Creativity, or creativity, is the ability to think outside the box, find new solutions, and generate ideas. Creativity is intelligence + imagination. Thanks to intelligence, a person is able to think, analyze information, understand cause-and-effect relationships, and draw conclusions. Imagination allows you to go beyond the usual patterns, discard stereotypes, see new ways of solving problems.

American psychologist and researcher of creativity Ellis Paul Torrance identified the components of creative thinking, the level of development of which can be used to judge the degree of creativity of a particular person.

Torrance criteria for creativity

Fluency is the ability to come up with a large variety of ideas at great speed. With high levels of fluency, a person is able to come up with twenty ways to use an object, for example, an ordinary pencil, in a minute.

Flexibility is the ability to assess a problem from all sides and apply different strategies when solving it. Flexibility helps to quickly grasp connections between different phenomena, establish patterns, find common ground in a variety of things and events.

Originality is the ability to generate non-standard or unexpected ideas, to deviate from the generally accepted template. Originality helps to successfully get out of emergency situations.

Elaboration is the ability not only to generate ideas, but also to deepen and detail them. A high level of detail distinguishes inventors and designers.

Closure resistance is the ability to constantly perceive new information, not being limited to any one side or aspect of it, even if it seems the most appropriate. Short circuit resistance helps to expand horizons and accumulate useful data for coming up with original solutions.

A high level of creativity makes a person more successful, allows you to achieve high results in any field of activity. Creative thinking is ranked third in the Top 10 Essential Agile Skills for 2020 compiled at the Davos Economic Forum.

Love the problem solving process

A creative person finds pleasure not only in achieving a result, but in the process of moving towards a goal – he likes to think, go through options, look for and find different options for a way out of the situation. When faced with new challenges or unexpected difficulties, learn to perceive them not as problems, but as a challenge to your creativity.

Look for original ideas

Do not dwell on the most obvious course of action, come up with at least a few options for achieving the goal, solving the problem. Don’t artificially restrict yourself.

Broaden your horizons

The more you know, the more food your imagination gets, and without imagination it is impossible to generate truly creative ideas. Read books, watch popular science and documentaries, gain experience in useful activities and actively explore the world around you.

Be creative in your daily activities

Try to be creative in any area of your life, not just during your studies: come up with new interesting ways to spend your leisure time, engage in unusual hobbies, offer non-standard solutions to everyday issues. Even a banal grocery trip can be a creative exercise – invent new routes to the store, draw maps, or overcome imaginary obstacles.

Learn to see the unusual in the ordinary

Even in the most familiar places, notice anything that looks special, differs from the standard, does not match the patterns. Learn to see familiar objects from a new angle, find unexpected ways to use them. For example, if you look at the branches of trees in early spring, you will notice that they look like the knotted fingers of some fairy-tale creatures.

Anastasia Shaveko

When technology takes over the execution of routine tasks, and artificial intelligence processes information many times faster than a person, the ability to think creatively remains the most important ability that will not lose its value during market transformation. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to subdue the imagination, learn to harness creative energy to solve problems, and not wait for moments of insight? Science proves that it is possible and accessible to everyone with proper training.

With the help of certain cognitive techniques and tools, you can develop creative thinking, the ability to see the unusual in the ordinary and the simple in the complex. Oksana Pikuleva, in her online course “Creative Thinking in Business”, suggests considering creative thinking as “guided mental activity in order to develop non-standard solutions to complex business problems.”

The author of the course – Doctor of Psychology, teacher of the MBA and Executive MBA programs at the Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg State University – tried to collect and structurally present all the available information on the techniques of creative thinking. To this end, the author participated in various trainings for two years and studied creativity programs in order to understand which tools most effectively help managers make original and non-standard decisions.

Previously, the course was available only to students of Executive MBA programs, but now it is open to everyone. It presents the main types of creative techniques (question, analytical, associative and metaphorical), within these types 15 individual / team techniques and 4 large creative methodologies (TRIZ, lateral thinking, design thinking and CRAFT) are considered.

Below we will look at some of the techniques that can help stimulate personal creativity, but for now, let’s take a look at the process itself. All creative solutions can be found in two ways: the first (with the help of which most of the scientific discoveries were made) is an insightful way, and the second is algorithmic, with its help you can significantly expand your personal range of non-trivial solutions.

An individual creative session should start with a clear task statement. When the goal is determined, you can start collecting information. At this stage, you need to review and analyze what has already been done on your topic / problem. It is advisable to pass through as much material as possible in order to ensure the so-called effect of being seen. The next step is the synthesis of the information received, the generation of ideas. According to the author, creativity is born at the junction of other people’s ideas and with their unexpected combinations. An important condition is to allow yourself to enter a state of a wandering mind, relax after the stage of concentration and not think about the task for a while, perhaps switch to another type of activity. Here the insightful approach “Bus, bed, bath” can still help us. It is often at this stage that the “creative leap” takes place. The fourth step is to select the most viable solutions for implementation from the entire pool of ideas. And this is the first stage at which you can allow yourself to critically and realistically look at the thoughts that arise. If the search for solutions occurs within the framework of a business process, the fifth step arises – the presentation and defense of your idea.

In order to make our creative sessions (personal or team) more effective, we can use various techniques to stimulate the so-called. unconventional thinking. Everyone can assemble their own personal “set of favorite tools” that allow them to find non-standard solutions. These may include:

– questioning techniques, which include, for example, the seemingly deceptively simple Q-storming method by Rudyard Kipling “5W1H”. If you need to solve some difficult problem, you can consistently come to it thanks to the scheme of posing questions in the 5W mode – “What? When? Where? Why? Who?” and 1H – “How?”, selecting at least 5 questions for each position, starting with the corresponding interrogative word.

– analytical techniques to expand thought corridors. Among them, one of the most effective is the “TRANSFORM” method by J. Ian and D. Berg. He offers a specific list of 36 action verbs in the form of a table. When using the TRANSFORM table, look at the cells in any order and follow the steps one at a time to solve your problem. If a word gives you an idea, write it down; if not, go to another word. Work until the thoughts are over. For example, let’s say you decide to increase your company’s sales by 10%. The spreadsheet can lead to the following ideas: lower the price to increase the number of orders, increase the bonus, get rid of old stocks, move orders from the next quarter to the current one, simplify paperwork to encourage customers to buy more, establish a network of connections, and so on.

– associative techniques, among which one of the most popular is the method of focal objects by Charles Whiting. Like other techniques of this group, it has its own clear algorithm of mental actions:

Select the object to be changed (focal object).
Formulate the purpose of the change.
Name some random objects.
Make a list of signs and properties of these random objects.
Transfer the found features and properties to the focal object.
Evaluate the ideas received and choose the most useful ones for implementation.

– metaphorical techniques that take us beyond the boundaries of habitual thinking and help us find sometimes the most unexpected ideas. Metaphorical techniques are very numerous, but one of the most popular is the method of lateral thinking “6 colored hats” by Edward de Bono, which allows you to sequentially switch on and switch 6 different modes of thinking. You can also remember the method of “three thinking chairs” by Walt Disney. Its essence is in opening a different angle of view on the problem, when you imagine yourself sequentially in three roles: dreamer – WHAT (future), realist – HOW (present) and critic – WHY (past). And then you analyze the results of your creative session and select the ideas you need.

All of these techniques often work in complete conjunction with each other, their action is difficult to separate, so real creative thinking gradually becomes interdisciplinary and metadisciplinary.

For those who want to get the rest of the tools and advice on the development of creativity and acquire a complete understanding of creative thinking, the full course of the Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg State University is available. The program consists of two blocks:

– managing personal creativity and

– management of team creativity.

The first block examines neuroscientific approaches to creativity, mental patterns, corridors of thinking, models of lateral thinking, techniques for developing personal creativity, and other topics. In particular, one of the most exciting topics in this module is the analysis of mental models of geniuses, which we can try on ourselves and try to think in their paradigm. The second part deals with business innovation, creating a stimulating environment in a team, a creative process in a group, and examines four major creative methodologies: TRIZ, lateral thinking, design thinking and CRAFT.

Why develop lateral thinking

In my view, out-of-the-box thinking is needed in order to quickly generate new ideas, quickly resolve issues, come up with various concepts and break patterns, thereby developing any area of life. That is, with the help of it, we must have a positive impact on society, and not just be a black sheep. From this position, the narration will proceed.

Freed from everything

The first and most important thing to do is to be completely liberated. It is necessary to do a general cleaning of thoughts and do a good job on yourself in terms of communication and communication.

All patterns, habits and stereotypes that have formed over the years of your life need to be questioned.
Shyness and tightness must be removed from relationships with people
Learning to ignore other people’s opinions

All this is done in order to make room for new thinking. Otherwise, he will have nowhere to squeeze in: habits, patterns, complexes and opinions will prevent you from becoming a new person. They will continually bring you back to the old style of thinking as something familiar and energy-free.

Let’s sort it out in order.

Subject to doubt. Everything is simple here. In your free time, you start thinking about the most important things in your life and listen to your inner voice.

Do I really want to live in this city?
Do I really want to do this profession?
Is this how I see the structure of the family?
Am I satisfied with my inner state?
Is this the way I want to do my job?

Maybe everything you have now is imposed by your parents, friends and society? Maybe your thinking is simply constrained by stereotypes and cannot escape from captivity? As sad as it may sound, in most cases it is.

However, it will even play into our hands. Realizing your routine in large and small things, the chance to defeat it will increase many times over. In a good way, you will get angry and, perhaps, increase the pressure of your actions towards the desired results. And this in a completely different way activates the brain and connects new types of thinking.

Remove shyness. Being shy and tight will simply keep you from showing new and creative ways of thinking. Therefore, you need to free yourself from their shackles and try to always be in the center of attention. Then you will be able to communicate with different people and be aware of events, and therefore you are constantly in the flow of information. And where there is information, there is food for non-standard thoughts and ideas.

I have a separate article on how to liberate yourself, which can be read here. But if you squeeze the main thing out of her, then you need

Stop being afraid of someone else’s opinion (consider below)
Boost your confidence
Look your best 100
Get rid of muscle clamps
Surround yourself with liberated people

Get rid of the fear of other people’s opinions. If you stand out, you will be 100% criticized by the people around you. Out-of-the-box thinking is no exception, because it transforms a person in a complex way. Almost everything changes, from the level of education to the general style of behavior.
In order not to be sucked back into the maelstrom, you need to learn how to filter incoming advice. Otherwise, your wings will be clipped and happily lowered to the previous level of stereotypes and mediocrity. We do it by analogy: there is an article on the site, the extract is below.

So, in order to stop being afraid of someone else’s opinion, you need:

Stop caring about your image in society because most people don’t care
Understand that some people will be inspired by your independent behavior
Realize that people only care about their problems
Realize that listening to “experts” and authorities, you belittle yourself
Understand that if you are criticized, you grow
Realize that this opinion will not change anything in a year

The first and most difficult step has been passed. If you decide to do it in life, then you will achieve the goal with which you climbed into the Internet. Non-standard thoughts will themselves burst into your life, because with the above transformations you will open doors for them.

Let’s take a few more steps to move this snowball faster.

Excite the brain

Shock the brain with non-standard actions. So you engage other parts of it and gradually train stagnant areas. In a month, you will feel that you have come out ahead and are already overtaking your colleagues / classmates in quick wits and resourcefulness.

Here’s how to train:

Eat and brush your teeth with your other hand
Dress clothes in a different order
Change wardrobe, wear bright colors
Cut food into non-standard pieces
Go to different grocery stores
Do something uncharacteristic for you, for example, programming

Find a source of ideas

It will be much easier to think creatively if you use new images and fresh knowledge for this. With their help, you will be able to create unique information modules and develop original solutions, which, in fact, is the process of thinking outside the box.

For this reason, in parallel with the previous steps, it is worth developing observation and curiosity in yourself.
You probably have an encyclopedia at home. You can put it next to your bed and read one article at a time. You can also observe nature, marveling at its complex structure. Or you can watch various educational videos on YouTube and pump your brain every day. There are a lot of options, the main thing is to choose the most interesting and suitable one for your needs.

Find surroundings

I will not surprise you if I say that the environment plays a huge role in the formation of a person. Psychologists generally say that we are the 5 people around us, so the choice of allies must be approached very consciously and carefully.

In our case, everything will be quite complicated. It is not easy to find a non-standard person who will be without “kooky”, and even more so to make friends with him. Therefore, we will have to turn to the Internet and look for comrades in it.

Who could it be? Definitely great people. Remember the very beginning of the article? I said that politicians, businessmen and scientists had non-standard thinking, so they knew how to influence this world. Here are their biographies you can read at your leisure, instead of notes from the encyclopedia. Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Donald Trump and so on ad infinitum. There were many original decisions in their lives that made them what they are. Why not learn from experience and apply something on yourself?

Exercises

The following exercises will help you entertain your brain and develop your creative imagination. Use it to your health!

Draw 10 crosses, and then deduce 10 completely different patterns from them.
Come up with a few different items and find similarities between them
Take a few silly words and come up with an adequate sentence (level 99 – poem)
Take an item and come up with 10 ways to misuse it
Solve puzzles and puzzles

Write down your ideas

Start keeping a journal of ideas. Many of us have such notebooks, but not all know how to use them. You will understand the effectiveness of the magazine over time, when you can build analogies. For example, you’re chewing gum, and suddenly you come up with an idea to come up with an anti-stress chewing gum. You open a journal and write this thought down. After a while, you watch an ad for a toothpaste that says it’s very important to maintain a person’s pH. This is where you think about your gum idea. And you modernize the idea: what if the gum shows the pH level? If the gum turns blue, then you are healthy, if it turns red, then something is wrong with the pH level.

Start a data bank

This is a special container where you can put ideas and so-called “triggers”. These can be unusual business cards of your new acquaintances, original advertising brochures, paradoxical quotes, maybe some small objects of an unusual shape. In general, any “material evidence” of the creativity of other people that will push you to new achievements.

Love spontaneity

Promise to surprise yourself more often. Instead of driving home after work, suddenly go to a movie or an exhibition. Try new recipes. Take a bath instead of a shower. Change your sleep time. Change the running time. Meet your postman. Wash your car at another car wash. In short, break the established routine so that your brain is constantly fueled by something new.

Sleep awake

Use the technique that helped Salvador Dali come up with new ideas. He sat in an armchair and put an iron plate on the floor – near the armrest. He put his hand on the armrest, taking an iron spoon in his hand. And he began to fall asleep on the sly. When he was almost asleep, his body relaxed, the spoon slipped out of his hands and fell into the plate. This sound awakened the artist. And just in this borderline state of the brain, in which he was, his famous hypnotic images occurred to him. You can try this method too. They say that insights really come.

Draw freely

Leonardo da Vinci also had his own interesting method. He relaxed, sat at the table and streaked a sheet of paper with freehand lines and scribbles. He chaotically drove along the sheet, and then stopped. Then he could look at what happened for half an hour. Usually he saw in this some images and nuances that helped him paint a new picture or make another scientific invention.

Master the SCAMPER technique

SCAMPER is a list of questions that can spur the birth of innovative ideas, where

S = Substitute? – Replace?

C = Combine? – Combine?
A = Adapt? – Adapt?

M = Modify? Magnify? – Modify? Zoom in?

P = Put to other uses? – Suggest another application?

E = Eliminate or minify? – Eliminate or reduce?

R = Revers? Rearrange? – Change to the opposite? Reorganize?

To use this technique, you need to ask yourself the right questions at every stage of thinking about a new idea. After completing this procedure for each stage, you will develop the maximum number of ideas for improving the situation. Now suppose a paper clip manufacturer wants to improve its product.

Teaching methodology

As stated, there are many approaches to understanding creative thinking, and therefore there are many ways to teach this thinking. Among the popular approaches to the analysis of creativity, one can note: the concept of lateral thinking, the theory of inventive problem solving, synectics, the 6 hats method, and others. Most of these approaches have similarities, but if you try to do all of these techniques at the same time, you can get confused.

After analyzing many approaches to creativity, our creative team came to the conclusion that the most universal theory is the concept of lateral thinking by Edward De Bono (as well as its interpretation by Philip Kotler), which aims to understand the logic of building new ideas. It was the concept of lateral thinking that formed the basis of this training. Also in this training a number of important techniques for developing creative thinking from other theories were used to expand de Bono’s concept.

In addition, concepts that deserve special attention have been brought out in LESSON 5 so that you can try other methods of developing creative thinking.

Plan of the education

The entire training is divided into several lessons that are designed to reveal in you the different sides of creative thinking. After completing all the lessons, you will receive a handicap in order to be able to apply and constantly improve your creative thinking.

Lesson 1. Lateral Thinking

In order to think outside the box and create really something new, it is useful to understand how, breaking the pattern, come to a new idea. This lesson will describe the lateral thinking diagram of Edward de Bono as interpreted by the famous marketer Philip Kotler. Understanding the creative thinking process can help you figure out how to make your creative process more productive.
There is such a misconception that creativity and creativity are the opposite of logic. Unconventional thinking is often compared to intuition, sudden inspiration, or an autogenous state of a person. However, creative unconventional thinking is not pure chaos in consciousness. As the founder of the concept of lateral thinking, Edward de Bono, notes, the main difference between non-standard thinking and chaos and the thinking of mental patients is that the process of creative thinking is controlled. And even if unconventional thinking prefers to work chaotically, then this chaos can be controlled.

Lesson 2. Framing and focusing

To create something new, you must definitely choose the direction of your creative search. Without such a starting point, it is simply impossible to move on. As strange as it may seem, the clearer the framework is, the easier it will be to create something new. This lesson shows the importance of choosing focus, and examines the patterns of focuses of the language of Robert Dilts (framing), based on which, you can start the process of lateral thinking.

Lesson 3. Breaking the template

Now that we already know the algorithm for how to purposefully look at things from different angles, we can find the most appropriate focus (frame) in any situation. But something new has not yet appeared, since we just changed the angle of view without changing the object itself. The lateral thinking process has just begun. To continue this process, we need to implement what is called a “lateral rupture” (breaking the template, shearing or displacement). It is the breaking of the template that will help us break the logic of thinking in order to come up with new ideas.
To create this shift, we need to construct a statement about the object of our focus, which will somehow change the object itself. In other words, we must think about how we can change the object or its individual characteristics. There are many techniques for making such changes, but most of them can be easily boiled down to six basic ways to change anything.

Lesson 4. Development of creative imagination

After the lateral rupture was made, we had many, mostly illogical (lateral) judgments. Now we have to take a step aimed at eliminating the resulting pattern break. The upcoming stage is associated with work on the development of creative imagination for the search and creation of full-fledged creative ideas from the metamorphoses obtained at the previous stages. In other words, in this lesson you will learn how to learn how to most effectively repair a lateral tear. This lesson describes the techniques, principles and features of the development of creative imagination, and also contains useful techniques, exercises and games.

Lesson 5. Development of creativity

At the last stage “Bridging the gap” of the lateral thinking algorithm, in addition to creative imagination, human creativity also plays an important role. Creativity is the ability to accept and create fundamentally new ideas that deviate from traditional or accepted thought patterns. It is important to note that human creativity is a heterogeneous property that has several characteristics. The most common are the characteristics identified by the famous American psychologist Joy Paul Guilford in the 60s of the last century. There are only four of these characteristics.

Lesson 6. Theories of creativity and creativity

Back in the distant 16th century, the outstanding English philosopher Francis Bacon lamented that scientific discoveries were happening slowly and largely by accident. He tried to find approaches and algorithms that would make it possible to turn “creation of the new” into a systemic, permanent process. A lot of time has passed since then, and today society has at its disposal many theories of creativity and creativity, which help to look outside the box at existing problems and offer non-trivial solutions. These theories can be useful in a wide variety of areas of human life. In this article, we will provide an overview of the most well-known and widely used techniques and concepts.

Textbooks and books

You can download and read numerous textbooks on creative thinking and creativity on the corresponding page.

Creative games

The development of a person’s creative thinking cannot occur only by studying special algorithms and rules for finding new ideas. Practice is essential. This article presents games for the development of creativity. Moreover, here you can find games of various types, both independent online games and group games, as well as creative tasks for training creativity without the use of a computer. As usual on our site, all the information is presented for free, and besides, you yourself can suggest some creative game or share your experience in the comments below.

What is creative thinking?

Creative thinking is the ability to perceive the world around us outside the box and generate fundamentally new ideas. Based on this definition, two key concepts can be distinguished: ” non-standard perception ” and ” new ideas “.

The first means that you can see something unique or unusual even in the usual things. For example, most people just look at the clouds, and only the most creative of them see “white-maned horses.” Some people hear the noise of a motor, while others guess in these sounds the beginning of a future musical composition. Someone will be upset that he threw money on a ticket to “admire” a black square on a white background, but another person saw in this picture the whole universal meaning of life.

Thanks to the second quality, we not only draw inspiration from seemingly banal things, but turn them into works of art. This is just like the motor noise example. Any composer can guess in this set of sounds exactly the motive that he has been looking for for a long time in order to “complete” his future hit.

Why do you need creative thinking?

If you look at it, creative thinking is one of those evolutionary adaptations that helped humans rise above all other animals. So far, the ability to think creatively makes humans more competitive than artificial intelligence. After all, creative thinking is the ability to make a decision bypassing any algorithms or common sense. This is how, most often, fateful discoveries were made.

Do you want to make the best decisions, find the perfect career, maximize your potential and receive personal development guidance? Find out what kind of person you were destined to become at birth with the help of the Human Design system. Only 2 days for readers of wikigrowth.ru participation is free. Get now

Wherever logic or mathematical analysis plays a role, the computer has long defeated its creator. Chess players regularly lose to the robot since the 90s of the last century. Even the most difficult tactical game “Checkers Go”, and that surrendered to the AI in 2015. But in situations where “this thing” is necessary to unscrew “this nonsense”, not a single artificial mind will yet surpass even the average vocational school.

Thus, creative thinking is exactly the skill that allowed a person to become the crown of nature and, at the same time, makes it possible to remain in demand during the period of total robotization. But in order to continue this way, it is necessary to pay attention to the development of creative thinking, since competitors also do not stand still, both among other people and in the digital world.

How to develop creative thinking?

Creative thinking lends itself to development and improvement. It is believed that a person’s creativity depends on the functioning of the right hemisphere of the brain. Whereas the left is responsible for logic and analytical thinking. Also, the right hemisphere is involved in the work of the left side of the body. That is, a left-handed person should have a better developed ability to think creatively.

In living nature, the principle of inverse relationship operates. That is, if the left hand depends on the right hemisphere, respectively, performing work with this hand, we stimulate the development of the right hemisphere. Nobody says that you need to become left-handed, but if you supplement your daily activities with an emphasis on the left side of the body, it will have a positive effect on the creative hemisphere of the brain.

In addition to this trick, there are specific exercises aimed at developing creative thinking. We will talk about them further.

A non-standard approach.

Creative thinking is originality in everything. For example, if we start reading the text backwards, this will cause our brain to act in an unfamiliar direction. Accordingly, the mind will leave the “comfort zone” and begin to adapt to new conditions. Further, it is even more difficult – we begin to “turn over” the concepts. It’s like a New Year’s game for children, when you need to confuse them. We say “wide herringbone” and spread our arms, “narrow” – we bring them closer, “high” – we stand on our toes, “low” – we sit down. Children repeat after the leader. Further, he pronounces the word, but does the opposite. For example, the “herringbone” is high, and he sits down. Children begin to have a slight stupor, but then they adapt to unexpected conditions and start doing everything right again.

The game “White Mane Horses”.

As in a cartoon, you need to try to see some images around. What do clouds look like? What Shapes Do Stars Form? It is also interesting to view multi-storey buildings from a distance in the evening. After all, the light in their windows does not burn evenly, also forming certain patterns. In general, wherever a person is, he can see some outlines or contours that seem similar to something. This search helps develop creative thinking and meaningful time.

Online brain trainers.

Do not think that the Internet or mobile applications only distract a person from important matters. Many applications have been developed to help improve mental activity, including the development of creative thinking. What is especially good is the ability to complete daily tasks, allowing you to track the dynamics of progress. Each exercise is divided into a certain number of levels, from the easiest to the most difficult. The player is able to feel the positive effect of the chosen application himself, since he will gradually begin to conquer those levels that previously seemed very difficult.

Creative thinking is an integral component of intellectual activity. In some it is better developed, in others it is worse, but it is still present, since it is part of human nature. Thanks to creative thinking, we were able to stand out from other living beings. Often this skill helps us to outflank competitors at work. Accordingly, the development of creative thinking is the primary task of forming a personality, which, together with high moral qualities, allows you to become a person with a capital letter.

Creative thinking in psychology

Thinking creativity is the definition of a creative person who can think outside the box. It is the ability to look at a situation from a different angle. Creative people, in most cases, are more successful in business, personal life, science, culture and art. Creative thinking can be used in any area of life. It helps to quickly find a common language with people, to be a more interesting interlocutor, brings bright colors to life, especially when, it would seem, there is no way out.

Psychologists say that it is possible to develop a creative perception of the world at any age. This is especially good for children, since they do not do it under duress. In our time, the development of creativity is approved, quite recently in schools, institutes and other educational institutions, the thinking of children was driven into a certain framework so as not to divide the group into more or less successful ones.

From birth, a person is capable of thinking and fantasizing. Not a single living creature on the planet has the opportunity to translate their ideas into life, except for Homo sapiens. But in some people this ability is developed to a greater extent, in others – to a lesser extent. This is not a problem for those who want to improve and develop themselves. There are many exercises that can help you discover your ability to think creatively.

Why you need creative thinking

Divergent thinking – what it is

Creative thinking is needed in order not to assign yourself the status of a boring, gray person who lives within a certain framework. There are a lot of people who cannot think creatively. They are mediocre and capable of doing work that has a clear plan of action. As a rule, people who cannot think creatively do not have leadership skills. They do not know how to negotiate, are not able to start their own business, do not like to fantasize, etc. They are boring, although they may not consider themselves as such. If a person wants to develop spiritually, then creativity plays a big role here too. This ability helps you find meaning in your actions, discover and understand many life values.

A creative person is a good leader

Business use

In the age of technology, no business is possible without advertising. Since the market is full of goods and services, it is very difficult to come up with something new to interest the consumer. This is where people with developed creative thinking come on stage. They are able to offer the product to the buyer in such a way that the latter does not even have to refuse. At the same time, the consumer thinks that he is making a purchase of a product or service only for personal reasons. This ability of PR managers and advertising agents is highly valued in business. Many employers are willing to spend a lot of money to outbid a valuable employee from a competitor.

It is not at all difficult for people with a non-standard approach to the situation to open their own business, even despite the fact that all niches have been occupied for a long time. They see perspective where it would seem simply not there. I would like to note that often such business ideas are very successful, although it is quite scary to open some kind of production from “0” if there is no experience of entrepreneurship.

Creativity in business allows you to run a company not by a template, but by adhering to certain rules and legislation.

Note! It is creativity that allows you to clearly see the problem and recognize all kinds of ways to solve it. Also, people with an extraordinary mind are able to process a large amount of information faster and solve several problems at the same time.

Signs of creativity

Logical thinking – what is it and how to develop it in an adult and a child

There are certain signs by which you can recognize the degree of a person’s creativity:

Flexibility of thinking;
Fluency;
The presence of non-standard ideas;
The ability to choose the most profitable from a variety of solutions.

Flexibility of thinking is the ability to reproduce several different options for solving the same problem. When hiring in large enterprises, there are tests that determine the degree of mental flexibility. For example, two words are given that are completely unrelated to each other. An applicant for a position in a fixed time must draw up sentences where these words will be used and are interconnected in meaning. The more proposals, the more developed creative thinking.

Signs of creativity

Fluency is the ability to process a large number of thoughts in a fixed amount of time. For example, in 3 minutes you need to name the professions in the second letter of the alphabet. The more definitions, the more fluency a person has, respectively, the more valuable the employee.

It is important to have non-standard ideas or originality of thinking. Even in preschool institutions, psychologists conduct tests with children for the originality of thinking. One such test is what a balloon looks like. An adult with a standard mindset will answer that the fantasy is more developed in children and adolescents on the ball. Some answer that it is on the drum and argue that there is a lot of air in the balloon and in the drum inside. As a rule, it is too early to judge the degree of creativity development at this age.

The ability to choose the most profitable from a variety of ideas is very much appreciated in the world of entrepreneurship, since there can be a lot of ideas, and only one will bring the maximum result.

Development of creative thinking

Positive thinking – what it is

Any ability given to a person from birth has the prospect of development. The development of creative thinking takes place in several stages.

Creativity can and should be developed

Stages of development of creative thinking:

awakening;
imitation;
communication;
transformation.

The first stage of the development of creativity falls on the preschool age and the age of primary classes, it is non-specialized. The second phase falls on puberty and is distinguished by an emphasis on original creativity. The development of creativity has a maximum rate from the age of a primary school student until the end of adolescence. Parental support is very important at these stages.

Sources used and useful links on the topic: https://media.foxford.ru/creativity-lifehacks/ https://theoryandpractice.ru/posts/17670-kak-nauchitsya-kreativno-myslit https://uspeshnick.ru/kak -nauchitsya-myslit-nestandartno / https://www.psychologies.ru/articles/6-idey-chtobyi-nachat-myislit-nestandartno/ https://4brain.ru/tvorcheskoe-myshlenie/ https://WikiGrowth.ru / razvitie / kreativnoe-myishlenie / https://srazu.pro/teoriya/kreativnoe-myshlenie-v-psixologii.html

Post source: lastici.ru