Off the Beaten Path: Synectics

Hall Houston, Taiwan

Hall Houston has many years of teaching experience at universities in Taiwan and Hong Kong. His first book, The Creative Classroom, was published in 2007 by Lynx Publishing (www.lynxpublishing.com). He is currently working on his second book. His professional interests include cross-cultural communication, discourse analysis, creativity and critical thinking. E-mail: hallhouston@yahoo.com

Synectics is an approach to problem solving that emphasizes non-rational thought. It was created by William Gordon. The word synectics comes from Greek. It means "bringing forth together". The synectics process has 3 stages.

In the first stage, the group leader and participants seek to define the problem. Each participant takes turn talking about the problem and proposed solutions. Finally, the group works together to create a problem statement, a one-sentence description of the problem.

In the second stage, the group engages in brainstorming. This is what Gordon refers to as "making the familiar strange", or encouraging non-rational ideas that might ultimately lead to a rational solution. Some common techniques in the second stage include asking the group to produce a metaphor or analogy for the problem, finding a word at random to evoke potential solutions, and asking participants to close their eyes and visualize a journey that might suggest a solution. The emphasis in the second stage is not producing practical solutions, but conjuring up a wealth of ideas. One group member should be selected to write down all the ideas generated.

In the third stage, participants work towards thinking of various solutions to the problem, based on the ideas created in the second stage. The final goal is to decide on the best solution.

This approach could be used in an ESP course to anticipate problems students might encounter in their fields. Alternatively, it could be used in an intermediate/advanced level conversation class to generate discussion.

Resources

Mycoted - Synectics
www.mycoted.com/Synectics

Creativity Web – Synectics
http://members.optusnet.com.au/charles57/Creative/Techniques/synectics.htm

Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.