Amp up your creativity through these thought provoking questions

 

Spoiler alert: two weeks ago I wrote ‘How many sides does a circle have & other creativity provoking statements.’  I’ll answer the creativity questions in this post. Didn’t get a chance to see the first post? Check it out here first.

 

Doing more, doing better

Most of my clients are looking for ways to do better, to do more & to leave a positive impact on their communities. Part of that equation is polishing off sometimes-rusty creativity & innovation habits & skills.

I’ve found that asking creative questions is a gateway to more, overall creative thinking. Here are some of the questions I asked during a treasure hunt activity I facilitated during a learning forum in the Maasai Mara recently, this time with the answers.

• Question:

Why are female ostriches gray & male ostriches black?

• Answer:

Female ostriches protect their eggs during the day & gray blends in better with their daylight surroundings, while male ostriches guard the eggs at night, their feathers blending in much better with the dark.

• Question:

How many sides does a circle have?

• Answer:

I’ve had several answers to this one (if you know others, please add them below in the comment section): infinite, 2 (inside & outside) & if the circle is a disc, 2 (top & bottom).

• Question:

What animal can you hear in the river by our camp (bonus points if you can imitate it)?

• Answer:

Hippos lumbered & lounged in the water beside us. Check out a recording of the odd noise they make here.

• Question:

What’s this → .

• Answer

This is from Roger VonOech’s classic work. One of the most creative responses (from a child) is it’s the view that a crow gets flying over a fence post.

There’s all sorts of ways to be creative. Let the illogical leaps & bursts of unusual connections be your conduit to creative problem solving & increased productivity. Like one of the participants in the learning forum said it made for a “very productive conference.”

Need a concrete example? Thanks to reader Mark, who forwarded me this article, check out the link between saris & protection from deadly bacteria.

 

Creativity accelerators

Here are 3 specific ways to increase your creativity skills:

1. Look for a new way to use an old item (a la the sari example above)
2. Look for an usual way to view a commonplace item (like the . example above)
3. Find an answer to a problem you’re facing & then find another answer & another (like the ‘how many sides does a circle have’ question above)

 

Your turn. Take action

• If you haven’t already, join almost 1400 people who’ve used my quick creativity assessment tool
• Based on the questions & answers above, let your mind roam – like a gate newly opened – particularly towards a situation that could use some cranked up creativity & use 1 or more of the techniques above
• Still stuck? Look at this post for added ways to gain a new perspective
• Please let me know how it goes, in the comment section below or by emailing me. I’d love to hear.