Product Description

Looking for a unique invention, an untapped market for an existing product, or a new solution? Stretch your imagination with Thinkpak, a creative-thinking tool designed by Michael Michalko, author of the groundbreaking book Thinkertoys. This deck of illustrated idea-stimulating cards distills one of Michalko's proven methods, allowing you to view challenges in a new light. Shuffle, mix, and match the cards to spark fresh insights, then use the critical evaluation techniques to test, shape, and refine your ideas into realistic creations. Filled with thought-provoking questions and examples of the techniques put to use, Thinkpak provides endless creative fuel to fire up the imagination.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19573 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-15
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Cards
• 64 pages

From the Publisher
This is a new edition of the highly popular brainstorming cards based on one of Michael Michalko's creative thinking techniques. Michael is the author of "Thinkertoys" and "Cracking Creativity."

From the Author
Have you ever tried to get a new idea simply by choosing to have one? Spend a few minutes and see how many new ways you can think of to sell your product. How did you do? If you're like most of us, you probably had difficulty coming up with more than a few. Our minds generally don't cooperate in such matters. It is very hard for us to simply will new ideas without some kind of intermediate step. But it's a snap, by comparison, to generate new ideas, solutions, breakthroughs, or whatever you need when you use a checklist of idea-spurring questions.

Thinkpak contains a checklist of idea-spurring questions based on "Scamper" a technique from my book Thinkertoys and the work of Alex Osborn, a pioneer teacher of creativity and father of brainstorming. Everything new is some manipulation of something that already exists. To create something new (idea, product, service, process, or whatever you need), all you need do is take a subject, and manipulate it in some fashion. There are nine principle ways to manipulate a subject and the Thinkpak cards reflect all nine ways.

The cards give conscious direction to your creativity. Instead of trying to juggle several concepts in your mind, hoping that an idea will somehow magically appear, the cards focus your imagination on the subject in a different way and will give you a different way to interpret what you're focusing on.

About the Author
Michael Michalko is one of the most highly acclaimed creativity experts in the world. As an officer in the U.S. Army, Michael organized a team of NATO intelligence specialists and international academics in Frankfurt, Germany, to research, collect, and categorize all known inventive-thinking methods. His team applied the methods to various NATO military, political, and social problems and produced a variety of breakthrough ideas and creative solutions to new and old problems. After leaving the military, Michael facilitated CIA think tanks using his creative thinking techniques.

Michael later applied these creative-thinking techniques to problems in the corporate world with outstanding successes. The companies he worked with were thrilled with the breakthrough results they achieved, and Michael has since been in the business of developing and teaching creative-thinking workshops and seminars for corporate clients around the world.

Customer Reviews

Take this along on your next business trip!
Michael Michalko's "Thinkpak" cards are a handy little adjunct to his book, Thinkertoys. While the book provides you with in-depth instructions and sample anecdotes, however, the cards act as a quick, portable, self-contained brain-stimulator.

The deck includes an introductory card, a card of instructions, an explanatory booklet, 45 "idea stimulator" cards, and 9 evaluation technique cards. The introductory card and the booklet delve into something originally explored in "Thinkertoys"-a method represented by the mnemonic SCAMPER. The idea stimulator cards are similarly divided into these nine types of questions-with the backs of the cards color-coded by category-so that you can pick a card at random, pick a card from each category, or pick a card from a specific category.

The book includes a couple of games for group brainstorming, as well as examples of the SCAMPER ideals in general use and the specific prompts from the cards in use.

I believe the deck is best used after reading the book. The prompts on the cards are quick, simple keys to help you brainstorm, and I think these will work best once you've gotten a bit of a handle on how to brainstorm in general. Also, there are many in-depth exercises in the book that of course wouldn't fit onto cards.

The cards, however, have some wonderful applications apart from the book. They're portable and self-contained, making them easy to take along in your luggage, briefcase or purse. They're easy to distribute among the members of a class or team. They lend themselves well to randomness, which can help to spark ideas when you truly have no idea where to start. They're also fun to play with, which can help to loosen people up and get them into a more playful and creative mood.

The book was better
I purchased both the Think Pak cards and the book Thinkertoys. The cards are a good adjunct to the book if the group is familiar with the various techniques the author espouses. As a stand alone, the cards are only as good as the person who is faciltating the group. The cards do offer good ideas for taking brainstoriming to the next level or opening up your mind to new ways of viewing an old situation.

A delight
Fresh from reading 'Thinkertoys' and 'Cracking Creativity,' and without any foreknowledge of what lay in store, I purchased Thinkpac. I am thrilled. Based on the author's SCAMPER technique in Thinkertoys, Thinkpac is presented as a creative approach to brainstorming. The result is a valuable tool that is a delight to manipulate and amazingly effective. Thanks to Mr. Michalko's contributions to creativity, I have experienced a remarkable odyssey.