A Technique For Producing Ideas
Over 60 years ago James Webb Young introduced a classic technique for Producing Ideas.
It all started with one question “How do you get ideas?”
Having been thrown a? curve ball to come up with fresh ideas for an advertising agency James Webb Young found himself perplexed by this very question. There had to be a formula.
What follows is his conclusion to this soul searching exercise to find a formula. Firstly here are some keen general principles he observed? supporting his conclusions (what he called principles of the technique)
THE PRINCIPLES:
First PRINCIPLE.
NEW COMBINATIONS. An idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements.
Second PRINCIPLE.
RELATIONSHIPS. The capacity to bring old elements into new combinations relies largely on the ability to see relationships.
With these principles in mind he observes, “when relationships are seen they lead to extraction of a? general principle. This general principle, when grasped, suggests the key to a? new application, a? new combination, and the result is an idea… A? habit of mind which leads to a? search for relationships between facts becomes the highest importance in the production of ideas”.
THE TECHNIQUE:
GATHER RAW MATERIALS.
Don’t sit around hoping for inspiration to strike. Research. Browse. Investigate. James suggests gathering ‘general’ and ‘specific’ materials. Specific refers to gathering information on the product, on the target audience, on the client, on the subject in question, etc.? Where general is more about building ourselves as rich mediums for communication. Its an ongoing material gathering vocation. Its about you.? Your interests, your broad knowledge of subjects, interest in the world and its affairs, the arts, culture, etc.? In our search for raw materials ” if we go deeply enough or far enough, we nearly always find that between every product and some consumers there is an individuality of relationship which may lead to an idea”.
MASTICATION.
This is the process of digesting all the raw materials.”What you do s take the different bits of material which you have gathered and feel them all over, as it were,? with the tentacles of the mind… you bring two facts together and see how they fit”. What you are seeking now is the relationship. The synthesis where order will come to chaos and you will start to see relationships in patterns. Put pen to paper when little ideas start coming forth. The mind is chewing over all the information, computing and looking for relationships. This is sometimes considered the ‘day-dreamer’ stage of the process. This leads us to the next stage.
CLEAR THE MIND
. This does not mean forget everything you just digested. Its quite the opposite. Its a deliberate detour of the conscious mind while the under layers of the mental process? digest further without conscious interference. You are essential turning the job over to the subconscious while you consciously engaged in something else that stimulates your imagination and emotions, or even sleep, as we have all heard the expression ‘lets sleep on it’.
EUREKA
. Having followed the first 3 steps will lead to this moment naturally. The idea will appear to you all of a? sudden out of nowhere. Like divine intervention. “This is when ideas come: after you have stopped straining for them and have passed through a? period of rest and relaxation from the search”.
REALITY CHECK.
This is where we take our idea out into the real world. The litmus test as such. See if it stands up in its own right. Test its effectiveness to the job at hand. “It requires a deal of patient working over to make most ideas fit the exact conditions, or the practical exigencies, under which they must work”. This is the critique stage. Seek opinion and constructive criticism. “when you do a? surprising thing will happen. You will find that a good idea has, as it were, self-expanding qualities. It stimulates those who see it to add to it. Thus possibilities in it which you have overlooked will come to light”.
This is a? great publication, if not to educate, to remind us there is a process involved in producing ideas. James Webb Young presents his technique in a? timelessly simple manner and it is indeed effective. You might find you have been using a technique all along and you are quite happy with it. However the technique James presents is founded in his life long experience producing ideas for the advertising industry and its an industry that requires quick thinking.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Yes i enjoyed that Diarmuid……good info there….thanks for your knowledge sharing