De Bono’s Thinkard Game

1. De Bono’s Thinkard Game Dan Feliciano Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt Dan@DanFeliciano.com www.DanFeliciano.com

2. Why Bother with Thinkards • To facilitate Thinking • Your brain is the most important thing you have. • Many organizations’ market value is a function of their ability to think • …Every employees ability to think • Thinkard games is about Thinking and learning to think

3. Why Don’t We Like Thinking? • Thinking is hard work • Thinking is boring • Thinking is someone else’s job • I don’t get paid to think, therefore I don’t get paid much!

4. Thinkard Games • Memory Judgment – similar to Goldfish • Alternative stories - draw four cards and construct a story using the four cards in the order they where drawn • Logical Sequence – draw five cards and place them in a logical sequence, explain the logic • Design a Tourist Attraction – five cards are drawn, design a tourist attraction based on the five cards. Your scored on the number of cards used. • Problem-solving – • And tens more, if not hundreds

5. Using Thinkards to Demonstrate Problem-Solving • As you know, there are many solutions to a problem • If you can only think of one solution for a problem, shame on you • Many managers and people get hung-up on a specific solution to solve a problem. • Why is that?

6. Problem-Solver Game Using de Bono’s Thinkards • Using the five cards you receive • Solve the following problem • A person has fallen into a river and is being carried downstream. Create a story using the cards you have about how could you rescue the person. • The more cards you use the more points your receive. • You have 10 minutes to write your story on the Poster board. • Select a person to explain how your team would rescue this person • Do Not write on the cards! • Each team has a different set of cards to solve the same problem • The Thinkards will be rotated to most of the teams

7. Problem-Solver Rules • Create a story, using the five cards, telling how you would rescue a person who has fallen into a stream • Write it on the poster board • Use as many cards as possible • Don’t let the other teams hear your solution. • You have 10 minutes • Don’t Write on the Thinkards

8. Present Your Results • Explain why your story / solution is different than another team’s • Is your solution better than the other team’s?

9. Don’t Accept One Solution • When problem-solving; • Don’t allow your teams or employees to present one solution • There are multiple solutions to every problem • Have your team’s present 3 or more solutions / alternatives and present the pros and cons to each solution

10. Summary • Your brain is a muscle and like all other muscles, it requires exercise to maintain its strength • Playing games with your teams such as Thinkards will keep your team thinking • Thinkards is also a simple way of getting people to realize there are multiple solutions to a problem, not one… theirs

11. Questions