shindar1016

Tool #4   180° Thinking

Main Idea

     180° thinking means to think the exact opposite of what conventional wisdom would suggest. In other words, for every situation where the tired-and-proven method is to go one way, you go the diametric opposite and see where that line of thought takes you.

    The emphasis here is on original thinking rather than following the crowd. Most worthwhile creative ideas buck the conventional wisdom at some stage in their conception or execution. They add an original twist and end up somewhere completely and refreshingly useful.

    Many people get locked into conventional ways of thinking without even being aware they are doing so. 180° thinking enables you to come to a new place where some good ideas may possibly be lurking.

How Do You Actually Do This??

    What’s done before has a huge influence on the way we all think about products or services, especially if what went before enjoyed substantial success in the marketplace. We automatically assume what has been done before is the best way something can be done. 180° Thinking helps us overcome those inbuilt mental barriers.

    Note that 180° Thinking is not necessarily a destination. It’s not so much a place to take finished thinking but is more of an approach to start thinking with originality. It’s a conscious decision to break free of predictable patterns of thought and move in new and potentially interesting directions.

   The key here is not to automatically discount an interesting idea because it flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Purposefully head in the opposite direction. Break free from the herd. Try something original and different. The experience may be a little discounting at first, but the end result( if you’re fortunate ) may be something that ends up being highly impressive.

Examples

◎    Specify a challenge or opportunity you face.

◎    Next, identify how most people think about this situation.

◎    Then write down what would be the next opposite of conventional wisdom in this area.

◎    Now follow through on the opposite direction concepts. Think through what the product or service would be like if those opposite traits were included.

◎    Always remind yourself that some of history’s great products started out as failures. For example, post-in notes were nothing like the product the original developer envisaged, but they were hugely successful. Similarly, Vicks NyQuil was considered as a product failure as a cold remedy because it put people to sleep too easily until somewhere realized there may be situations where that is highly desirable.