It is too often assumed that creative ideas come only from inspiration and that there is nothing else that can be done about it.

CoRT 4 covers the basic creative techniques, procedures and attitudes.

Creativity is treated as a normal part of thinking, involving processes that can be learned, practiced and applied in a deliberate manner.

Some of the processes are concerned with the escape from imprisoning ideas.

Others are concerned with the provocation of new ideas.

Problem definition is an important part of creativity.

So is the evaluation of suggested solutions.

Tools:

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1: YES, NO & PO
"Po," a device for showing that an idea is being used creatively without any judgment or immediate evaluation.

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2: STEPPING STONE
The use of ideas not for their own sake but because of other ideas they may lead to.

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3: RANDOM INPUT
The input of unrelated spurious ideas into a situation may change the situation.

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4: CONCEPT CHALLENGE
The testing of the ' uniqueness" of concepts may lead to other ways of doing things.

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5: DOMINANT IDEA
In most situations there is a dominant idea. In order to be creative one must find and escape from it.

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6: DEFINE THE PROBLEM
An effort to define a problem exactly may make it easier to solve.

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7: REMOVE FAULTS
The assessment of faults and their removal from an idea.

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8: COMBINATION
By examining the attributes of seemingly unrelated items new items may be created either by fusion or by combination.

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9: REQUIREMENTS
An awareness of requirements may influence the creation of ideas.

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10: EVALUATION
Does an idea fulfill the requirements; what are its advantages and disadvantages?