Synectics technique

The technique works efficiently for finding a visual or verbal image, selecting a creative idea for promotion and looking at a product in an unconventional way. Synectics is based on the analogies development.

We have prepared convenient templates that you can download and use during team brain storming. To use a template, follow the link and click “Use template”:

Synectics

Create a board on Miro

Prepare a brainstorming template with 10 fields: Warm-up, Given, Spontaneous ideas, Direct analogies, Symbolic analogies, Subjective analogies, Fantasy analogies, Ideas, Voting, Follow-up.

Formulate the problem

Select a photo of the object which will be used as a basis to generate ideas and describe the task. Put the photo and description into the ‘Given’ field and the photo of the object only – into each of the ‘Analogies’ fields; insert the description of the task into the ‘Ideas’ field.

Spell out rules for participants

At the beginning of any brainstorming, we pronounce the rules to be followed during the process. There are only 4 of them:

Raise your hand to speak.
Say if you need a break.
Do not let other things distract you during the brainstorming.
All ideas are welcomed. If you want to criticize, suggest something in return.

Do a warm-up

The warm-up helps to "wake up" the brain and switch participants from previous tasks to the current one. As a result, the team gets immersed into the process more quickly. Here’s what we do:

Step 1: Select two objects that couldn’t be more different from each other.
Step 2: Put down on stickers what would happen if they were combined.

Fill in the field of Spontaneous ideas

Leave here anything that comes to mind but doesn't fit into any of the other stages of the brainstorming: questions, ideas or illustrations. Fill in the field during the warm-up, brainstorming and voting.

Give direct analogies

Compare the object to real things and phenomena. For example, if the object is cheese, the direct analogy is the moon. Put down all analogies on stickers.

Give symbolic analogies

Compare the object with unreal, abstract things and phenomena, find metaphors. Example: "Cheese is a yellow sea, a breastfed child, a star on the grocery counter."

Give subjective analogies

Ask each brainstorming participant to imagine themselves being the object and describe possible bodily sensations. Example: "I am cheese, becoming soft and literally spreading with warmth."

Give fantasy analogies

Imagine that the object is in a fictional reality where there are no limitations or laws of physics. And describe what might be happening to it. Example: "When buying cheese, we pay the customer rather than the customer pays us."

Ideas generation

At this stage, each participant chooses 2-3 analogies from the resulting options. Based on the analogies, they come up with 2-3 ideas for solving the current problem: describe them in detail and select illustrations. If 15 minutes is not enough, add some more time.

Voting

Review the ideas that came out of the last exercise. Each participant distributes emoji on idea stickers. Everyone has 9 emoji:

After voting, we advise to go through all the boards again from scratch and write something down into the Spontaneous Ideas Field.

Follow-up

Assign the tasks to the team members; set up a deadline.