Purpose
Generate energy, creativity and outside-the-box thinking to support participants in approaching serious topics or design challenges in a creative way.
Description
By encouraging participants to view objects in unconventional ways and reconsider their meanings and uses, new possibilities and opportunities can emerge. This could help in setting the stage for innovation in a later phase of a project.
Instructions
- Create a circle with chairs in an open space.
- Start by asking each person to place their object in front of them. If one object is used for the whole group, place it in the middle so that everyone can see it.
- Using a blank sheet of paper, invite participants to write down as many alternative uses, purposes or meanings that can be attributed to the object in front of them. Ask them not to disregard any idea that pops up in their minds.
- After about 3-5 minutes, people finalize their ideas and share some of the wildest or most interesting ones with the group.
Phase
Starting well
Competences
Perspective-taking
Creativity
Time
3-5 minutes
Group size
6 – 20 persons
Required materials
- One or more objects (it is possible to use one object for the whole group, or one object per person)
- Paper and pens
Relevant resources
Re-Imaginary: Cultivating Cultures of Sustainability
What can you do with a brick?
100 Uses for a Chair
Tips & Experience
If the group is bigger than 5 participants, use one object in the middle of the room for timing reasons.
