Mind

Mapping
 Creativity techniques

• Brainstorming
• Normal grouping
• Delphi technique
• Lotus blossom
 Rules to creative thinking

NO CRITICISM QUICKNESS OBJECTIVITY BE CRITICAL

CRITICIZE/ ATTACK
IDEAS NOT PEOPLE
 Come up
Break down
with
the problem
solution
Goals of
brainstorming
Judgement
& analysis at
No criticism
this stage
of ideas
stunt in idea
generation.
 Brainstorming process

1 2 3 4 5 6

Write down the Define the Lay out any Keep the session Welcome Ensure that the
notes/ use a flip problem criteria to be met focused on the creativity. discussion of ideas
chart problem Encourage does not take
enthusiasm, place for long
positive attitudes.
 Rules while
brainstorming
• Promote quantity of ideas
• Allow no criticism or evaluation of ideas as they
are generated.
• Allow only one idea at a time from each person
• Encourage idea building
 Individuals develop idea

Ideas are listed and viewed openly

All discuss, clarify, evaluate ideas

Nominal
group Individuals vote or rank the ideas
technique
Ideas are polled and preferences
arranged
Decision or choice is made
 Ideas are generated in “rounds”

Round 1.

Participants do survey
Delphi
technique All responses are collected and
compiled

All participant’s see everyone’s

responses.

Repeat rounds till a consensus is

achieved
 Lotus
blossom
• Structured brainstorming
exercise used to expand a
central idea or problem
• Technique based on lotus
flower
• 8 central ideas, sub ideas
surrounding it for expansion
• Ideas, solutions, applications,
etc. stemming out from these
central ideas.
 Storyboarding

• Storyboarding- creativity enhancing &

problem-solving technique, developed by
Walt Disney in 1928.
• Applied in total quality management
effort-utility company, Florida Power and
light.
• First American company to win- Japanese
Deming prize.
• Learning after doing reflection exercise-
US organizations
 Why mind maps?

• Helps in the use of case

teaching.
• Encourages open participation
• Stimulate productive dialogue
• Helps in communicating large
quantities of complex
information.
• Creativity &productivity
enhancing technique.
 Revolutionary system for
capturing ideas.

Memory- association and

hierarchy.
Why mind
maps?
Left brain- logical, analytical

Right brain- artistic , creative

 Mind Map- Tony Buzan
“ The mind map is an expression of radiant
thinking and is therefore a function of the
human mind. It is a powerful graphic
technique which provides a universal key to
unlocking the potential of the brain. The
mind map can be applied to every aspect of
life where improved learning and clearer
thinking will enhance human performance.”(
1970)
 ide
a

Idea
ide ide
a a
 Four
characteristics
• The subject of attention is crystallized
in a central image.
• The main themes of the subject radiate
from the central image as branches.
• Branches comprise a key image or key
word printed on an associated line.
• The branches from a connected nodal
structure.
 Focuses on
spurring
Stimulates the
creative as well
whole brain
as logical
thinking.
Mind maps thought
patterns.
Characteristics
Continued Engages the Left and right
often inactive brain thinking
right produces
hemisphere of synergistic
the brain. outcomes.
 Left & right brain thinking

Upper brain- divided into left & right

hemispheres.

Two sides are connected by Corpus Callosum,

allows both sides to be in constant
communication.
Dual nature of the brain- Robert W . Sperry.

Left cortex- logic, words, reasoning, numbers,

linearity, and analysis- academic activities.
 • Right side-alpha wave , resting
side.
• deals with rhythm,
Left & images,imagination,
colour,daydreaming,face
right recognition, map recognition.
• Buzan- Einstein,Picasso,Cezanne
brain and Da Vinci
thinking Used both sides of their brain.
Imbalance results in dysfunctional
thinking.
 Western world- biased towards
linear thought process when
processing information due to
Newtonian perception of the
universe.

Linear Linear thinking- logic, sequence

and quantification.
Thinking

Linear thinking relies heavily on

analysis, ordering of
information in a definite
pattern and use of taxonomy.
 Linear thinking is selective

De Bono- One selects the most promising

approach to a problem.

linear &
lateral Best way of looking at a situation.

thinking Lateral thinking- one generates as

many alternative approaches.

Vertical thinking-selective, lateral

thinking is generative.
 Linear Logic
• Creativity relies on a Tao- balances
positive aspects of both lateral and
linear thought processes.
• Mind mapping –a tool that requires
the use and interworking of both
upper brain hemispheres.
• Linear logic is left brain based, allows
little room for the functioning of the
right brain, i.e. creativity.
 Our education process –rewards
linear thinking.

Edward De Bono-1967 which

Lateral involves disrupting an apparent
thinking sequence and arriving at
thinking the solution from another angle.
Lateral Thinking methods provide
a deliberate, systematic process
that will result in innovative
thinking.
 • Alternatives: How to use concepts
as a breeding ground for new ideas.
Sometimes we do not look beyond

Lateral the obvious alternatives.

Thinking
• Focus: When and how to change
the focus of your thinking. You will
learn the discipline of defining your

Techniques focus and sticking to it.

• Challenge: Breaking free from the

limits of traditional thinking. With
challenges, we act as though the
present way of doing things is not
necessarily the best.
 • Random Entry: Using unconnected input to
open up new lines of thinking.

• Provocation and Movement: Generating

provocative statements and using them to
build new ideas.
Lateral
• Harvesting: Capturing your creative output.
thinking At the end of a creative-thinking session,
we normally only take note of the specific
techniques ideas that seem practical and have obvious
value.

• Treatment of Ideas: How to develop ideas

and shape them to fit an organization or
situation.
 Traditional thinking is 2400 years old, based
on the philosophies of Socrates, Plato and
Aristotle

Socrates used to point out ‘what was wrong’

to clarify the concepts

Traditional
Thinking Plato believed that we can see only shadows
of truth as we go through life

Aristotle believed that people would put

together different ‘boxes’ in their mind based
on their experience & judge things into one
of those boxes
 So, traditional thinking is concerned
with “what is” which is determined by
analysis, judgment & argument.

It is not constructive or creative and

doesn’t involve design. Partial
exploration of subject / problem

Traditional Involves analysis, judgment and

argument
thinking
There is no focus and thinks about too
many aspects /things at a time

Traditional thinking is not collaborative

or cooperative
 • White-Objective Facts &
Figures

Six • Red-Emotions & Feelings

• Black-Cautious & Careful

thinking • Yellow-Optimistic, Hope &

Positive Thinking
• Green-Creativity, Ideas &
hats Lateral Thinking
• Blue-Control &
Organization of Thinking
 Six thinking hats

• There are six different colour imaginary hats that you can put on or take
off.
• Hats help a group to use parallel thinking
• Colour of hat identifies the type or direction
of thinking.
• Major organizations using Six Thinking Hats
are: NASA, IBM, ABB, Siemens, Microsoft,
British Airways, BP, Statoil, NTT, Federal
Express, Polaroid, PepsiCo, DuPont, Prudential
Insurance etc.
 Puzzles

• Puzzle 1: Three switches outside a windowless room are

connected to three lightbulbs inside the room. How can you
determine which switch is connected to which bulb if you may
enter the room only once?
 Puzzles

• Answer: Switch one light on for a minute; turn it off and turn
another on. Go into the room and feel the off bulbs. The
warm bulb is connected to the first switch, the on bulb is
connected to the second and the cold bulb is connected to
the third switch.
 Puzzle 2

• A man is replacing a wheel on his car, when he accidentally

drops the four nuts used to hold the wheel on the car, and
they fall into a deep drain, irretrievably lost. A passing girl
offers him a solution which enables him to drive home. What
is it?
 Puzzle 2

• Answer: Use one nut from each of the other three wheels.
 Puzzle 3

• Puzzle 3: A truck is stuck at a road under a bridge. It's just a

couple of inches too high to pass under. Any other route,
avoiding the bridge would add a couple of hours to the
journey. A young boy comes along and again saves the day.
How?
 Puzzle 3

• Answer: Let air out of the tires till the truck is low enough.
 Puzzle 4

• A man lives on the tenth floor of a building. Every day he

takes the elevator to go down to the ground floor to go to
work. When he returns he takes the elevator to the 7th floor
and walks up the stairs to reach his apartment on the 10th
floor. He hates walking so why does he do it? Clue: on rainy
days he goes up in the elevator to the tenth floor.
 Puzzle 4

• Answer: The man is dwarf and can only reach the button for
the 7th floor. On rainy days he uses his umbrella!
 Puzzle 5

• One snowy night, Sherlock Holmes was in his house sitting by

a fire. All of a sudden a snowball came crashing through his
window, breaking it.
• Holmes got up and looked out the window just in time to see
three neighbourhood kids who were brothers run around a
corner. Their names were John Crimson, Mark Crimson and
Paul Crimson.
• The next day Holmes got a note on his door that read "?
Crimson. He broke your window."
• Which of the three Crimson brothers should Sherlock Holmes
question about the incident?