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There are people who know they are not good problem-solvers and who do nothing to change that reality. Others, though, acknowledge their lack of skills and then work to try and apply new problem-solving techniques. Try these to sharpen your overall skills in this arena.

STORYBOARDING
Define a problem. Then break it down into two-to-five subtopics, each of which is written on a flip chart. Join one of the groups in front of one of the flip charts. Write possible solutions on slips of paper, one idea per slip. Attach your ideas to the flip chart. Then move on to the next station and do the same thing. After ten minutes, move on to the third, et cetera.

EXAMINE ASSUMPTIONS
Generally speaking, when you problem-solve, you should try listing all your assumptions about the problem and then try working without them. Try that approach in the next two examples.

A) Imagine you heard about a man who finally got out of jail. The first thing he did was push a car to a nearby hotel. Then he left a large amount of money there. His next action was similar: he pushed the car to a house in the area and left money there, too, although less money than he’d left at the hotel. What explanation can you give for this scenario?

B) Another example requires you to study these letters and “translate” them into a familiar phrase:
-PhD
-M.D.
-Ed.D
-0

Another technique for refusing to be boxed in by assumptions is to have everyone re-state the problem without using any of the key terms used by the first speaker. Doing this at the start of a meeting provides much greater clarity regarding the nature of the problem to be tackled.

KEEP AN OPEN MIND
If your mind was wide open, you probably realized the scenario describe in the first situation about was the game of Monopoly being played. And, the translated term was “three degrees above zero.” Continue to keep your mind open regarding new ways of solving problems.