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2.9
Challenging Taboos to Enhance Creativity
Submitted by Jack Byrd, Jr., Cuda Zmuda, and Eric Schmucker
Our imagination is often restricted by internalized taboos. While these restrictions may be appropriate in some cases, we are often unaware or subconsciously influenced by taboos. Uncovering taboos that affect us can provide creative breakthroughs for how we think about issues.
Learning Goals
Identify the presence of taboos in everyday life.
Challenge self-censorship and expand creative thinking by becoming more aware of taboos.
Instructions
Set Up: Prepare for the Activity
Organize participants into small groups (4-6 ppl).
Share the Ping Pong Ball Challenge on a handout, screen, or projector.
Step One: Introduce the Ping Pong Challenge (5 min)
Review The Ping Pong Ball Challenge as a full group:
An eight inch long metal pipe is embedded in concrete at one end. The pipe is perpendicular to the ground, facing upward. A ping pong ball is at the bottom of the pipe. The ping pong ball fits loosely into the pipe.
You have the following tools available to you:
A one-foot length of rope (0.1 inch in diameter)
A metal file
You need to remove the ping pong ball from the pipe with the following restrictions:
You have no other resources available to you.
You cannot move or bend the pipe.
The ping pong ball cannot be damaged.
Ask the groups if there are any clarifying questions but do not provide any additional information.
Step Two: Individually Generate Ideas (5 min)
Ask each participant to write down their individual ideas. How are they going to remove the ball from the pipe?
Step Three: Discuss Ideas in Small Groups (10 min)
In small groups, invite participants to share their ideas.
As each of the ideas are presented, ask the other participants to build on them.
Instruct the group that they must decide on a single best solution to present to the full group.
Step Four: Present Solutions to the Full Group (5 min)
Invite one representative from each small group to present their final solution to the challenge.
While listening to the solutions, ask participants in the full group to evaluate each small group’s idea with a thumb’s up, thumb’s down, or thumb’s sideways vote. Tell them the criteria for their vote should be: Did the group adhere to the rules? Would the solution work?
Step Five: Explore Taboos as a Full Group (15 min)
If no group came up with the solution, reveal that the most effective solution is to urinate in the pipe and let the ping pong ball rise to the top.
Full group discussion prompts:
What’s your reaction to this solution? Does it make you feel uncomfortable? Did any of you think of this but might have been afraid to voice it in the discussion?
Talking publicly about urination is generally frowned upon or considered taboo. What else do you consider to be taboo?
Generate a list of taboos on the board, flip chart, or shared screen. Discuss:
Are these taboos universal? How do we know when our imagination is restricted by a taboo?
Step Six: Debrief as a Full Group (10 min)
Discuss:
Let’s review our list of taboos. What purpose do these taboos serve? Who or what decides that these topics are off limits?
What are the trade-offs associated with taboos?
How can identifying taboos open up possibilities or imagination?
TIME
50
min
MODULE
Creative Collaboration
This activity can be completed by any discussion group.
This activity might be considered high energy or more playful than other activities.
This activity can be easily modified to serve as an introductory exercise and completed in less than 10 minutes.
Tell us what you think. Rate and review this activity:
Have any helpful suggestions or modifications for this activity?
Share them in the comments below!
0 Comments
RT
January 16, 2023 at 5:26:09 PM
This activity helps develop a skill that is useful in many contexts, including in the classroom, workplace, community and even at home.
RT
January 12, 2023 at 10:17:13 PM
This activitiy can be modified or used as is in helping STEM students and science & technology professionals in identifying the unintended consequences and uses of any new scientific or technological developments or tools, such as AI models, etc.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 2:03:49 PM
I am waiting for someone to try this activity out and share it back with us. This is probably one of the most ambitious activities in the toolkit. I really love it but I have not had the opportunity to try it out with a group. Please someone try this and share back!
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 2:01:33 PM
Another all time favorite. I really recommend this activity when you are trying to think about the complexity of a social topic and who/what is impacted by it. It pairs well with the Divergent Thinking/Surround the Topic activity. This activity also includes a really helpful worksheet for capturing types of stakeholders.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 1:59:07 PM
I really like this activity. It is a fun way to figure out what matters most to us as a group. For example, if you need to figure out the theme for a discussion series or a topic for a group project, try out this activity. It helps participants to reflect on their own civic passion but also negotiate together the civic passions of the group. It could be paired with the value activities in Module One.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 1:54:13 PM
I the process in this activity ("surround the topic") a lot. It is particularly useful as facilitation preparation. It also helps with generative thinking.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 1:52:01 PM
This is an all time favorite. Use it as a warm-up activity or whenever you have a group that feels stuck and can't think of new ways of engaging a topic or problem.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 1:49:22 PM
Similar to the previous activity (1.7 Taking Inventory of CD Skills), this activity includes a google survey that participants can complete at the beginning of a program or class. Instructors or facilitators can use this information to then tailor future activities to best fits the discussion needs of their group.
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 1:46:46 PM
Use this as pre-class or pre-workshop preparation! These self-evaluations will help teachers or facilitators to better understand the starting point of each participant and an aggregate view of the group. The survey results are shared only with the instructor/facilitator. This is a really helpful resource (and you can modify the survey to fit your needs).
Shannon Wheatley Hartman
December 7, 2022 at 1:43:42 PM
This activity and the previous (1.5 Understanding Values) are great for difficult conversations. I would use this as the prep work before diving into potentially tricky conversations. It helps participants to look for the values that inform opinions (and not just dismiss ideas that they don't like).