By Chuck Frey
Ask Einstein is a new deck of 150 thought-provoking "imagine if..." questions that are designed to stretch your thinking in new, creative directions. Developed by Gary Bertwhistle of Blue Moon Creative in Australia, this brainstorming tool was inspired by the insatiable curiosity of Albert Einstein, who always asked questions.
Ask Einstein was also an outgrowth of Bertwhistle’s work as an advertising executive: “Previously I would stand in front of a group and throw questions out at them to give them hooks to alter their thinking and give them new directions to grab onto. However, I found that people like to have a physical tool that they can take out of their cupboard and put on their desk or the boardroom table to use by themselves or within a group. Having the Einstein cards allows them 150 questions that they always have with them that they can use in a number of different applications,” he explains.
The Ask Einstein cards
Each card is laminated for durability. One side contains the “imagine if…” question, while the other side of the card contains a whimsical illustration of Albert Einstein that is themed to the question. What’s amazing is the sheer number of cards in this deck (150) and the nature of the idea-stimulating questions it asks. For example, it asks you to think about connections between your current challenge and several famous brands: What if it was a Rolex? What if it was a Mercedes? These and other “imagine if” questions help you to engage in lateral thinking, combining your product, service or challenge with different attributes or qualities – a very effective ideation strategy!
Some of my favorite cards in the Ask Einstein card deck include these:
- Imagine if it was in a circus
- Imagine if it was a superhero
- Imagine if it was a toy
- Imagine if it was a cartoon character
- Imagine if it spoke to you
I asked Bertwhistle where he came up with such a large quantity of thought-provoking questions. “The questions were designed from doing ten years of workshops and me putting myself in the shoes of an attendee and looking at what would stimulate my mind to answer their questions or problems,” he recalls. “I simply looked at what I would use to generate ideas for breweries, chocolate companies, software manufactures or wholesale merchants. I kept the questions that would stimulate my mind and give me potentially useful and profitable outcomes and ditched the ones that wouldn’t.”
Applications of Ask Einstein
The card deck’s instructions recommend a number of possible uses for Ask Einstein:
- Generating new ideas for your company, brand or product
- As an interactive tool to energize your team
- As a brainstorming tool for your team or office
- As a catalyst for client meetings
Bertwhistle says his card deck is used by creative thinkers in many different types of businesses, from hospitals and landscaping firms to sales teams and restaurants. “Pretty much anybody who needs new ideas will find a use for the cards,” he says. He did a “soft launch” of Ask Einstein in Australia seven months ago, and demand for it has grown quickly via word of mouth.
Conclusion
Ask Einstein is a very promising brainstorming tool. It combines a large quantity and an impressive variety of idea stimulators in an affordable package. In addition, its simplicity means nearly anyone can pick up this card deck and begin generating potentially profitable ideas almost immediately.
You can order the Ask Einstein card deck exclusively from the Fink Inc. website for A$129 (approximately US$98) via innovationtools.com
Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group. A global management consulting firms specialized solely in helping organizations of all sizes in all industries catalyzing top line growth through strategic innovation and hypercompetition. Jim has over 25 years consulting experience in working with small, mid size and Fortune 1000 companies. He is a former U.S. Navy Seabee and grandfather of five. Jim is board president of a charter school located in Colorado Springs whose sole purpose is to prepare otherwise disadvantaged students more competitively for college. To arrange for Jim to speak at your next event or devise an effective hypercompetition strategy email or call us at 719-649-4118 for availability. Subscribe to our innovation and hypercompetition newsletter.
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