16. RANDOM WORD
* Random words take thoughts off into new and interesting areas.
* The words can be fairly obscure or seemingly irrelevant to the subject, so long as the resulting idea has a direct bearing on the brief. It will be your job as the facilitator of a session to set the boundaries.
* The words can be generated in all sorts of ways.
* Take a book. Ask someone to shout out a number – choose that page. Ask for another number – choose that line. Ask for a number between 1 and 10 – choose the word. Interrogate the word for all its possible applications in relation to the brief.
* Open a dictionary at a random page, close your eyes, and put your finger on a word. Get the attendees to do it to keep them involved.
* For more subject specific ‘random’ words, take a product specification, some material related to the product, or even your own brief, and put it through the software on wordle.net. Ask the attendees to stare at the result and suggest ideas.
EXERCISE: Choose your source of words based on the number of attendees, the amount of time you have allocated for the exercise, and the degree of interaction you require. If necessary, prepare some wordles based on relevant material. Consider how you are going to marshal the responses.