The Thinker's Keys - Creativity Tool

What is the Thinkers Keys

The Thinkers Keys is a creativity tool. It's used to help people identify issues, problems, come up with novel approaches to issues

by combining many different approaches towards that issue. And they call each of these approaches a key because it is a way of unlocking a door to a particular answer

by taking a novel approach. So there are many identified keys. Some of the most common are as follows

The reverse key, for example. The reverse key calls for someone to say

you cannot do something with this. Whatever the issue is, we'll call it ABC

You cannot do this with ABC. That's the reverse key. So you're looking at things that aren't possible in that way

The what if key. This is a hypothetical scenario where you're thinking a scenario where perhaps this would happen

Perhaps the stars would fall out of the sky. This is a hypothetical scenario

What if this possible thing occurred? Okay. The thing you're focusing on is the stars in the sky

So something happening to A, B, and C. What if this happens

And it causes you to think of potential outcomes, potential approaches. Okay. The disadvantages key

What are the disadvantages of ABC? That is using it, having it, employing this approach, etc

Okay. Combination key. How can you combine ABC with something else to make a bigger thing or to somehow expand upon how it used where it fits into whatever situation or scenario you are considering

So what are the ways you can take ABC and combine it with other things

Similarly, the bar key is how can you connect things onto ABC

How can you add to it to make it larger, to make it a bigger, more grandiose thing

How can you add components? components. If you were to think about a structure or a system or product lines in a business

or value propositions are affirmed, this would be an interesting approach. The alphabet key

can you think about concepts related to A, B, and C that run the entire alphabet, letters A, B, C, D

that begin with any of these letters. The words you come up with to associate with A, B, C, could help

you think about novel aspects of it approaches, etc. Okay. Variations key

What are some variations of AB and C and how could they be applied differently

What are the unique factors that would make them distinct or different variations in that scenario

The picture key. How would you envision ABC? Draw a picture. Give a visual image of

it, graphs, diagrams, things of that nature that somehow explain the key, explain the concept

visually is the picture key. The prediction key, what will ABC be like in the future at some

point in time further down the road, perhaps one year, perhaps five years, perhaps 10 years

make projections about what ABC will go through what it be like how it will evolve etc What are some different uses of the concept A B and C How can it be applied to different scenarios in different means or manners

The ridiculousness key. Make a ridiculous statement about the concept A, B, C, and then try to defend it

try to justify the statement that in some way it could be accurate

or true. The commonality key. Can you come up with distinct concepts that have specific commonalities

with ABC, but yet are in some ways completely different, but yet share some common thread or

commonality? Okay. The question key. Think of questions whereby ABC is the answer. How could ABC be the

answer to a diverse set of questions. Again, this will help you think in different concepts and

look at what ABC is from different angles. The brainstorming key, that's where you have a problem

and you're trying to come up with solutions and ABC is the solution to the problem. Okay. The inventions

key, how could you invent ABC? What processes, what components, who would you need to be involved

Think about it in terms of a project that needs to be pieced together or constructed

Okay, the brick wall key. Make a statement about the concept ABC, something that could hardly at all be denied

Okay, something that is readily understood and then try to tear it apart

Try to break it down at the foundations to undermine the core tenet that you have stated about ABC Okay The construction key Try to build ABC from its base components

Again, it's very much like the inventions key, but you're really focusing on the components and the procedure for building up ABC

Forced Relationships key. That is where you're giving instructions and saying, create ABC by this method

or create ABC by this method or with these resources. And with these structured approaches to it, you're forcing a relationship

You're perhaps choosing things that otherwise would not seem very well or very closely related

to make you think, how could I use this in an otherwise not natural context

Okay. The alternative key. What are some alternatives for A, B, and C, some things that could be substituted

for it to be used in the exact same means method or manner. Okay

And lastly, the interpretation key. The interpretation key asked for you to look at three very unusual or unlikely interpretations of ABC

what it could possibly mean and what implications it could possibly have

But again, you're trying to think outside the box of these are the natural implications

or things relevant to ABC. ABC. This is the obvious interpretation. Look for things that would seem strange or rare in the

interpretation process. So as you can see, this long list of keys is really a litany of well-established

other ideation approaches brought together that are spurred on by these individual keys

that ask you to look at a given concept in a unique manner