• To help participants generate as many creative ideas as possible
• To help participants learn how to use the activities to generate ideas
Participants
Small groups of four to seven people each
Materials,Supplies,and Equipment
• For each group: markers, two flip charts, and masking tape for posting flip-chart sheets
• For each participant: one sheet each of three different colors of sticking dots (1?2” diameter) and one pad of 4 x 6 Post-it® Notes
Handout
• Bionic Ideas Handout
Time
45 minutes
Related Activities
• Chain Alike [54]
• I Like It Like That [55]
Procedure
1. Distribute the Bionic Ideas Handout, review it with the participants, and answer any questions they may have.
2. Have the groups state the problem as clearly as possible using an action verb and an object (for example, how to increase sales) and write it down on a flip chart.
3. Tell them to describe the major principle or process that underlies the problem. Cite, as an example, that increasing sales involves the principle of getting more of something.
4. Ask them to think of similar principles in nature (that is, biological or botanical analogies).
5. Instruct them to use these similar principles or processes to stimulate new ideas, writing them on Post-it® notes (one idea per note) to place on flip charts for evaluation.
Debrief/Discussion
Some people may have trouble generating analogies for this exercise. One way to help is to have the participants brainstorm more analogies than they might use. Another way to help would be to provide a list of processes and principles found in biology (for example, osmosis, cell structures). Such lists would be available in biology texts or on the Internet.
Consider having participants debrief using the following questions:
• What was most helpful about this exercise?
• What was most challenging?
• What can we apply?
• How would you rate the value of this exercise to helping us with this issue?
• Will this exercise be helpful in the future for other sessions?
• What did you learn?
• What will we be able to use from this exercise?
• What ideas were generated, and which ones were most interesting?
Taken From : Pfeiffer 101 Activities for Teaching Creativity
