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Creative Whack Pack (Cards)

by Roger Von Oech (Author) "Welcome to the Creative Whack Pack!..." (more)

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

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A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative by Roger von Oech
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
An illustrated deck of 64 creative thinking strategies that will whack you out of habitual thought patterns and enable you to look at your life and actions in a fresh way. Use the cards alone or with others to seek innovative solutions to issues. Created by best-selling author von Oech, the cards have been used by many organizations, including NASA, in strategy development and problem solving. Complete with detailed instructions.

Product Details

Cards: 64 pages
Publisher: U.S. Games Systems (November 1989)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0880793589
ISBN-13: 978-0880793582
Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 3.1 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,869 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#12 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Divination > Tarot
#32 in Books > Health, Mind & Body > Self-Help > Creativity

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
Welcome to the Creative Whack Pack! Read the first page

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 5 books:

A Whack On the Side of the Head by Roger Von Oech in Back Matter
The Rite of Spring (Dover Miniature Scores) by Igor Stravinsky in Back Matter
A Kick in the Seat of the Pants by Roger Von Oech in Back Matter
Whack on the Side of the Head by Roger Von Oech in Back Matter
Whack On the Side of the Head by Roger Von Oech in Back Matter

6 books cite this book:

Coach Yourself to Success : 101 Tips from a Personal Coach for Reaching Your Goals at Work and in Life by Talane Miedaner in Back Matter
Director 8 and Lingo Bible (With CD-ROM) by John R. Nyquist on page 408
Doing Work You Love : Discovering Your Purpose and Realizing Your Dreams by Cheryl Gilman in Back Matter
Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why, 2nd Edition by Jeff Herman on page 127
The Hidden Intelligence: Innovation Through Intuition by Sandra Weintraub on page 305

See all 6 books citing this book

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	67% buy the item featured on this page: Creative Whack Pack 4.6 out of 5 stars (23) $10.88
	14% buy A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative 4.4 out of 5 stars (66) $11.04
	8% buy Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques (2nd Edition) 4.8 out of 5 stars (66) $13.57
	6% buy Roger von Oech's Ball of Whacks: A Creativity Tool for Innovators 4.3 out of 5 stars (23) $23.10

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Customer Reviews

23 Reviews

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

137 of 140 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Break your habitual thought patterns to create new ideas !, December 15, 2000

By	Darren Burton "virtualbloodhound" (Ogden, Utah United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Creative Wack Pack consists of 64 cards each focusing on a different creativity principle. The 64 cards are divided into four sixteen card suits: Explorer, Artist, Judge, and Warrior. These represent the four roles or types of thinking of the creative process.

The Explorer is your role for discovering the resources you'll use to create new ideas. The cards in the Explorer suit highlight places and ways to find new information.

The Artist is your role for transforming your resources into new ideas. The cards in the Artist suit provide you with idea-generating techniques.

The Judge is your role for evaluating an idea and deciding what to do with it. The cards in the Judge suit lend decision making advice.

The Warrior is your role for implementing your idea. The cards in the Warrior suit give you the "kick" you need to get your ideas into action.

There are several ways the cards can be used. One of the best is the "Creative Licencing at Meetings". At the beginning of a meeting, deal out five cards to each participant. The cards give each person permission to make a point related to that card as you work though the meeting agenda. A participant may play a card at any time if he or she feels thtat its message will help the meeting.

Some examples of cards:

Card #27 - CHANGE ITS NAME - If a architect looks at an opening between two rooms and thinks "door" that's what she will design. But if she thinks "passageway", she may design something much different like a "hallway", "air curtain", "tunnel", or perhaps a "courtyard". Different words bring in different assumptions and lead your thinking in different directions. What else can you call your idea?

Card #9 - USE A RANDOM IDEA - Open your mind up to things that have nothing to do with the idea you're developing. Pick out the third word on p.134 of your dictionary - "broom". How does it relate to what you are doing? What similiarities does it have with your idea? Can you use it as a metaphor? Look out your window and find the first thing that has blue in it - "mailbox". How does it shed light on your idea? What random idea can you use to stimulate your thinking?

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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have book in your Creativity & Innovation Library, & must-have card desk on your desktop!, 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.

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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent tool break out of "rut" thinking, October 31, 1997

By	mtbee@iaxs.net (USA) - See all my reviews

I acquired a copy of this product two+ years ago. It encouraged me to be an "explorer" in my thinking. The first card I picked was the card to "Drop Assumptions". Applying this principle in the course of the next hour--I shaved two to three days off my project schedule! It payed for itself many-many times over. Excellent product - BUY.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Whack pack!
I have been using this creative whack pack since 2006. These have been used in my facilitation session with mid and senior managers / executives. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Fabian Lim

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Business / Innovation Focused
I ordered this hoping it would be good for idea generation. I'm an experienced entrepreneur and hoped it would prompt some helpful exercises. Read more

Published 17 months ago by ZMed

1.0 out of 5 stars It Sucks
I got this as a gift at a Christmas party. It is the worst thing in the world. Maybe it is meant for people who can't think for themselves, I don't know. Read more

Published 18 months ago by C. Shafer

5.0 out of 5 stars Creativity Realized
I have two sets of the Creative Whack Pack. It is a very useful tool in helping to get unstuck when brainstorming for ideas. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Susan C. Van Abs

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute but useful book!
This book comes with poker-like cards to remind you think different all the time. You will find that it is the small book that you will reread again and again! Read more

Published 21 months ago by Maruko

4.0 out of 5 stars Whack-tastic
When you're stuck, this helps get you unstuck. The cards force you to change your train of thought - helpful for when you can't seem to think of anything new. Read more

Published 21 months ago by 100indecisions

5.0 out of 5 stars Loads of Fun and Very Insightful!
From the book: Human beings occupy a special niche in the order of things. Because we have the ability to symbolize our experience, our thinking is not limited to the real or the... Read more

Published on April 14, 2007 by Richard and Jennifer Shadowfox

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, great pack!
It's amazing that this product gets five straight stars from all the reviewers. Nothing is worth a perfect score like that, but this product does. Read more

Published on April 11, 2007 by A. Waechter

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Useful
I think everyone should have a pack of this cards because everyone sometimes feels stuck with a problem to the point that he is unaware of other possible solutions. Read more

Published on December 3, 2006 by Laura De Giorgio

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of great ideas!
I've never seen so many great ideas, and tools to break-through creative thinking!

Published on October 31, 2006 by A. MacLaren

› See all 23 customer reviews...

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