Synectics offers “different triggers and thinking approaches” (Gupta, Trusko 187), which are listed further. They are creative tools for making up unpredictable stories and practice problem-solving skills. For example:
1. Subtract – A giant bear was surprised to find out that its massive body was significantly diminished after the hibernation.
2. Repeat – Its kilos have flown away without bear’s consent.
3. Combine – Moreover, its terrifying roar sounded not so terrifyingly as usual.
4. Add – In addition, bear’s footprints looked rather small and unclear.
5. Transfer – Bear has returned in mind to the autumn times, when his mere look terrified all the animals in the forest as well as unwelcome guests – humans.
6. Animate – These images and memories looked very trustworthy, they were like real for the bear.
7. Empathize – The bear, drowned in his memories, looked rather moving, everyone would empathize this sad picture.
8. Superimpose – If any painter looked at the bear in that minute, a deep art masterpiece would be created.
9. Substitute – The bear’s feelings replaced each other with the rapid pace -from anger to sadness, from despair to melancholy.
10. Change Scale – However, a pilot in the plane, which flew over the forest, did not notice such deep changes, since even the whole bear looked like a tiny spot.
11. Fragment – Instead, the pilot has noticed a house of a forester, near which the bear’s tragedy took place.
12. Isolate – When the bear has acted in an especially aggressive way, the pilot has eventually detected bear’s presence.
13. Distort – But since he had rather poor eyesight, he thought it was a forester’s big dog.
14. Contradict – However, the sounds of bear’s roaring were dissimilar to dog’s barking.
15. Disguise – The pilot has tried to convince himself that such sounds can be explained by the fact of dog’s continuous presence in the forest, among wild animals.
16. Parody – The pilot smiled to himself, imagining that it would be fun to use such a roaring dog in some TV shows.
17. Prevaricate – The pilot has avoided to answer the colleague’s (his copilot’s) question about the strange creature near the forester’s house.
18. Metamorphose – Since suddenly, a creature, which looked like a dog from the sky, become to take shape of a giant bear.
19. Hybridize – Furthermore, it seemed to the pilot that the creature has two heads – bear’s and dog’s ones.
20. Mythologize – Then, this two-faced creature has happened to become very close to the pilot’s face, seeming to be simultaneously extremely real and imaginary.
21. Fantasize – To the pilot’s surprise, he awakened in his bed, with his puppy, licking pilot’s cheek.
Works Cited
Gupta, Praveen, Trusko, Brett E. Global Innovation Science Handbook. McGraw Hill Professional, 2013.
