Imagination First: Unlocking the Power of Possibility

251 Pages·2009·0.78 MB·English

by  Eric Liu

PraiseforImaginationFirst:unlockingthepowerofpossibility
‘‘ImaginationFirstoffersablueprintfortappingintothepowerof
imagination,whichisthecoreofinnovation.Tomaintainour
competitiveedge,weneedtobalanceinstruction,encouragingour
childrentobecreativeandtodeveloptheirimaginations.Every
studentshouldbeinaclassroomwhereinvestigating,questioning,
anddiscoveringareinherentlypartofthecurriculum.Intoday’s
economy,theseskillsareessentialforsuccessandcontinuedworld
leadershipinthe21stcentury.’’
—JohnI.Wilson,executivedirector,NationalEducation
Association
‘‘ImaginationFirstisawonderfullywrittenbookthatmakesa
powerfulcaseforhowmuchweowetoimagination.Anditisfullof
detailed,usefulsuggestionsforhowtoreleasethatpowerfulforcein
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—MihalyCsikszentmihalyi,director,TheQualityofLifeResearch
Center
‘‘Drawingfromliterature,thelatestscience,andawidearrayof
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bookoffersanexpansiveandaccessibletoolbox.’’
—DanielH.Pink,authorofAWholeNewMindandTheAdventures
ofJohnnyBunko
‘‘ImaginationFirstisanexcellentprimerforeveryone:business
leaders,scientists,inventors,younameit.The‘‘real-world’’practices
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Anincrediblebook.’’
—BenSilverman,co-chairmanofNBCEntertainmentand
UniversalMediaStudios
‘‘Imagination—weallwantmoreofit.Thequestionis,canweteach
it,andifso,how?EricLiuandScottNoppeBrandonansweryes,and
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bethebetterforit!’’
—JoelI.Klein,chancellor,NewYorkCityDepartmentofEducation
‘‘Thisisawonderfulbookaboutopeningourminds,bytwowriters
whounderstandwellwhatislikelytoclosethem.Eachchapter
demonstrateshowtobreakthebondsofunseenassumptions,by
‘rinsingoutexpectations,’redesigningspacestosupportgenerative
conversations,creatingnewnarratives,andmuchmore.Each
chapterisjustlongenoughtodeliveramind-poppingideaandjust
shortenoughtokeepusfromgettinglostinourusualthoughts.’’
—RosamundZander,authorofArtofPossibility,familytherapist,
executivecoach
‘‘ImaginationFirstunlocksthesecretsofthemostimportantaspect
ofhumanconsciousnessandwillbeavaluableaidtoanyonewishing
tounfoldtheirpotentialforcreativity.’’
—DeepakChopra,authorofReinventingtheBody,Resurrecting
theSoul
i m a g i n a t i o n
f i r s t

i m a g i n a t i o n
f i r s t
unlocking the power of possibility
Eric Liu and
Scott Noppe-Brandon
Copyright©2009byJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
PublishedbyJossey-Bass
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Liu,Eric.
Imaginationfirst:unlockingthepowerofpossibility/EricLiuandScott
Noppe-Brandon.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-470-38248-6(cloth)
1. Imagination.2. Creativethinking.3. Originality.I. Noppe-Brandon,Scott.II.
Title.
BF408.L742009
153.3--dc22
2009023241
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
FirstEdition
HBPrinting 10987654321
Contents
Acknowledgments xi
LincolnCenterInstitute xv
TheAuthors xix
PartOne • ThePremise 1
Introduction 2
What, Why, and How 18
PartTwo • ThePractices 41
Practice 1 • Make Mist 42
Ready,getstill,go
Practice 2 • Leave the Campfire 46
Knowyourenemy:itisyou,scared
Practice 3 • Flip What’s Foolish 52
Makeitwisetobefoolish,andeveryfoolwillgenerate
wisdom
Contents (continued)
Practice 4 • Make Way for Awe 58
Nurturehumilityandthewonderthatcomeswithit
Practice 5 • Reinvent the Wheel 64
Bewillingtogivebackthegivens
Practice 6 • Think Inside the Box 68
Makegreedy,gratefuluseoflimits
Practice 7 • Hoard Bits 74
Collectobsessively;sift;trustthattherightbits
willemerge
Practice 8 • Mix Your Metaphors 80
Changethemetaphorsthatframeyourreality
Practice 9 • Renew Your Narrative 84
Askwhetheryourstorystillservesyou
Practice 10 • Untie Your Tongue 90
Talkaboutyourworkwithsomeonewhodoesn’t
understandit
Practice 11 • Swap Bodies 94
Loseyourselfinarole
Practice 12 • Make a Gap 100
Obscurepartofthepicture
Contents (continued)
Practice 12.5 • Finish the Story 106
Maketheendingopen-ended
Practice 13 • Chunk It 108
Showhowsmallitallstarts
Practice 14 • Don’t Blink 114
Snapinslowmotion;seehowyougetprimedfordecision
Practice 15 • Cloud Appreciation 118
Searchoutambiguityandsitwithit
Practice 16 • Spotlight Off, Lantern On 124
Tradesharpfocusforfull-fieldawareness
Practice 17 • Play Telephone 128
Engageinmeaning-laundering
Practice 18 • Help Out a Boobonian 132
Makeeverytaskaquest
Practice 19 • Teach Nonzero Math 138
Expandthepiebeforedividingit
Practice 20 • Microexperiment 142
Testyourhunchesplayfully
Practice 21 • Rewrite History 146
Turn‘‘whatwould’vebeen’’into‘‘whatcouldbe’’