Creativity techniques
VERBAL
RANDOM WORD(S)
Random Word technique is the most simple technique where you use a random word to generate new associations, which finally lead you to new ideas. By getting a random word and thinking how you can use it to solve your problem you are practically guaranteed to attack the problem from a different direction from that you would normally. You can take a random word from news headlines, articles, books, webpage or even stranger's talk on the street, explore associations between it and your problem, view the problem from the viewpoint induced by the word, apply the principles associated with the word to your problem and see how all these help. The main skill is to stop thinking that this is silly, or inefficient, or the word is completely irrelevant to your context.
Quick example 1:
Using a random word of "Balloon" in the context of new ideas about cars.
A Bridging Idea could be that you inflate the balloon under the car. The advantages of this would be that the car jack would not puncture rusty cars and that cars could be raised on soft ground.
The resulting final idea could be to have a car jack which spreads the load over the car and the ground.
FALSE RULE
A False Rule is a rule, quote, idea or suggestion which has been applied to a different subject in the world but probably has not yet been applied to your problem.
False Rule technique tries to apply/adapt rules from other fields to your problem in order to generate associations, and, finally, new ideas. The rule is usually false, because situation is different. Considering application of a False Rule to your situation, you find yourself thinking about doing things in a different way than you would normally.
The first thing you need is the False Rule itself as the initial stimulus. You can get this from various places: rule books for sports or games, cooking recipees, instruction manuals, collections of quotes. Texts on law is perfect and inexaustible source of rules. Then you try to adapt the rule to your situation, establishing a set of new ideas.
RANDOM ARTICLE
This method was suggested by my friend. According to my experience it is very effective and fun. You take some short news article and assume that it is written about your problem, but author didn't dare to address it directly, but rather implicitly, so sometimes you should read between the lines of the text. Then you start to read it, and find it surprising how many things fit fine into your context, although real purpose of the article surely was different.
VISUAL
RANDOM PICTURE
The picture is also a good way to give a concept or idea to stimulate us to think of use this idea in a possible solution of the problem. Try to see anything in the picture which reminds you of your problem and how it might be solved.
Pictures can be taken from the same sources as other mentioned stimuly, but one of them should be emphasised: look around you, look at the window, at the sky and you will find them. Sometimes our problems keep us isolated from the world around us, but you always need to remeber that you need to be open to the world to solve your problems, some solutions are only waiting for you to notice them.
What place/time/situation/activity/purpose/principle do you see? Visual image contains much more information then word or verbal rule, so it is easier to find necessary associations. Visual channel is the preferred channel of perception for many people.
You may extract an idea from picture, or imagine a similar theme/person/action happening within the context of your problem, scale picture, change colors, brightness or contrast if it helps. How you can use that new picture/action/object/attitude in your own situation.
You must be careful of deciding that a specific picture is of no use and getting another instead. Doing this, you are just trying to choose a random picture which fits some conventional way of viewing the problem and finally you end up with a picture which is not random.
A point which is not usually relevant to random word or rule, is that picture can switch you from solving one problem to another (e.g. how to organize your vacation and visit those pictured places). It happens because picture arouses much more vivid associations then word or verbal rule.
AUDIAL
RANDOM SOUND
Random sound technique is used rarely in comparison to the other techinques. Usually it is said that it is difficult to generate them. Although we only need to hear the sounds around us, to make use of this technique.
SUMMARY
Here are some methods that are used to create new ideas by associations. What is best method for you depends on your representation system and your preferred channel of perseption. Usage of the best method will give you the fastest results, whereas usage of other methods will improve your abilities, because you will explore other systems of perception than your preferred one.