Design Thinking: A Checklist Tool & VISTA Leader Application Example

Hi all from Jean:  This month I want to share an example of creative thinking which is expertly demonstrated by VISTA Leader Andy Gmitter. Andy serves at the United Way of the Piedmont in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He has been developing his creative thinking skills and shared one example of their use with me. A few months ago, he attended the IdeaFEST Webinar. This webinar is focused on tools and ideas designed to build relationships, establish trust and create a sense of connectedness amongst VISTAs. Then he set about designing a session for VISTA Members.

What struck me was how Andy took several ideas from the webinar using his creative thinking ability to form new and novel combinations, blend concepts and make contextual tweaks; thus modifying the ideas for his purposes. This is creative thinking in action!

A tool that can help all of us do this type of thinking is a checklist of nine creative thinking principles called SCAMMPER. SCAMMPER was first developed by Alex Osborn the originator of brainstorming and somewhat later, Bob Eberle arranged the thinking checklist into a mnemonic for easy recall. The SCAMMPER mnemonic stands for:  S=Substitute? C=Combine A= Adapt, M=Magnify or Modify, P=Put to Other Uses, E=Eliminate, R=Rearrange? Reverse?

The idea is to take a subject and ask:  Can I substitute something? Can I combine something? Can I adapt something? Can I magnify or modify something? Can I put it to other uses? Can I eliminate something? Can I rearrange or reverse something? Simply asking the questions sparks new thoughts, ideas and new ways of seeing things. If you want more information on how to use SCAMMPER simply do an online search and you will find more comprehensive explanations, examples and visuals for teaching how to use the tool. It is a rare creative thinking book that does not include a reference to the SCAMMPER tool. One resource that does a fantastic job teaching SCAMMPER, and numerous other tools is the book Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius by Michael Michalko.

Take a look at Andy’s blog reporting on the Lunch and Learn event he facilitated with VISTA members. If you attended the IdeaFEST webinar you will recognize the essence of several of the ideas and you will see how he creatively revised them to meet his needs. Andy has pictures showing the tools in use and he does a great job of outlining the process if you are interested in using it yourself. Regardless, I think you will find the information useful as you consider methods for engaging and connecting VISTAs.  Here’s Andy…

Lunch and Learn November: 90 Day Review

Guest Blog: VISTA Leader Andy Gmitter

http://vistasinthepiedmont.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/lunch-and-learn-november-90-day-review/