1. “A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds. ”
Mark Twain
“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.” Albert Einstein

2. Lateral thinking: Play with the possibilities
Trish Downey
ACPL Library Camp
Oct. 24, 2012
Good morning. My name is Trish Downey and I am a librarian here at ACPL in the Readers’ Services Dept. One reason I like working in libraries is because libraries are CREATIVE places. Lateral thinking is about creativity. Creative thinking contributes to good public service and good work environments. A copy of this PPT will be saved on the ACPL Library Camp 2012 wiki so you can just google that tomorrow if you want. It will be a quick look at LAT TKG theories, techniques and tools. You can also use LAT TKG in your personal life. If you find the neighborhood or family HOLIDAY party to be BORING, BORING, BORING you can put LT TKG techniques to work to create a party that people will be talking about 20 years from now.

3. Libraries and innovation
Bilingual storytimes
Online book clubs
Book club kits to-go
The list goes on
Examples of innovation in libraries. You could list many more…

4. Edward De Bono & Lateral Thinking
Rhodes scholar
Author of over 50 books
Edward De Bono is considered the father of lateral thinking. He trained as a physician and then turned his interest to creative thinking. He taught lateral thinking to children as young as 7 and to adults, including adults who were IL-LITERATE and those who were Nobel Laureates. He believes creative thinking an important skill for everyone. At the end of this presentation is a bibliography listing several of his books because I am a librarian and I wouldn’t give a presentation without a bibliography..

5. Definition of Lateral Thinking
A process that moves your brain from a predictable pattern of thinking into a place where it can generate more ideas.
(Give them time to read the slide). Lateral thinking is a PROCESS, a process, a process. The theory is that the most easily activated pattern of thinking in your brain is the one that is most familiar. So, the logical thing when trying to solve a problem is to look to the most obvious solution.

6. Break patterns of thinking
Lateral thinking is about breaking patterns of thinking so that we can generate more possibilities – ideas that are not obvious and that may need some work before they are useful. How are you going to break out of that boring holiday party rut this year? What can make the party more fun and interesting? How could change the way your library handles complaints so that the process doesn’t drag down both staff and patrons?
Play with the possibilities

7. Vertical thinking Be analytical and sequential Strive to be right
Choose one best idea
One way to define lateral thinking is to contrast it with vertical thinking DeBono sees vertical thinking as useful. He believes schools do a good job of teaching V thinking and that we need to do a better job of teaching people to be lateral thinkers.

8. Lateral Thinking Generate many options
Keep looking even after you find possible solutions
Be willing to be wrong while you let an idea grow

9. Useful for Problem Solving Innovation
When you think about either solving a problem or creating something new one thing they have in common is perspective. De Bono said one reason we get stuck on a problem is because of the way we look at it. We need to get our mind in a place where it can play with a lot of possibilities. We can do this ALONE or in groups. We can use lateral thinking ALONE or in groups.

10. Be aware of thinking that can interfere with creativity
Dominant ideas
Obvious choices
Polarization with either/or choices
DeBono recommends we be more aware of our thinking patters.

11. Challenge assumptions
TECHNIQUES. One LT TECHNIUE is to challenge assumptions. If you assume that book groups must sit around a table you would never have online book groups. If the Wright brothers had assumed only birds could fly you would not be able to fly to Florida. Good things can come from challenging assumptions.

12. Take a creative pause
We live in a SPEEDED up world, so this technique appeals to me. De Bono recommends someone alone take 30 seconds and those in a group take 2 minutes just to stop and think. For example, you could think about “How could we look at this differently?” He maintains it develops the habit of making a creative effort. You won’t necessarily get results from every creative pause but you develop the habit of “paying attention” and focusing. Take time to think.

13. Think in reverse
Eg. What are all the ways we could make shelving more inefficient?
Speedo used this TECHNIQUE to look at all the ways they could SLOW down a swimmer by how they designed swimwear. Looking at things BACKWARDS may point up elements of a process or problem you might otherwise not notice.

14. 18 16 24 40 Make a quota on alternatives
Generating a lot of options is the focus of lateral thinking. Setting a quota on alternatives helps do that. Then there will be lots of options and possibilities to play with.

15. Use randomness
Chance has played a part in many innovations. De Bono recommends that instead of continuously “staring at a problem” that a person or group try to connect some random object in the room with the problem. It is a way of exercising the mind in another direction while working on a problem. It is a way to “OPEN UP NEW LINES OF THINKING. De Bono says “If you always stick within what seems relevant you are only reinforcing existing ideas.” (p. 183 Serious Creativity).

16. Try six thinking hats Gut feelings Facts Positive consequences
Negative consequences
Innovative Ideas
Process and Procedure
PAUSE so they can read slide. Many organizations have used Six Thinking Hats to look at processes and new ideas. De Bono devised 6 thinking hats as a way to cut through the confusion of trying to do too much at once when thinking through a problem. Each color represents a way to look at the problem. The blue hat refers to facilitating the process – as in “What are we trying to do? And at the end of the discussion “What do we do next?”

17. Tools for practicing lateral thinking
Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Creativity Exercises
What can help develop lateral thinking as a skill??? One tool is lateral thinking puzzles. You can find those on the Internet or you can find books of LT puzzles. They involve CHALLENGING assumptions and coming up with alternatives. Also DeBono has a book of CREATIVITY exercises which is listed in my bibliography. It is based on using random words to practice creative thinking and solve problems - what he calls “IDEA creativity” .

18. Reference List
Bronson, P. & Merryman, A. (July 19, 2010). The creativity crisis. Newsweek, 153 (3). Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.
De Bono, E. (2008). Creativity workout: 62 exercises to unlock your most creative ideas.Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press.
De Bono, E. (1973). Lateral thinking: Creativity Step by Step. New York, NY: Harper and Row Publishers.
De Bono, E. (1967). New think: The use of lateral thinking in the generation of new ideas. New York, NY: Basic Books.
In summary, Lateral thinking a process designed to improve creative thinking. It is based on the theory our mind follows familiar patterns and we need to do things to break those patterns to spark creativity. Edward De Bono has many techniques that have been used by individuals and organizations. You may read about it in these books. Also listed is an article from Newsweek saying creativity is declining in this country and a website by a consulting group that uses SIX THINKING hats and gives examples of successes organizations have had with it. How are you going to make that holiday party more fun this year? What can you do to solve that problem that is dragging down you and your work group? How can you make things more interesting and enjoyable? Generate a LOT of ideas and then play with those ideas to see what you can create.

19. De Bono, E. (1992). Serious creativity: using the power of lateral thinking to create new ideas. New York, NY: HarperBusiness.
De Bono, E. (1999). Six thinking hats. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company.
Harshman, E.J., MacHale, D. & Sloane, P. (2003). Classic lateral thinking puzzles. New York, NY: Main Street.
- This is a commercial site but it does give fairly detailed examples of how businesses have used lateral thinking.

20. Play with the possibilities
Don’t say anything.