How to Have New Ideas

A Short Course by Steve Gillman

Brought to You By http://www.IncreaseBrainpower.com And http://www.999Ideas.com

Copyright Notice This material is protected under International and Federal Copyright laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

Copyright 2008 - 2011 by Steve Gillman

Introduction
Not sure that you can come up with dozens of ideas by tomorrow? Do you think it is difficult to invent things in your mind? Do you believe creativity can't be taught? Do you also think that book introductions are long and boring? Well, you're about to change your mind.

Table of Contents

Lesson One - Creative Concept Combining Lesson Two - New Applications Lesson Three - Using an Idea-Generating Word List Lesson Four - Creativity and Innovation Lesson Five - Creating New Products Based on True Needs Lesson Six - Brainstorming Lesson Seven - Concentration and Brainpower

Lesson One

Creative Concept Combining

In this first lesson, we are going to jump right in with one of the best techniques for creating new ideas: creative concept combination. Just start combining ideas and things, and voila, you're having fun -- and maybe creating something new. Let's get to the examples.

Concept Combination for Fun and Profit "Tattoo" plus "advertising" might lead to the first large tattoo placement advertising campaign. Want a monthly stipend for having a Coke logo on your forehead? For a ton of new business ideas, just combine the concept of "home delivery" with almost anything. How about parties, tax preparers, rental swimming pools? Would people pay to have these things delivered? As with any idea-generating technique, you need to be careful not to stifle your creativity. Allow ideas to come without judging them. Critical analysis is for later. Also remember that these techniques are tools, not rules. If your mind goes off on a creative tangent -- just let it. Randomly combining things is a great mental exercise when you're driving or daydreaming. A boat and a bicycle becomes a water-ski-bike that glides across the water using pedal-power. Combining stock-trading and McDonalds has you imagining the selling of stocks and bonds at drive through windows. For more specific areas of interest, look for things to combine with what you already have. If your taxi business is struggling, combining "taxi" and "pets" might lead to a successful arrangement with a kennel, to pick up and deliver their client's cats and dogs. "Famous people," might give you the idea to run some sort of tour of the town, like they do in Hollywood. For maximum creativity in your innovation, look far and wide for concepts to

combine. "Meditation" and "amusement parks" seem too unrelated to yield interesting combinations, but I'll bet people at a carnival would pay to be put into a meditative trance using the latest brain wave entrainment technologies.

Limitless New Creative Concepts This technique is great for new product ideas, inventions and business ideas, but it isn't limited to those areas. In fact, some of the most creative new ideas come from combining concepts from radically different areas. Need examples? Church/Shopping Mall: Hmm... Four churches within one building. Imagine Christians, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists all sharing common space after their respective services and ceremonies. It might encourage tolerance, and even be inviting to those who want to "test" the various faiths. Jail/Mountains: Maybe use prison labor to maintain the trails in National Parks? Swimming/Alarm: Alarms for swimming pools? It sounds if a child falls in, and is otherwise easily turned off for regular use. Poetry/Economics: Hmm... Okay, I stared at the screen for five minutes, and nothing came to mind. That will happen, and when it does, you can just skip it. However, if you persist in looking for a new idea in the combining of two concepts, you'll find one. That's how this process works. Your subconscious mind is powerful. Put two concepts together, assume there is a connection that will lead to a new idea, and your subconscious will find it.

Ideas Exercise Write a list of twenty things and start combining them into new creative concepts.

1. __________________________ 2. __________________________

3. __________________________ 4. __________________________ 5. __________________________ 6. __________________________ 7. __________________________ 8. __________________________ 9. __________________________ 10. _________________________ 11. _________________________ 12. _________________________ 13. _________________________ 14. _________________________ 15. _________________________ 16. _________________________ 17. _________________________ 18. _________________________ 19. _________________________ 20. _________________________

Combine the above concepts or things in any way, but just two at a time for now. That still gives you 188 possible combinations, which could generate hundreds of new ideas.

Lesson Two

New Applications

Heres the whole lesson: Find new applications for existing ideas. And now, here are the details. I just saw a new local business advertised on TV, a company that uses a dog to find mold in your house. Dogs can be trained to sniff out almost anything. It reminded me of the news story a year ago, about a dog that could detect if you had cancer. My first thought was, "I wonder what else they could be used to find?" This is a super technique for generating new ideas. Just find new applications for existing ideas and inventions. By the way, one idea that came to mind was to use dogs to find other pets. They find humans so well, so why not a service to find lost pets? One sniff of the cats favorite rug, and the dog is on the trail.

Finding New Applications This is another technique, which like concept-combination, can be used in all areas to create an endless supply of new ideas. Start with the essence of the idea, and look for new applications. Then look at any other factors that could be applied in new ways. For example, let's start with the pneumatic tubes that deliver your money and papers at bank drive-through windows. The essence is a cartridge that delivers things through a tube using air pressure. Could the same thing work for human transport? Ride "the tube" to the next city? Maybe do this as an amusement park ride? Another aspect of the tubes is that they allow several customers to be waited on at

once. Fast food needs that at the drive through. The tubes themselves would spill drinks, but the idea of multiple lines can be used. Several drive-through windows, radiating out like spokes, at different angles, would allow three different lines of cars.

Beyond Business In demonstrating all of these techniques, it is easy to get stuck on the invention and business applications. These are just the easiest areas to come up with new ideas in. That doesn't mean they don't work well in other areas though. I saw a story about socially withdrawn preschool children. Psychologist Robert O'Connor made a short video with 11 scenes. Each showed a solitary child watching other children participate in an activity. In each, the child joined the group, and everyone was happy. When he showed the film to severely withdrawn children at various preschools, the children immediately began to be sociable with the other children. Their new behavior persisted weeks later, though they saw the film just once. Withdrawn children who didn't see the film were as withdrawn as ever. Its amazing research. You can probably imagine applications for these "coaching films." I'm imagining films in which criminals turn their lives around, to be shown in prisons. If young athletes were shown films in which it was normal to run fourminute miles, would their times would improve? I wonder.

Ideas Exercise Here is some practice for you, if you want to get in the habit of using this technique. Think of two new uses for magnets. 1. ________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________

Beyond bicycles, think of two new uses for pedal-power. 1. ________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________

If you are familiar with Darwin's theory of natural selection, find a new application for the concept, but outside of biology. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

We exercise our bodies, and we exercise our brains. What else can you apply the concept of exercise to? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Hopefully you're seeing how easy it can be to come up with new ideas. In the next lesson I'll show you a very systematic method, using a modifying word list.

Lesson Three

Using an Idea-Generating Word List

Several times now I've seen giant chairs. The most recent one was in a bar, being used by the host of a trivia contest. It was eight feet tall. Someone made and sold that chair, but how did he think of the idea? The simplest way would be to look at things (like chairs) and ask "what if it was bigger?" That is the essence of the modifying word list. You look at things and ask, "What if it was..." and insert a word from the list. To show the technique in action, I just looked around the room and chose a table as a test subject. I look at the word list and ask "What if it was..." Bigger: If it had leaves that spread from a central pivot, it could be opened up easily into a larger surface, like a hand fan opened horizontally. Movable: The obvious idea here is to put wheels on it. Another possibility is a line of super light tables that can be carried from room to room easily. Cheaper: I once used an old door as a table. Are there cheap and available materials that could be used to make doors? Interesting: Make tables that are covered in family photos (or anything else you want). The top would then be encased in acrylic. Easy to clean too! Divided: Four small tables that can be used on their own or connected into one large table? Subtracted: Take away the legs and it would be easier to clean under. Could it hang from the ceiling? Hotter: A warming tray built into the center of the table might be convenient for keeping meals hot.

Happier: Use colors that evoke positive emotions. Make cartoon-covered tables for day-care centers (it has undoubtedly been done before). Take notes as you do this, and develop or discard the ideas later. Most words won't give you useful ideas, but don't dismiss them without a few seconds of thought. Creative solutions can begin with unrelated thoughts. "What if it was boring?" may seem useless, but then it could lead to the development of a line of furniture based purely on being functional, simple, and cheap.

The Modifying Word List The list below is a basic one. Use it as is, but remember that there are hundreds of idea-generating words you could add to it. Any adjectives, descriptive phrases, or words that can change your perspective can be potentially useful. What if it was... larger smaller farther away closer sooner later easier more difficult softer harder poorer richer wetter drier higher lower longer shorter white black certain uncertain

newer older calmer more exciting boring interesting more casual more serious divided combined subtle extravagant more common less common faster slower better worse hotter colder added to subtracted from left alone hopeless stickier happier relaxed imaginary cheaper more expensive nothing yours

More Fun There is another way to use a modifying-word list. This may be even more fun. Start with the word instead of the thing or idea. Then apply the modifying word to everything you can think of.

For example, if you start with the word "easier," you just look around at things and ask, "What if it was easier?" Lights... It would be easier to turn them on in the dark if they were voice-activated. Plants... Sell a line of plants that are almost impossible to kill, for those of us that can't seem to keep house plants alive. Democracy... Maybe that company that makes the "For Dummies" books should add "Democracy for Dummies" to their line. Perhaps secure online voting would make it easier than going to the polls. Brainpower... Three deep breaths always help me. I bet it would work better if I had a small oxygen dispenser.

Ideas Exercise For each of the following apply the "what if it was" question using the words from the list above. Write down at least a couple new ideas for each. A Car 1. ________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________

War 1. ________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________

Your Job

1. ________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________

Part Two Pick a word from the list, like "slower," and apply it to the following concept and things. Jot down at least one idea for each. Use another idea-generating word if you prefer. What if a plane was ___________? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

What if education was ___________? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

What if the speed of light was ___________? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

What if molasses was ___________? ___________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Lesson Four

Creativity and Innovation

More creativity helps the process of innovation, so why not develop your creativity? We've covered three techniques for generating new ideas so far. Hopefully you had some fun and found them useful. It can also help to develop your natural creativity. That is what this lesson is about. How do you become more creative? Here is a two-step plan: 1. Encourage it. 2. Train your brain. Work on these right now, and you'll be more creative today.

Encouraging Creativity Encouraging creativity will make you more creative. No big surprise there. This principle is true for many things you might want to see more of in your life. Encouragement works, but how do you encourage creativity? Start by paying attention to it. The subconscious mind tends to give you more of what you pay attention to. If you ignore the creative aspects of your life, you're telling your subconscious mind they're unimportant. Consciously note when you're creative, and look for opportunities to be creative, and your subconscious mind will start feeding you more creative ideas. Writing down your ideas is another good way to encourage and increase creativity. Keep an "idea journal." Do this regularly, and you'll start having more ideas while you are writing. Small ideas may normally be forgotten, but by writing them down, your subconscious may work on them, and transform them into something very creative. Encourage greater creativity in yourself by putting creative ideas into practice. If

you paint or write, for example, try anything new, just because it's new. Even driving a different route to work to see if it is quicker can help. The point is to get you mind working outside of its regular patterns. Change your surroundings to encourage creativity. Want more creativity in your love life? Hike up a mountain with your partner. Need story ideas? Sit on a roof to write. For new ideas for your business, take a notebook to the park and sit by the duck pond. Any change of environment can get your brain out of its ruts.

Training Your Mind for Creativity Entrepreneurs see potential profit in a situation, because their minds are trained for that. Lawyers see potential problems, because that's how their minds are trained. Watch any good comedian and you'll notice that she has trained her mind to look for the "different angle" on everyday things. The ways in which you repeatedly think become habit, and that's how you train your mind. If you learn the techniques of creative thinking, use them until they are a habit, then creative thinking will be as natural for you as lying is for a politician. Start with these three habits: 1. Challenge assumptions. What if restaurants didn't have employees? Visitors pay a machine as they enter, feed themselves at a buffet, and everything is as automated as possible, so one owner-operator could run a large restaurant alone. Challenge all you assumptions for practice. Do you really have to go to work? Do swimming pools need water? Can education be a bad thing? 2. Change your perspective. A dog's thoughts about your busyness could clue you in to the unnecessary things you do. Considering dollars-per-day instead of per-hour could give you a plan to let employees go home when they finish a quota. Increased efficiency is likely, and you could adjust daily pay and quotas so both you and employees made more money. See everything from several perspectives. 3. Let ideas run wild.

Does flying furniture seem silly? It could lead to the concept of a hover-lifter. Just slide the device under furniture and it lifts it with a cushion of air, making for easy moving. Try not to stifle your creativity. Just relax, let ideas come, and know that you can always discard them later. For these thought-patterns to be automatic, you need to use them regularly. It takes several weeks to develop a habit, so write a few of your favorite techniques on a card and carry it with you. Look it over throughout the day and apply the techniques to anything. A little work up front, and soon you'll have almost effortless creativity.

Ideas Exercise Think of any crazy idea right now. It should be something that would embarrass you to say aloud, like, "What if I could go swimming with my computer," or "How could I teach books to fly?" Then think about it for a few minutes and write down any ideas that come to mind. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Work with one of your ideas until it becomes something plausible. For example, swimming with a computer may seem silly. Giving it some thought, though, could lead to the idea of a small waterproof computer that instructs a swimmer how to adjust breathing and motions for greater efficiency. It might be a useful product.

The idea here is to prove to yourself that "silly" ideas can lead to better and even useful ideas. It also just gets you thinking in new ways. This kind of practice will help overcome any tendency you might have to discount your creative ability.

Lesson Five

Creating New Products Based on True Needs

Identifying true needs is a great route to new product ideas. Have you ever been frustrated with the assembly instructions for something you bought? Or annoyed with the design of something? Good news! Every frustration can be the source of new ideas. A service that creates clear assembly and instruction manuals might make good money, for example. Hey, it's fun to dream up a hundred new ideas. It's even good exercise for the brain. Sometimes, though, that's all you get. It may be fun to imagine an inflatable helium chair that lets you float above your home, but can you sell it?

Starting With True Needs and Desires Starting with common and easy-to-understand problems is the surest way to have not just new, but useful ideas. If you and six of your friends all have a similar complaint about something, there is a true need for a new idea there. If you run into the same frustration several times, it's time for a solution, right? For good ideas that solve real problems, look at what annoys you, frustrates you, gets in your way, or is difficult. Ask other people what issues they have too. If half of your older friends complain about stairs in their houses, it's time for a single floor housing development. I like to demonstrate these techniques with real examples. I also like to do it as I write, so I can be sure that it works as easily as I say. In this case, I'm going to think of several annoyances or "issues" I've had in the last few days, and use them to come up with new ideas. Okay, it took me three minutes to come up with the following annoyances. I'll spend a minute or two on each, to see what ideas they stimulate.

Problem: Delicate clothes... I want to throw everything in the washer, and then in the dryer. I dislike digging through to see what can't be washed in hot water, and what can't be put in the dryer. Hmm... If there was a store, let's call it "The Simple Life Store," that sold only clothes that could handle any type of washing and drying, I'd shop there. Problem: Forgetting to use what I know... I know how to reduce stress, but I forget to use the techniques. I even forget to use the memory techniques I know! Hmm... Would people pay for a twice weekly call from a "life coach?" You explain beforehand what your goals are, and they call to see if you are on track, to remind you, and encourage you. Fifteen minutes, $30? Problem: Uncertain car costs... There are a few things that may be going wrong with my car. The main stress, though, is from the uncertainty. No problem for months, and then $700 in brake work out of the blue. Argh! Maybe a mechanic could have a set fee-per-mile for any and all maintenance and repair. Once you sign the contract, you know what your cost will be per mile. Or perhaps a monthly charge. Problem: Lack of space... We used to have a fairly small apartment years ago. Somebody could market a line of furniture that doubles as storage space. Couches, chairs--even tables might be designed to provide interior storage space, and still be attractive. It might be nice to have a table that folds up into the wall when we're done eating too. Of course, once you identify the problems to be solved, you can combine any of the various problem solving techniques to generate ideas for new products or services. You can also use them one by one, to get as many different ideas as you can. "Assumption challenging" will definitely give you different ideas than the "add-subtract-change" technique.

Ideas Exercise Write down five things that annoy you or cause problems for you. Then think of a couple possible solutions for these. Try to think of solutions that can be used by others who face the same issues. Problem or annoyance: _______________________________

Possible solutions/ideas: ______________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Problem or annoyance: _______________________________ Possible solutions/ideas: ______________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Problem or annoyance: _______________________________ Possible solutions/ideas: ______________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Problem or annoyance: _______________________________ Possible solutions/ideas: ______________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Problem or annoyance: _______________________________ Possible solutions/ideas: ______________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Lesson Six

Brainstorming

So far the lessons have been on ways to create ideas on your own. For this lesson, I am reprinting a short article I wrote on brainstorming with others. It is from my web site, www.IncreaseBrainPower.com

The Key to Good Brainstorming Have you been in a brainstorming session where each person just defended their own ideas? Worse is when people don't suggest ideas at all, for fear they'll be attacked. That's no way to brainstorm. Brainstorming is using the power of many minds, and ideas should flow freely and trigger other ideas. How do you make that happen? You have to have a good leader to have good brainstorming. The leader isn't there to impose his will, though, but to stop the imposition of anyone's will. His role is to stop criticisms, arguments, and even strong opinions, at least in the first part of the session. A brainstorming session needs to be spontaneous, open and uncritical. "Bad" or "silly" ideas can lead to helpful ones, so suggestions have to be left un-judged at first. To brainstorm effectively, you can't stifle the creative process. The leaders job, then, is to make everyone feel free to suggest any ideas.

An Example of Good Brainstorming The scenario: your business needs to cut delivery costs. The group throws out ideas and thoughts. "Let's not deliver," someone suggests, and when another starts to criticize, you remind him of the rules. "Negotiate lower rates," somebody says, "Or just find a company with lower rates," another adds. Ideas like reducing package weight and charging customers more are suggested, and lead to other ideas.

You keep it civil, take notes, and eventually call a halt to this free-for-all part of the session. Now it's time to evaluate and develop the ideas for whatever usefulness they may have. To keep the creativity flowing in this stage, have participants defend or develop ideas that are not their own. This brings new insight to the idea, and prevents the problem of ego-identification that causes people to get "stuck in a rut" with their own ideas. For example, ask the man who was critical of the idea of not delivering to work with that idea. "We have to deliver," he might start with. Then he thinks for a second and says, "I suppose we could deliver to central distribution points instead of to the individual customer. The customer could drive a short distance to pick up their order. That might save us on shipping." Someone else suggests that the customers may like the arrangement. They would be able to return the product immediately if they were dissatisfied, with no need to pack and ship it. You assign a couple people to look into it, and move on to the other ideas. Good leadership keeps the whole process working. In the last example, you've even used a "bad" idea to come to a possible solution. That's good brainstorming.

Lesson Seven

Concentration and Brainpower

Improving concentration and otherwise preparing for an idea-generating session is always a good idea. That's what this lesson is about

Better Concentration When you work on something, concentration is automatic, until you're distracted. The distractions are often your own constant thoughts. When you have nothing interfering, you have more complete concentration. With that in mind, try the following method to remove distractions, and to control your wandering mind. Are you expecting something bad to happen? Is an argument going on just below the surface of your consciousness? Are you worried about something, or in pain? Find everything you can. This self-observation is crucial, and it will get easier as you do it more. You'll start to see how many things are going on in your own head, distracting you. Deal with these mind-irritants. Make a phone call that's on your mind, take an aspirin, or apologize to whomever you were fighting with. Write things on tomorrow's to-do list, to get them off your mind. If there's nothing you can do right now, tell yourself that. Do this exercise a few times, and you'll find it becomes easier to recognize what is just below the surface, irritating you and sapping your power of concentration. Set these mind irritations aside, and you will think more clearly. I have read that Stephen King writes with loud music on. What distracts each of us, or doesn't, is obviously personal and somewhat unique. Do something about whatever it is that takes your mind away from the task at hand. Turn off the TV, feed your empty stomach, or turn your desk away from the window. When you take care of the external and the internal distractions, you'll be able to

focus your attention and brain power like a spotlight. Watch a child building a sand castle sometime, and you'll see that the power of concentration really is natural.

Brain Power Another thing that affects your ability to come up with new ideas is your brainpower in general. There are some quick things you can do to boost this. I won't get into the explanations here. Instead, here's a short list of things that work. Have a cup of coffee or tea. Take three deep breaths. Sit up straight. Breath with your mouth closed. Listen to Mozart's sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448. Walk for ten minutes. Take Ginkgo Biloba capsules. Talk about something you love (try this one - it really wakes up the brain).

Train Your Brain All these techniques become more useful as they become habits. It takes a few weeks to develop a habit, so try to use a technique regularly for almost a month. Then notice what happens when you sit down and look at a bicycle. If you've trained your mind in "assumption challenging," you'll automatically ask things like, "Are wheels necessary?" "Does it have to go outside?" What if the "bike" was inside the house, and pedaling it ran a video screen? You could "steer" through endless different scenes. Its time to put the lessons to work, and start creating those new ideas.

How to Have New Ideas

A Short Course by Steve Gillman

Brought to You By http://www.IncreaseBrainpower.com And http://www.999Ideas.com

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