Random Juxtaposition – Edward de Bono
YTU3 LESSON PLAN – Buddy Bartels
After having watched Bruce Litchfield’s introductory creativity videos countless times in an attempt to
draft a video script for the new and improved video (part of V2R project), I started to wonder about
where all these ideas about “inducing provocations” came from. After a few web searches, I
immediately stumbled across the name Edward de Bono as being the originator of the term “lateral
thinking”.
Instructional Objectives
1. Background. Edward de Bono.
a. Author of approximately 62 creativity and lateral thinking based books.
b. Originator of the term “lateral thinking” (Random Juxtaposition is an exercise for lateral
thinking)
c. Direct Teaching of Thinking: De Bono proposes that most of the problems in thinking are
perceptual. Many more mistakes are made by jumping to the wrong conclusion too
soon than by thinking irrationally once factors are known.
d. Language: De Bono has stated that he regards language as having been both the biggest
help and the biggest barrier to human progress.
2. Lateral Thinking.
a. Logical, linear and critical thinking has limitations because it is based on argumentation.
i. Critical thinking process of Plato, Aristotle and Socrates are reductive, designed
to eliminate all but the truth.
b. Wrote “Mechanism of Mind” in 1976.
i. Importance to disrupt the dominant patterns preferred by human brain design
to facilitate potential creative abilities.
ii. Many of de Bono’s speculative models from this era about how the brain
worked were vindicated by later brain research (neuro-chemical lightning bolts).
c. Use of “Provocation”.
i. Various acts of provocation to incite ideas that are free from previously locked
assumptions.
ii. Most well known lateral thinking technique is “Random Juxtaposition” (or
sometimes just Random Word)
iii. Invention of the word “PO”, meaning Provocative Operation
1. PO gives notice that what will follow isn’t meant as nonsense, but
intended to relate to the subject at hand.
iv. Deliberately shifts perceptual assumptions for the purpose of generating
observations and insights about the subject.
3. Example of Random Juxtaposition Exercise.
a. This example introduces a completely random stimulus which is juxtaposed with the
problem in hand.
i. Problem: Cigarette Improvement
ii. Random Stimulus: Traffic Light
iii. Therefore, the juxtaposition is “Cigarette PO Traffic-Light”.
iv. Production of the idea of a red “danger” band that would be about 2cm from
the butt end of the cigarette, since the last 2cm are the most dangerous, as the
smoke particles that have condensed there are re-evaporated.
Visual Aids
1. PowerPoint Presentation. The following PowerPoint presentation was displayed on my iPad.
Random Juxtaposition
A brief look into the term “Lateral
Thinking” and Edward de Bono
Edward de Bono




Author of approx. 62 Creativity and Lateral Thinking
based books
Originator of the term “Lateral Thinking”
Proposed that most of the problems in thinking are
perceptual (more mistakes are made by jumping to
the wrong conclusion too soon)
Regards language as having been both the biggest
help and the biggest barrier to human progress
Problems with Critical Thinking


Logical, Linear and Critical thinking has
limitations because it is based on
argumentation.
Critical thinking process of Plato, Aristotle
and Socrates are reductive – designed to
eliminate all but the truth
Lateral Thinking

“Mechanism of Mind” – Edward de Bono
(1976)

- Importance of disrupting dominant patterns
preferred by human brain design to facilitate
potential creative abilities

- Speculative models how the brain and lateral
thinking worked were vindicated by later brain
research (neuro-chemical lightning bolts)
To create, you must invoke a provocation.
input
Previously learned
result/scaffold
New, creative
result
A provocation is an incitement or
stimulus that moves your thought
pattern to a new scaffold.
Provocation


Free ideas from previously locked
assumptions
“PO” – Provocative Operation


PO gives notice that what will follow isn’t meant
as nonsense but is intended to relate to the
subject at hand
Deliberately shifts perceptual assumptions for
the purpose of generating observations and
insights about the subject
Random Juxtaposition #1


www.WatchOut4Snakes.com (random word
generator)
Pick two (2) random words from website and
juxtapose using the following format:
Random Word #1 PO Random Word #2
Random Juxtaposition #2


www.WatchOut4Snakes.com (random word
generator)
Choose a current idea or problem from the
group and juxtapose using the following
format:
Problem or Idea PO Random Word
2. www.WatchOut4Snakes.com is a really well done random word generator tool that we used
during our activity portion.
Activity, In-Class Feedback and Assessment
Random Juxtaposition Exercise #1
Use www.WatchOut4Snakes.com to generate two random words (nouns).
Juxtapose, as a group, these two random words in a “word 1 PO word 2” format.
Random Juxtaposition Exercise #2
Find a problem or idea that one of the group members is having trouble finding a
solution or enhancement for. Use this product or idea and juxtapose it with a
random word from www.WatchOut4Snakes.com to provocate lateral thinking.
Use the format “problem/idea PO random word”