Actionable Tips for Generating Creative Ideas
The pace of development of modern society creates conditions for competition in the generation of new ideas, and, as a rule, the one whose idea was more creative and resonated with the masses receives all the laurels. A society’s need to create ideas to solve immediate problems can be compared to its need for air to continue to exist.
A person in a corporate environment faces this situation on a daily basis: when trying to improve a new product, service, way of implementing production, functioning of the entire company, etc.
People who generate new ideas fall into two key types:
- Creators are those who create innovations that have no analogues in the world.
- Professionals are people who produce products that are similar in characteristics, but qualitatively different from each other.
In other words, the creators create something exceptionally new, and the professionals modify what was, presenting it as new. The first type includes product developers, startup authors, artists, and the second type includes corporate marketing departments, advertising agencies, design studios, and the like.
3 Essential Rules for Generating Successful Ideas
Everything ingenious is simple! The same rule applies to tips in generating ways to solve the required problems. When creating an idea, you should be guided by the following principles:
- Complete taboo on criticism. Don’t “kill” ideas in their newfound form, using phrases such as “this won’t work“, “this is stupid“, “not enough budget“, “customers won’t appreciate“, etc. Thus, you may accidentally lose the thread to finding that very brilliant idea. Take all possible options to solve the problem.
- If you have an idea, write it down right away. A new idea that has arisen will not be able to remain in our memory for a long time, since it simply will not have anything to cling to. If you don’t want to miss it, write it down right away (on paper, electronically, on a voice recorder – it doesn’t matter). The main thing is to additionally fix the creation of the idea.
- Don’t dive headlong into one idea you like. When sketching ideas, stay on the surface. You will still have the opportunity to work them out in detail. However, at the generation stage, it is important to create a choice of solutions to the problem. Emotionally immersed in one, you may miss the moment of finding a more suitable option.
TOP 5 Effective Idea Generation Methods
- Brainstorm
This method is used by corporations, companies and organizations of all stripes. It consists in the fact that a group of people gathers, each member of which throws his ideas on solving the issue. Brainstorming can be done both in writing and orally. In order for people not to be afraid to express ideas, they can be written down on pieces of paper, after which all options are collected in a common container and drawn out in a random order for further discussions.
- Minibus, bathroom, bed
This method reflects the fact that an idea is a rather abstract thing. It can fall in a wide variety of places. You involuntarily recall A. Blok’s verse “Night, street, lamp, pharmacy.” Therefore, sometimes it is important to let go: relax, take a hot bath, lie in bed so that your brain is not under constant pressure.
- Mental maps
This method helps to visualize the idea in more detail. You draw a key object (idea) in the center of the sheet, and draw four branches from it, on which associations will be recorded in 4 categories:
- characteristics (“What object?”)
- functions (“What is it doing?”)
- symbols (“What does it mean?”)
- values (“Why is it important and for whom?”)
- Inversion
As in mathematics, you start to find a solution to the problem from the opposite side of the coin. If you need to improve the service, think about what can worsen it. Finding weaknesses helps to improve them, which affects the final result.
- Abracadabra
This method follows from the brainstorm, only here everything is presented in an absurd way. Participants in the discussion should express the most ridiculous at first glance ideas and try to argue their importance. In a cheerful atmosphere of emancipation, the most brilliant ideas can be born!
Only geniuses produce worthwhile ideas – MYTH!
There is a widespread opinion that only brilliant people are subject to a muse that brings ready-made ideas. However, a great idea is just a clever combination of a few simple ideas.
How much we know about the great achievements of other people, but how little we are told about the failures that they experienced on the way to success. Eg:
- Einstein became famous thanks to the developed theory of relativity, but during his life he wrote more than 300 scientific papers in physics and 150 separate books in other fields.
- Mozart wrote about 630 pieces of music, trying himself in a variety of genres.
- Bach made it a rule, no matter what the circumstances, to write at least one cantata a week.
- Edison filed over 1,000 patents for scientific inventions, but became famous for the light bulb!
Therefore, the main rule in creating ideas is to create them in whole bundles, create-ive and not be afraid of failure. It is important to accept the fact that not every second idea will be “the one”, but perhaps the one hundred and one or thousand and fifth will be the idea that realizes your dream!
Internet marketing expert. Head of marketing agency MAVR.
Business degree “Master of Business Administration” (MBA).