Never have I witnessed such a valuable concept being expounded upon in such an appallingly bad manner. It is truly astonishing. Each chapter contains approximately two paragraphs of truly essential content. The remainder of the chapter consists of the author repeating the same message as those two paragraphs or restating the purpose of lateral thinking from the introduction. And the rest of the chapter presents a completely unfeasible "practice method" that depends on the highly unlikely scenario of you traveling back in time and ensuring that this book reaches the hands of your teachers when you were studying in school. It beggars belief. What an astronomical waste of time it has been to read this book. It is truly a disappointment and a frustration. One cannot help but wonder how such a potentially useful concept could be so poorly presented and made so inaccessible. It is a great pity.

Thought provoking.

This simple phrase holds a world of significance. It implies that something has the power to make us stop and think deeply, to question our assumptions, and to expand our perspectives.

Thought provoking ideas can come from a variety of sources, such as books, movies, conversations, or even our own experiences. They have the potential to inspire us, to challenge us, and to drive us to make positive changes in our lives and in the world around us.

When we encounter a thought provoking concept, it is important to take the time to reflect on it, to consider its implications, and to engage in meaningful dialogue with others. By doing so, we can gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world we live in, and perhaps even discover new solutions to the problems that face us.

In conclusion, thought provoking ideas are a precious gift that can enrich our lives and help us to grow as individuals. Let us embrace them with an open mind and a willingness to learn, and see where they take us.

The book indeed presents a wide range of approaches and methods for "lateral thinking", which aims to break free from the established patterns.

I really appreciate the way these are presented in a practical and applicable manner. It's not just a nebulous and vague discussion about 'creativity'.

Some of the key takeaway points include the choice of entry point and attention area, as well as reversal/fractionation, dominant idea, and crucial factors.

The content on brainstorming and PO was also extremely useful. It provides valuable insights and techniques that can be applied in various situations to enhance creative thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Overall, the book offers a comprehensive and practical guide to lateral thinking, which can be beneficial for anyone looking to break free from the constraints of traditional thinking and explore new ideas and solutions.

Lately, I've been looking at self-help books with increasing skepticism, especially when their titles make bold claims. 'Creativity Step by Step' is one such title. After having 'Lateral Thinking' on my TBR shelf for a long time, I finally decided to give it a try. Although I have some mixed feelings now, overall, I'm happy to say it was time well spent. I'm rounding off what felt like a 3.5-star read to 4.

The book is intended for educators, as the author clearly attempts to explain in the introductory chapter. I'm not one, but the first chapter was intriguing enough to keep me going. Until now, I only thought that one's way of thinking is a combination of logical, creative, and emotional aspects. I hadn't really thought about the specifics related to each component before. But this book introduces a very clear distinction between the 'creative' and 'logical' aspects of thinking, which are called 'lateral thinking' and 'vertical thinking'. And it's the 'lateral thinking' that is directly responsible for the generation of creative solutions.

The content is arranged like a teacher's guide book, with the first part of each section explaining the theory and then followed by practice methods. I did feel some of the content was a bit repetitive, but it seems the author expected the reader to use this as a frequent reference book when practicing or teaching lateral thinking. In that case, any teacher would find the book quite helpful.

So, will this book help you enhance creativity? Maybe a little, by helping you identify where vertical thinking becomes limiting and when to introduce lateral thinking. But the truth is, unless you're a teacher, you'll find the content too detailed (and a bit boring). I skipped through a lot of practice sections as they delved too deep into how to handle classroom situations. Still, this book did help me understand several ways to tackle seemingly impossible problems in the future. If I had been involved in the field of education, I probably would have found this to be a solid 4-star read.

"Limits are usually self-imposed."
"Often even a minor change in the way a thing is looked at can make a huge difference."
"Vertical thinking is immensely useful but one needs to enhance its usefulness by adding creativity and tempering its rigidity."
"Insight, creativity and humor are so elusive because the mind is so efficient."
"Exclusive emphasis on the need to be right all the time completely shuts off creativity and progress."
"Lateral thinking enhances the effectiveness of vertical thinking. Vertical thinking develops the ideas generated by lateral thinking."
"Hindsight demonstration of a logical pathway does not indicate that the solution would have been reached in this way."

At the beginning of the article, no examples are given for the arguments. Even in the part comparing vertical and multi-dimensional thinking, it just keeps talking. As I was reading, I was imagining the appropriate situations, but the lack of reference when rewriting makes it difficult for me to be sure about the degree of absorption of the presented content. This book is suitable as a material for building activities for life skills courses.

The technique of creating choices: This technique is presented more clearly in half of 13, which is 8. The general idea is that when thinking about finding solutions, instead of looking for the most reasonable solution, we should come up with as many solutions as possible that come to mind, and then choose the most reasonable solution from that list. This expands the scope of ideas.

For example, when faced with the problem of how to improve work efficiency, we can list various solutions such as optimizing the work process, learning new skills, improving time management, and collaborating with colleagues. By considering multiple options, we are more likely to find the most effective solution that suits our specific situation.

Spends an Excessive Amount of Time Justifying Lateral Thinking

In this book, more than a third of its content is dedicated to elaborating on why lateral thinking holds significance. However, there are numerous other books available in the market that not only cover similar topics but also provide more practical and hands-on methods. For instance, "Thinkertoys" offers a wealth of useful techniques. While I did find the chapter on random input to be quite interesting and valuable, I still don't believe that it is sufficient to warrant the purchase of this particular book. There are other contenders in the field that seem to offer a more comprehensive and practical approach to the subject of lateral thinking. It might be beneficial for potential readers to explore those alternatives before deciding to invest in this book.

This is an interesting topic that I had a great desire to explore.

However, this is likely not the most suitable book for me. The ideas and concepts presented within it are indeed thought-provoking.

Nevertheless, I simply couldn't bring myself to engage in the exercises, which are predominantly group exercises. I found the writing style to be extremely dull and repetitive.

Perhaps the intention behind the repetition was to ensure that the process remains fixed, but unfortunately, it didn't have the desired effect on me.

The book does offer some nice techniques for practicing lateral thinking, and if these techniques are put into practice, they could potentially be beneficial.

However, in my opinion, the book could afford to be a bit shorter without sacrificing the essential content.

Overall, while there are some valuable aspects to the book, it didn't quite meet my expectations.

Actually, I haven’t finished it. I’ve stopped at around 75%.

To be honest, you really don't learn much from this book. The author seems to be constantly repeating his accomplishments in the area of lateral thinking.

I truly made an effort to keep an open mind throughout the reading process. After all, the author warns from the very start about the importance of keeping an open mind to his ideas.

However, the number of ideas presented is very limited, and the examples provided are rather weak.

Well, that's just the way it is, isn't it?

Back in the 70s, when I was just a kid, I truly believed that reading de Bono's works made me extremely smart. I fancied myself as a master of this unique way of thinking, convinced that it made me cleverer than all those who adhered to vertical thinking.

Fast forward over forty years, and I now feel that I can distill de Bono's essence into just a few sentences. Vertical thinking, as we know, is all about uncovering the most logical solution to a problem. It follows a linear, step-by-step approach, relying on established knowledge and patterns.

Lateral thinking, on the other hand, is about looking at a problem from entirely new perspectives. It encourages creativity and the breaking of traditional boundaries.

Perhaps it's time to look for new sources of inspiration and innovation in the world of thinking.

Why do some people always seem to have new ideas, while others with similar intelligence never do? Since Aristotle, logical thinking has been praised as the only effective way to use our minds. However, the difficulty of generating new ideas indicates that they are not necessarily the result of logical thinking processes. Some people are aware of another type of thinking, which is most easily recognized when it leads to those simple ideas that are only obvious after being considered. This book is an attempt to examine this kind of thinking and show that it is quite different from logic and often more useful in generating new ideas. For practical considerations, to represent this different kind of thinking, the term "lateral thinking" has been invented; the term "vertical thinking" is used to indicate the conventional logical process.

Lateral thinking is a creative approach that encourages looking at problems from different angles and exploring unconventional solutions. It involves breaking free from the constraints of traditional thinking patterns and being open to new possibilities.

In contrast, vertical thinking is a more linear and analytical process that follows a set of established rules and procedures. While vertical thinking is useful for solving many types of problems, it may not be sufficient for generating truly innovative ideas.

By understanding the differences between lateral and vertical thinking, we can learn to use both types of thinking more effectively and enhance our creativity and problem-solving abilities.

A great book for introducing yourself to the lateral thinking methods. It is quite straightforward, making it easy for readers to understand. What's more, all the techniques presented in the book are backed up with exercises. These exercises not only help you to better understand the lateral thinking methods but also allow you to practice and apply them in real-life situations. Whether you are a student, a professional, or someone who simply wants to improve their thinking skills, this book is definitely worth reading. It will open your mind and help you to think outside the box, enabling you to come up with innovative solutions to problems. So, if you are looking for a book that can help you to enhance your lateral thinking abilities, look no further than this one.

Only read this if you have a particular inclination to envision De Bono engaging in a rather self-congratulatory and perhaps unseemly act of masturbating to himself. It's a rather strange and perhaps off-putting concept to consider. But if you find yourself curious about such a vivid and somewhat vulgar image, then this is the text for you. However, it's important to note that this description is likely to be quite uncomfortable for many. It presents a rather unflattering and perhaps inappropriate view of De Bono. One might wonder why such a description would even be put forward. But here it is, for those who dare to read and let their minds wander to this rather odd and unappealing scenario.