A Whack On the Side Of The Head By: Roger von Oech, Ph.D.

Introduction What is Creative Thinking? Getting “Whacked” Creative thinking consists of people having an outlook to search for ideas and manipulate their knowledge and experiences into their ideas (Oech, 1983, p. 6). Getting “Whacked” Getting “whacked” forces you to think something different (Oech, 1983, p. 12).

Mental Locks What are Mental Locks? Help Opening Mental Locks Attitudes or beliefs that prevent you from creativity. Examples of Mental Locks: “The right answer, that’s not logical, follow the rules, be practical, avoid ambiguity, to err is wrong, play is frivolous, that’s not my area, don’t be foolish and I’m not creative” (Oech, 1983, p. 9). Help Opening Mental Locks Getting “Whacked on the side of the head”

The Right Answer We have all been taught to search for the “one right answer”. With creative thinking, there is not only one right answer. We need to keep pursuing our creative minds in searching for multiple answers! Tip: Always seek more than one right answer. Never settle for the first one to come across.

That’s Not Logical “Logic in an important creative thinking tool” (Oech, 1983, p. 42). Logic can also block your creative ways of thinking outside the box. Look beyond the logic and expand your creative thought!

Follow the Rules As law-abiding citizens, we follow the rules to be productive! During the creative thinking process, to expand your thoughts sometimes it is better to step outside the box of the typical “rules”. Be flexible but still set your own rules. According to Oech (1983), “breaking the rules won’t necessarily lead to creative ideas, but it’s one avenue” (p. 51).

Be Practical “This world was built by practical people who knew how to get into a germinal frame of mind, listen to their imaginations, and build on the ideas they found there” (Oech, 1983, p. 61). Creative thinking involves a great deal of understanding practicality. Being practical can involve mastering the questioning of “what if?”.

Avoid Ambiguity When thinking ambiguously, it is important to be specific, clear, concise when relaying the message across (Oech, 1983). It is encouraged to avoid thinking ambiguously due to communication issues that could be caused and people becoming misunderstood. One tip that could help avoid ambiguity, is using humor to put a group into a creative state of mind (Oech, 1983).

To Err is Wrong People make mistakes every day. Everyone copes differently with their errors. With a creative mindset, people need to learn from their errors as it is a part of the creative process. “If you’re not failing every now and then, it’s a sign you’re not being very innovative” (Oech, 1983, p. 94).

Play is Frivolous To enhance the creative process, “play” is the best tool to utilize. Play may include brain teasers, games, or other fun activities. Most creative thoughts are created when play is occuring. Play is a great tool to fertilize your thinking (Oech, 1983).

That’s not my Area To excel in your field (or area), you must focus completely on your responsibilities, duties and views. However, when utilizing critical thinking, you must not only focus on “your area”. You must expand your area.

Don’t be foolish Sometimes the “fool” makes more since than the wise man (Oech, 1983). Some people are too tied up in their own ideas—to serious. Creative thinkers need to let go of their seriousness and their foolish personality come into play…who knows what great ideas may come of it.

I’m not creative Many people think they are not creative. Creativeness comes from motivation and self-esteem. People need to “whack” themselves into trying new things!

Conclusion… There are many people who sit around on their ideas and never actually pursue them. Many have “Mental Blocks” preventing them from pursuing their creative idea. Moral: “If you have an idea, get our of your stuffed chair and put it into action. After all, someone else may have the idea first, and if they do… WHACK”.

References Oech, Roger von (1983). A whack on the side of the head: How to unlock your mind for innovation. Warner Books Edition, New York, NY.