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Nine Questions to Spur New Ideas

 November 15, 2006

1. "Can whatever you are talking about be put to other uses as is, or can it be modified in some way?
2. What other ideas does this suggest, or what else is it like?
3. How can changing the meaning, color, motion, sound, odor, taste, form, or shape modify it?
4. How can it be magnified by adding something to it, by using it more frequently, by making it stronger or larger, or by adding another ingredient or multiplying it in some way?
5. What can be subtracted, eliminated, lightened, slowed, split up, or made less frequent to minify the idea?
6. What can be done to make the idea a substitute for something, such as who else can use it, what else can be used to make it, where else can it be used, and when can it be used?
7. How can the idea be rearranged by another layout, another sequence, or a change in rate or speed?
8. How can using an opposite process - by turning it backwards, upside down, or inside our - reverse the idea?
9. How can an object be combined with something else to produce a blend of something or an assortment that serves a new purpose (Stephan & Pace, 2002, p. 56)?"

Reference:  Stephan, E.G. & Pace, R.W. (2002). Powerful leadership: how to unleash the potential in others and simplify your own life.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR.

How can you incorporate these questions to spur new ideas?

 Powerful Leadership is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  To borrow this resource or any other resource, please go to the resource search page http://164.107.48.88/winnebago/index.asp?lib=???

Learn how the Ohio State University Leadership Center is strengthening tomorrow's leaders today at http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu

Check this out!

The OSU Leadership Center's video "Beyond the Sidelines: Lessons in Leadership with Coach Jim Tressel" is now featured on Coach Tressel's official website.

http://www.coachtressel.com/why_ohio_state/whyohiostate_map.html

Click on the leadership icon to view the video.

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Created: 2008-04-01, Updated: 2009-04-10