IDEA GENERATION: 10 HELPFUL TECHNIQUES - PSYCHOLOGY - 2025

The generation of ideas refers to a creative process that leads to the mental representation of something that you want to create or develop; You can generate ideas for many things, such as for a project, an investigation, a business, a work of art, among others.

Ideas are necessary for any area of ​​life and are considered a characteristic of human reasoning. For this reason, they are used from an early age in schools and universities. They are also used in companies, organizations and in any undertaking that you want to carry out.

The generation of ideas refers to a creative process that leads to the mental representation of something that you want to create or develop. Via pixabay.com

For example: a teacher assigns one of her students to draw a free-themed drawing; to be able to do it, the child will have to generate an idea. The same happens when a work must be done for the university, since the student must develop a mental representation of the project that he wishes to investigate.

Likewise, the members of a company must generate ideas to optimize work performance, increase income or build new objectives. The same happens with any organization or project; in fact, in any area of ​​life the development of creativity is required.

All human beings are creative and have the ability to imagine good ideas. Some people consider that creativity is an innate quality in certain individuals, and that others lack the ability to create new ideas; This is not entirely true, as there are several techniques that can help generate these ideas. Some are shown below.

10 techniques for generating ideas

1- Elaboration of mental maps

Mind map. Via pixabay.com

Many experts consider mind maps to be very effective visual tools for expanding creative abilities, as they allow you to organize ideas or thoughts graphically.

Writing is proven to help people get their projects done. If the use of mind maps is added to this, the brain begins to produce ideas from associations. To connect the ideas, it is recommended to use colors, symbols or illustrations, since all these elements encourage creativity.

To develop a mind map it is recommended:

- Place the project you want to develop in the center. It can be accompanied by a drawing, sign or photograph. An example of a central project could be: “encourage recycling at school”.

- Begin to place the ideas branching them from the central project.

- Link these ideas to each other, creating new ramifications. For this you can use drawings or images.

2.- Carry out a “brainstorming”

Brainstorming is an ideal technique for teamwork. Via pixabay.com

It is a technique widely used in those jobs or projects that must be done as a team. This tool consists of meeting with a group of people, where each member can propose a large number of ideas. These are written on a billboard or blackboard and can be accompanied by images or drawings, since visual support is always important.

Successful brainstorming requires the team to appoint a moderator; This will be in charge of guiding the activity and coordinating the duration of the meeting. Likewise, it is recommended that the members do not make judgments about the ideas raised, but instead build other propositions based on the ideas of their classmates.

Brainstorming receives that name since its objective is to generate as many ideas as possible; After this, the members can vote to select the ideas that are closest to the objective of the project. If the activity is organized correctly, up to a hundred different ideas can be generated in one hour of meeting.

3- Make the diagram "Lotus flower"

It is a tool similar to mind maps, but its structure is a bit more methodical and analytical. This happens because in the mind map people can include all the elements they want without following a certain order, whereas a lotus flower requires that people focus their thoughts on a limited number of ideas.

To develop it, the main project is placed in the center, then eight ideas that branch off from the main idea are selected. Subsequently, of these eight ideas, eight more elements of each must be branched. The final shape of this diagram is similar to that of a flower with several petals; that's where its name comes from.

4- Elaboration of a storyboard

It is also known as a storyboard and can be defined as a set of boxes or bullets containing drawings or symbols. This technique is widely used by designers and illustrators, but it can be used by anyone who wants to apply a creative and fun method.

Storyboards are particularly useful when the project you want to do is interactive or highly graphic. In addition, its grid system helps to visualize ideas in a sequential way. To do this, it is only necessary to draw a group of boxes and then fill them with symbols or drawings that represent the ideas.

5- Ask yourself questions

Asking questions contributes to the generation of ideas. Via pixabay.com

A very effective way to get new ideas is by asking questions. This happens because questioning allows people to find possible solutions to the projects they want to develop.

This method has been widely used by many entrepreneurs and inventors around the world. In fact, at first the questions that are asked may seem naive, but they can generate very important changes.

One can take as an example the classic question, What if man could fly ?, which at the time may seem far-fetched to many people, but which encouraged inventors to create airplanes.

To make this method more effective, you can take notes of the questions with their possible answers.

6- Look for visual stimuli

Pictures always help people to be more creative. One way to generate ideas is through the visualization of works of art. Source: pixabay.com

Pictures always help people to be more creative. One way to generate ideas is through the visualization of works of art. This happens because art encourages our most creative side and also appeals to emotion, which is an essential component when building or devising a project.

For example, a designer may seek inspiration for his illustrations from a particular art movement and include some of these techniques in his designs. It can also happen that a person makes a product that is inspired by the lines or style of a type of architecture.

7- Modify reality

This technique consists of bringing together a work team made up of creative people so that each one invents a version of reality. In general, absurd ideas arise from this activity, however, after analyzing them, those that can be modified to implement them in reality are chosen.

In this method there are no limits to the absurd, so ideas are not discarded until they have been thoroughly analyzed. Modifying reality is a technique widely used in the most creative areas, especially in advertising and for film or theater scripts.

However, it can be used for any area if it is developed properly: it can be used to develop a novel product or service, to innovate in research, among others.

8- Keep the senses awake

The senses allow us to perceive elements of reality that can serve as inspiration. Via pixabay.com

Being aware of the reality that surrounds us is an effective way to generate ideas. It has been shown that a person who fixes on the details of something that he observes, hears or feels keeps the senses awake and is more prone to creating new things.

In addition, observing or listening with determination allows us to discover the things we like, which later can serve as inspiration for a project that we want to undertake.

Likewise, you can also analyze everyday situations, such as taking the bus, watering the plants, playing with pets, sharing with friends, reading a book… Ideas can be hidden even in things that at first instance they are considered trivial or routine.

To complement this point, it is recommended to always have a notebook or other tool with you that allows you to take notes of the ideas that may arise throughout the day.

9- Surround yourself with creative people and talk with others

Talking with others can help generate ideas. Source: pixabay.com

An effective way to generate ideas is by talking with other people, especially if they are creative and innovative people.

This happens because talking to others allows us to imagine things that we might not have been able to visualize on our own; Through conversation, people offer their perspectives and motivate us to create or come up with things.

10- clear the mind

Clearing the mind helps ideas emerge. Source: pixabbay.com

Although it may seem contradictory, clearing your mind greatly helps ideas emerge. In many cases, people suffer from a kind of creative paralysis, since they are stuck in the process of generating ideas. In this case, it is recommended to practice meditation, some sport or any activity that relaxes the mind.

In this process of rest, the mind continues to work subconsciously to generate ideas. For this reason, it is common that after doing some activity (such as going for a walk or sweeping the house) the brain is more receptive and active when creating a project or something new.

References

1. Acevedo, V. (2014) Generation of ideas in the organizational context. Retrieved on April 6, 2020 from Redalyc.org
2. CISE (sf) Three idea generation techniques. Retrieved on April 6, 2020 from StarPoint: starpoint.cise.es
3. ESDESING (2019) What is it and how to create a storyboard? Retrieved on April 6, 2020 from esdesignbarcelona.com
4. Mariño, W. (2015) The process of generating innovative ideas for entrepreneurship. Retrieved on April 6, 2020 from repository.uasb.edu.ec
5. SA (2016) What is Idea Generation? Definition, process & techniques. Retrieved on April 6, 2020 from Study.com
6. SA (2019) What is Idea generation? Definition, techniques. Retrieved on April 6, 2020 from Viima: viima.com
7. SA (2020) Idea generation: how to generate awesome ideas. Retrieved on April 6, 2020 from innolytics-innovation.com
8. Socialmood (sf) Content Marketing: techniques for generating ideas and how to be creative. Retrieved on April 6, 2020 from 40defiebre.com