Synectics

Synectics comes from the Greek word synetikos, literally, "to bring forth together." William Gordon, developer of Synectics Training, has devised ways to connect dramatically different ideas, thus providing new insights into old problems.

"Creativity is the marvelous capacity to grasp distinct realities and draw a spark from their juxtaposition." Max Ernst

Here are three ways to practice the Synectics creativity:

1. The Spectrum Policy

Assume that any idea, however ridiculous and absurd, has a spectrum of possibilities. The bright speck in a very dark landscape can become a brilliant star when you look at it closely. Thus, in Synectics groups, members are asked to follow the spectrum policy, to participate without criticism. A particularly "stupid" idea becomes an opportunity to find that scintillating speck.

"No idea is so outlandish that it should not be considered with a searching but at the same time steady eye." Winston Churchill

2. Take a Vacation

First, define the problem in complete detail. Members question the person presenting the problem for as long as a half hour until everyone understands all aspects of the problem. No brainstorming or solution gathering occurs at this time.

Second, leave the problem entirely, take a mental vacation. One member suggests a fantasy or place to go, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. e. g. a beech on Tahiti, John Glen's last lift off into outer space, a Rock concert or Rave, an imaginary tour through the valves of the heart. The farther away from the original problem the better. All group members contribute to the fantasy, just as they did to the problem definition. Someone takes notes of the "vacation".

Third, take the elements and aspects of the vacation, and use them as an analogy to the problem solution. The members practice the spectrum policy and "force fit" the vacation analogy as a metaphoric solution to the problem.

For instance, what clues can a beech in Tahiti give us about making a soap press? Obvious!!! Use sea shells as the container to press the soap into! Or, instead of a press, how about a clam-like clamp? Create these things cheaply by having Tahitians make and sell them to tourists. Sell fragrances and shapes that will remind buyers of their favorite vacation place. Advertise it as an exotic Tahitian tradition of soap saving. etc.

3. Trigger Questions.

After defining the problem (the first step in #2 above), transform it using some or all of these processes:

SUBTRACT
Remove certain parts or elements. Compress or make it smaller. What can be reduced or disposed of? What rules can you break? How to simplify? How to abstract, stylize or abbreviate?

ADD
Extend or expand. Develop your reference subject. Augment, advance or annex it. Magnify, make it bigger. What else can be added to your idea?

TRANSFER
Move subject into a new situation. Adapt, transpose, relocate, dislocate. Adapt subject to a different frame of reference. Move subject out of its normal environment. Move to a different historical, social, geographical setting: Adapt a bird wing model to design a bridge. How subject can be converted, translated, transfigured?

EMPATHIZE
Sympathize with subject. Put yourself in its shoes. What if subject has human qualities? Relate to subject emotionally, subjectively.

ANIMATE
Mobilize the visual and psychological tensions. Control the pictorial movements and forces. Apply factors of repetition and progression. What human qualities subject has?

SUPERIMPOSE
Overlap, place over, cover, overlay. Superimpose dissimilar images or ideas. Overlay elements to produce new images, ideas, meanings. Superimpose elements from different perspectives/disciplines. Combine sensory perceptions such as sound and color. Superimpose several views to show different moments in time.

CHANGE SCALE
Make subject bigger or smaller. Change time scale - seconds, hours, weeks, years. Change proportion, relative size, ratios, dimensions.

SUBSTITUTE
Exchange, switch or replace. What other idea, image, or material can you substitute? What alternate or supplementary plan can be employed?

FRAGMENT
Separate, divide, split, dissect. Take your subject or idea apart. Chop up, disassemble it. What devices can divide it into smaller increments? How to make it appear discontinuous?

ISOLATE
Separate, set apart, crop, detach. Take only part of your subject. "Crop" your ideas with a "mental" viewfinder. What element can you detach or focus on?

DISTORT
Twist subject out of its true shape, proportion or meaning. Make imagined or actual distortions. Misshape it, yet produce a unique metaphoric quality. Make it longer, wider, fatter, narrower. Melt, crush, bury, crack, tear, torture, spill something on it.

DISGUISE
Camouflage, conceal, deceive, encrypt. Hide, "implant" subject into another frame of reference. Conceal by mimicry, like chameleons and moths. Create a latent image that communicate subconsciously.

CONTRADICT
Contradict the subject's original function. Contradict visually and intellectually. Contradict laws of nature such as gravity, time. Contradict normal procedures, social conventions, rituals. Contradict optical and perceptual harmony (e.g. illusions). Deny, reverse

PARODY
Ridicule, mimic, mock, burlesque or caricature. Make fun of your subject, roast it Transform it into a joke, limerick or pun. Make zany, ludicrous or comic references. Make a humorous cartoon drawing of the problem.

PREVARICATE
Fictionalize, "bend" the truth, falsify, fantasize. Use subject as a theme to present ersatz information. Interpret information differently to mislead or confuse.

ANALOGIZE
Draw associations. Seek similarities between things that are different Compare with elements from different domains, disciplines. What can I compare my subject to? Make logical or illogical associations.

HYBRIDIZE
Cross-fertilize - wed the subject with an improbable mate. What would you get if you crossed a _____ with a ______? Cross-fertilize color, form and structure. Cross-fertilize organic and inorganic elements. Cross-fertilize ideas and perceptions.

METAMORPHOSE
Transform, convert, transmute. Depict your subject in a state of change. Change color, configuration. Make structural progressions. Make aging (cocoon-to-butterfly) transformation. Make "Jekyll and Hyde" transmutations.

SYMBOLIZE
A visual symbol stands for something other than what it is. Design an icon for your idea. How can your subject be imbued with symbolic qualities? Public symbols are clichés, well-known and understood. Private symbols have special meaning to its originator. Turn your subject into a symbol (public or private).

MYTHOLOGIZE
Build a myth around your subject. Transform your subject into an iconic object

FANTASIZE
Fantasize your subject. Trigger surreal, preposterous, outlandish, bizarre thoughts. Topple mental and sensory expectations. How far out can you extend your imagination? What if automobiles were made of bricks? What if alligators played pool? What if insects grew larger than humans? What if night and day occurred simultaneously?

REPEAT
Repeat a shape, color, form, image, or idea. Reiterate, restate or duplicate your subject in some way. Control the occurrence, repercussion, and sequence.

COMBINE
Bring things together. Connect, arrange, link, unify, mix, merge, rearrange. Combine ideas, materials and techniques. Bring together dissimilar things together. What else can you connect to your subject? Connect different senses, frames of reference, or disciplines.

THEN REST YOUR BRAIN!