Innovative Whack Pack (Cards)

~ Roger Von Oech (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Looking for creative inspiration? Try consulting the Innovative Whack Pack. This worthy companion to the Creative Whack Pack will fire your imagination! Each card in the deck packs a two-sided creative punch. One side has a provocative insight about innovation from Heraclitus, the world’s first creativity teacher. These 2,500 year old ideas - such as "You can’t step into the same river twice," "Everything flows," "That which opposes produces a benefit," and "Dogs bark at what they don’t understand" -will give you a fresh perspective. The other side contains a creativity strategy inspired by each insight. Roger von Oech enriches these strategies with amusing anecdotes and intriguing questions that will "whack" you out of old thought patterns. The result is a treasury of sixty creativity strategies that include: Appreciate Turbulence, Ask A Fool, See the Obvious, Beware of Hubris, and Reverse Assumptions. Play with the deck on a regular basis. Not only will it provoke original thoughts, it will also become a wise companion whose guidance you will welcome! "The Innovative and Creative Whack Packs are the indispensable salt and pepper of the creative thinker's daily diet." -Andrew Mercer

About the Author

Roger von Oech created this product, and also provided the commentary and translation. His presentations on creativity have enriched millions around the world. He is the author of the best-selling book: A Whack on the Side of The Head, A Kick in the Seat of the Pants.

Product Details

• Cards
• Publisher: U.S. Games Systems (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157281442X
• ISBN-13: 978-1572814424
• Product Dimensions: 4.7 x 3.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #166,510 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have book in your Creativity & Innovation Library, & must-have card deck on your desk top!, May 29, 2006

By	Lee Say Keng "KNOWLEDGE ADVENTURER/TECHNOLOGY... (Singapore) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I am a raving fan of Roger von Oech's creative work as embodied in his books & card decks, namely:

Books:

- A Whack on the Side of the Head;
- A Kick in the Seat of the Pants;
- Expect the Unexpected;

Card Decks:

- Creative Whack Pack;
- Innovative Whack Pack;
- Ancient Whacks of Heraclitus;

I have used all his creativity stuff ever since I started my own strategy consulting (& book store) business in late 1991.

From my personal & professional experience, I would like to say that the entire collection of Roger von Oech's creative work has been designed to serve three strategic purposes:

- understanding - & removing - your mental blocks;
- breaking your habitual patterns;
- shifting your focus & changing your paradigms;

As a matter of fact, once you appreciate & commit to these three strategic purposes in your life, you will soon realise that there is nothing in this world to stop you from getting rid of old ideas & getting new & fresh ideas.

Allow me to quote Edward de Bono: "...the mind is habitually uncreative - it is usually preoccupied with organising masses of incoming data into convenient patterns. Once this pattern is established, then the mind tends to rely upon that pattern in future situations, in order to facilitate decision making & action in an otherwise complex world..." (The Use of Lateral Thinking).

Breaking old habitual patterns is definitely the first & foremost priority in your journey to creativity!

Once your shift your focus, you begin to change your paradigms or the way you look at the world around you. Always remember this: Your brain follows the direction of your dominant thought. Once you focus on something, that thing becomes the foreground. Everything else around it will fall into the background. Most opportunties are unfortunately hidden in the background. The moment you begin to shift your focus, you are pushing the 'foreground' into the 'background', & pulling the 'background' into the 'foreground'. Get it?

'A Whack on the Side of the Head' will help you to break through your mental blocks. They will open up your mind for innovation. This book is filled with provocative puzzles, exercises, stories & helpful tips.

'A Kick in the Seat of the Pants' takes you on a guided tour through the four stereotype roles of the creative process - Explorer, Artist, Judge & Warrior. Understanding - & applying - these roles will fire up your personal & professional creativity. Tactically, they will change your mental focus as you change to play each of the four roles. I would like to add one more role from what I have learned from the Japanese creativity experts: Antique Dealer. This singular role will allow you to combine all the four roles into one.

'Expect the Unexpected' uses thirty of Heraclitus' (the world's first creativity master) epigrams as creative springboards. It has intriguing questions designed to topple old habits of thought & fire up your imagination.

All the three card decks are basically extensions of the three books, to allow convenient usage during brainstorming sessions.

From my strategy consulting experience, these three card decks have proven to be inexhaustible sources of inspirations.

In fact, the 'Innovative Whack Pack' combines the creative power of both the 'Creative Whacks' & 'Ancient Whacks of Heraclitus'.

I strongly urge readers to seriously consider having the entire collection of Roger von Oech's creative work added to your Creativity & Innovation Library, & all the three card decks placed permanently on your desk top at all times.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Companion to the Creative Whack Pack, October 22, 2003

By	Roger von Oech "RvO" (Palo Alto, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm the creator of this deck, and I had fun putting it together. It's like the Creative Whack Pack in that it has provocative and useful strategies for looking at problems and issues in a fresh way. Also, George Willett has done the illustrations (just as he has done for all of my other products). It differs from the CWP in that the stories and examples are a little longer, and also that each card has a 2,500 year old innovation insight (from Heraclitus) on one side and a creativity strategy on the other. Thus, you can use either side to provoke your thinking. In case you're interested, my two favorite insights in the deck are: "The way up and the way down are one and the same," and, "A thing rests by changing." My favorite way of using the deck is to pick one card at random in the morning, and have it be one of my innovation thoughts of the day. If you enjoyed the Creative Whack Pack, I think you'll get a kick (and some ideas) from the Innovative Whack Pack.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gives You A Fresh Perspective, March 28, 2004

By	Erika Sanya (Reston, Virginia) - See all my reviews

I've been a long time fan of the Creative Whack Pack. I recently got the Innovative Whack Pack, and have found it to be just as powerful in stimulating my creativity. I especially like the way it combines ancient wisdom with practical creativity techniques.