Really Using the Tools
There is a reason for having the Lateral Thinking tools, that is one of the value of formality. As Edward himself has said many times, people will often think they are using the tools when in fact they are not. Using the tools formally ensures that they are actually used. Similarly with the Six Hats or the CoRT and DATT tools.
As an example, many people suggest they used the red hat in a group setting by asking people what they feel about the issue. The red hat is about feelings, yes? Well yes, but the red hat embodies an attitude about reporting your own personal feelings and intuitions, about not having to justify them in the protected space the hat provides, and about being brief and stopping when there is nothing obvious to add. Without the formal use of the hat as the signal for the process its full embodiment is unlikely to occur.
Additionally, if you look on the web you can find scarce few examples of the thinking tools in action. There seems to be a number of reasons for this.
A big reason is that not many people are using the tools in a formal fashion, so there is little process to record or harvest.
Another is that many people trained in their use don't use them if there is not a "momentous" issue to be dealt with. That means that the attitude and skill does not get the work out it needs to become truly proficient at using the tools. I really recommend having a thinking session at least once a day on something trivial or general or in an area of your life where there seems to be no need of thinking at all.
A third reason for the scarcity of examples is that people seem to feel that only "great successes" are worth reporting. This might be true from a PR point of view in a marketing campaign, but to get good feedback on your own thinking skill development and to see use by others, and to show the tool you used was properly worked, its worth showing how you used the tool online, and doing a proper harvest of what came from your session.
To this end I have created a group: Real Life Examples
I have put my first example on the group wall as its first post. If you would like to add an example I suggest starting a new discussion in the group with your example as the first post. I hope this provides a useful support structure for everyone here.
As an example, many people suggest they used the red hat in a group setting by asking people what they feel about the issue. The red hat is about feelings, yes? Well yes, but the red hat embodies an attitude about reporting your own personal feelings and intuitions, about not having to justify them in the protected space the hat provides, and about being brief and stopping when there is nothing obvious to add. Without the formal use of the hat as the signal for the process its full embodiment is unlikely to occur.
Additionally, if you look on the web you can find scarce few examples of the thinking tools in action. There seems to be a number of reasons for this.
A big reason is that not many people are using the tools in a formal fashion, so there is little process to record or harvest.
Another is that many people trained in their use don't use them if there is not a "momentous" issue to be dealt with. That means that the attitude and skill does not get the work out it needs to become truly proficient at using the tools. I really recommend having a thinking session at least once a day on something trivial or general or in an area of your life where there seems to be no need of thinking at all.
A third reason for the scarcity of examples is that people seem to feel that only "great successes" are worth reporting. This might be true from a PR point of view in a marketing campaign, but to get good feedback on your own thinking skill development and to see use by others, and to show the tool you used was properly worked, its worth showing how you used the tool online, and doing a proper harvest of what came from your session.
To this end I have created a group: Real Life Examples
I have put my first example on the group wall as its first post. If you would like to add an example I suggest starting a new discussion in the group with your example as the first post. I hope this provides a useful support structure for everyone here.
Views: 13
Tags: CoRT, DATT, development, formality, lateral thinking, learning, practice, six hats, skill
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Comment by Danny Stevens on August 26, 2010 at 8:10 -
The real life examples group is growing! Come on folks, more examples. Show how the tools are really used, the hats, the lateral thinking tools, the directed attention thinking tools, everything!
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