Creating flashes of inspiration yourself Creative thinking at the touch of a button

There is nothing left, no idea, no creativity. Not only working people notice such emptiness, but also writers. With them this phenomenon is called "writer's block". Luckily, there are simple tricks that help overcome the void. A brainstorm can be produced in-house!
If, despite the important project, yawning emptiness prevails in the mind
If the boss desperately wants to have new ideas on the table for an important project, but there is lethargy in the head, employees are under enormous pressure. The brain sometimes finds it very difficult to leave the usual trails. Help could possibly be movement. American researchers found out years ago that walking encourages creative thinking. Other scientists even reported where this should happen best: According to this, problems can be solved more easily in the forest. Employees can not always go for a walk if the boss wants to see quick results.

Brainstorming and good ideas can be generated at the push of a button. Image: kei907 - fotolia

Experts have tips on how to tackle the proverbial board in front of your head. Accordingly, innovation trainers use targeted brainstorming strategies with the aim of thinking outside the box, breaking new ground and sometimes being inspired by the unfamiliar. The agency report lists seven methods that workers can try out right away:

Brainstorming through the "class reunion"
If you are looking for a new concept, a new working method or an external presentation, you can look forward to "The Class Reunion". "Then you deliberately go into a foreign industry to see how they work there," advises Peter Pakulat, innovation coach and creativity expert from Hamburg. In its seminars, for example, Pakulat sends restaurant operators who want improvements to their restaurant to hospitals, penal institutions or cruise ships. The aim is to absorb the impressions without evaluation and to completely engage in the other world. Afterwards the impressions are analyzed. "In doing so, one often finds completely new inspirations for one's own work and business development."

Roll up the problem from the back
In another method, the problem is rolled up from the back: If you can not find what you are looking for, you may wonder what would make the situation worse. "With the headstand method you turn the tables and look for worst-case scenarios," explains Benno von Aerssen, creative trainer and lateral thinker from Weeze. As the dpa writes, the trick is that it makes it easier for the brain to think negatively, and so a lot of input comes together. "This one then turns back into the positives and gets so much inspiration for how the project can work really well."

Great and unusual ideas
Petra Hennrich, creative coach and specialist author from Vienna, further explains that semantic intuition combines concepts in a random way in order to gain new ideas. The first step is to formulate the topic for which new ideas are needed. In step two all the words and thoughts that come to mind are noted on little notes. Then the notes are mixed and always pulled out in pairs. "Join these thoughts and concepts together. Look at what happens when you think about it. "Especially word pairs that supposedly have nothing to do with each other could produce great and unusual ideas.

Brainwriting pool
Benno von Aerssen has another tip: For team brainstorming he recommends the round table. They all sit together in a circle, on the table there is a stack of index cards. Each participant takes a map and writes down an idea for the desired project. Then the card will be passed to the left. "Now everyone can decide whether he wants to add something to it or not." The index cards continue to walk until they return to the starting point. The advantage of this method is seen in the fact that it is easier for more introverted colleagues to contribute ideas and the hierarchy is eliminated by the anonymity of the notes.

Playing with changes
A game of change is another way that can lead to a flash of inspiration. Basically, there are always things that are innovative, that stand out from the crowd and are different. Pakulat recommends that you imagine the product or the project in a different way in order to progress in the search for unique selling points. "Put everything in a different context, play with the change." You ask yourself questions such as whether you can change the properties of the product - for example, sound, smell, color or shape? Or if you can change it, build it in a different order? Is it possible to use it completely differently, to downsize, to enlarge it? What would the product immediately notice?

30 terms within a minute
The book author Petra Hennrich advises the method Tempo 30, when in the creative process, nothing at all goes or difficult to get started. In doing so, any "scrap word" that has nothing to do with the topic is noted on a piece of paper. Then, for exactly one minute, all terms - it should be 30 pieces if possible - are written down, which come to mind for this word. As the news agency dpa reports, the junk will be rewritten itself in mental empty runs. The trick behind this method is that the subconscious mind is activated by the tireless writing and the thought barrier is dissolved.

"Brain triggered by unusual ideas"
As the seventh and last method, the agency is leading the stimulus imaging technique. It uses images from magazines or an old memory game that have as little to do with the problem as possible, such as a glass of orange juice or a plant. It is about thinking about the picture, about what I see or what I feel about it? And whether these associations somehow refer to the own problem? "In this way, the brain is triggered for unusual ideas," says Aerssen. (Ad)