark your thinking, to excite the thinking of a pair of people, a team, a group, an entire audience, a classroom of any age students use the following Dictionary of English Verbs (or find one in your language and use those).
Then write out your challenge, problem, question leaving the VERB BLANK. Then randomly place verbs from this list into it to generate new ideas.
To increase my marketing I will (blank) my printed materials (this term could be blank as well).
accept
add
admire
admit
advise
afford
agree
alert
allow
amuse
analyse
announce
annoy
answer
apologise
appear
applaud
appreciate
approve
argue
arrange
arrest
arrive
ask
attach
attack
attempt
attend
attract
avoid
back
bake
balance
ban
bang
bare
bat
bathe
battle
beam
beg
behave
belong
bleach
bless
blind
blink
blot
blush
boast
boil
bolt
bomb
book
bore
borrow
bounce
bow
box
brake
brake
branch
breathe
bruise
brush
bubble
bump
burn
bury
buzz
calculate
call
camp
care
carry
carve
cause
challenge
change
charge
chase
cheat
check
cheer
chew
choke
chop
claim
clap
clean
clear
clip
close
coach
coil
collect
colour
comb
command
communicate
compare
compete
complain
complete
concentrate
concern
confess
confuse
connect
consider
consist
contain
continue
copy
correct
cough
count
cover
crack
crash
crawl
cross
crush
cry
cure
curl
curve
cycle
dam
damage
dance
dare
decay
deceive
decide
decorate
delay
delight
deliver
depend
describe
desert
deserve
destroy
detect
develop
disagree
disappear
disapprove
disarm
discover
dislike
divide
double
doubt
drag
drain
dream
dress
drip
drop
drown
drum
dry
dust
earn
educate
embarrass
employ
empty
encourage
end
enjoy
enter
entertain
escape
examine
excite
excuse
exercise
exist
expand
expect
explain
explode
extend
face
fade
fail
fancy
fasten
fax
fear
fence
fetch
file
fill
film
fire
fit
fix
flap
flash
float
flood
flow
flower
fold
follow
fool
force
form
found
frame
frighten
fry
gather
gaze
glow
glue
grab
grate
grease
greet
grin
grip
groan
guarantee
guard
guess
guide
hammer
hand
handle
hang
happen
harass
harm
hate
haunt
head
heal
heap
heat
help
hook
hop
hope
hover
hug
hum
hunt
hurry
identify
ignore
imagine
impress
improve
include
increase
influence
inform
inject
injure
instruct
intend
interest
interfere
interrupt
introduce
invent
invite
irritate
itch
jail
jam
jog
join
joke
judge
juggle
jump
kick
kill
kiss
kneel
knit
knock
knot
label
land
last
laugh
launch
learn
level
license
lick
lie
lighten
like
list
listen
live
load
lock
long
look
love
man
manage
march
mark
marry
match
mate
matter
measure
meddle
melt
memorise
mend
mess up
milk
mine
miss
mix
moan
moor
mourn
move
muddle
mug
multiply
murder
nail
name
need
nest
nod
note
notice
number
obey
object
observe
obtain
occur
offend
offer
open
order
overflow
owe
own
pack
paddle
paint
park
part
pass
paste
pat
pause
peck
pedal
peel
peep
perform
permit
phone
pick
pinch
pine
place
plan
plant
play
please
plug
point
poke
polish
pop
possess
post
pour
practise
pray
preach
precede
prefer
prepare
present
preserve
press
pretend
prevent
prick
produce
program
promise
protect
provide
pull
pump
punch
puncture
punish
push
question
queue
race
radiate
rain
raise
reach
realise
receive
recognise
record
reduce
reflect
refuse
regret
reign
reject
rejoice
relax
release
rely
remain
remember
remind
remove
repair
repeat
replace
reply
report
reproduce
request
rescue
retire
return
rhyme
rinse
risk
rob
rock
roll
rot
rub
ruin
rule
rush
sack
sail
satisfy
save
saw
scare
scatter
scold
scorch
scrape
scratch
scream
screw
scribble
scrub
seal
search
separate
serve
settle
shade
share
shave
shelter
shiver
shock
shop
shrug
sigh
sign
signal
sin
sip
ski
skip
slap
slip
slow
smash
smell
smile
smoke
snatch
sneeze
sniff
snore
snow
soak
soothe
sound
spare
spark
sparkle
spell
spill
spoil
spot
spray
sprout
squash
squeak
squeal
squeeze
stain
stamp
stare
start
stay
steer
step
stir
stitch
stop
store
strap
strengthen
stretch
strip
stroke
stuff
subtract
succeed
suck
suffer
suggest
suit
supply
support
suppose
surprise
surround
suspect
suspend
switch
talk
tame
tap
taste
tease
telephone
tempt
terrify
test
thank
thaw
tick
tickle
tie
time
tip
tire
touch
tour
tow
trace
trade
train
transport
trap
travel
treat
tremble
trick
trip
trot
trouble
trust
try
tug
tumble
turn
twist
type
undress
unfasten
unite
unlock
unpack
untidy
use
vanish
visit
wail
wait
walk
wander
want
warm
warn
wash
waste
watch
water
wave
weigh
welcome
whine
whip
whirl
whisper
whistle
wink
wipe
wish
wobble
wonder
work
worry
wrap
wreck
wrestle
wriggle
x-ray
yawn
yell
zap
zip
zoom
Robert Alan Black, Ph.D., CSP
Creative Thinking Consultant, Creative Problem Solver, Idea Generator, Creativity speaker and consultan
