to judgement. You state that you are going to set up this provocation: 'Po...'
Escape
This is the easiest to use. We just pick something that we usually take for granted in a situation and we drop that
thing or 'escape' from it. So, if we take for granted that watchdogs bark, we set up: 'Po, watchdogs do not bark.' From this develops the idea of training a dog to press with its paw a button that activates all alarm systems, alerts the police and sets off a tape recorder with a barking dog sound.
'Po, restaurants have no chairs.' Using 'moment to moment' movement we see people standing around and eating. They spend less time in the restaurant. From this comes the idea of charging by time as well as by the food eaten.
Reversal
Here we take a normal relationship and reverse it. Filters are there to remove some of the tar in cigarettes. 'Po, we add something instead of removing it.' What could we add? We could add air with a tiny pinhole so that, when you draw in smoke, you dilute it with air. This reduces the rate at which the harmful particles are deposited in the lungs (this is concentration related since it is an aerosol).
Distortion
Here there is a change in a sequence or a change in relationships. Normally, you pick up the phone, dial the number and speak. 'Po, you speak before you dial.' This can lead to two ideas. The first is voice-activated dialling – which exists. The second idea is to build a simple tape recorder into the phone. If you are using the phone to
make a complaint or to order something, you can rehearse what you are going to say and say it into the recorder. Then you dial the number and, at the right moment, play the recording. This way you get your message right.
Exaggeration
This is an exaggeration, upwards or downwards of any dimension. It must be an actual dimension. 'Po, telephone calls can only last two minutes.' This suggests a compression technique so that you can talk at a normal speed, but the transmitted message is compressed so as to occupy less of the line time. The exaggeration must be unreasonable otherwise it has little provocative effect.
'Po, all voters have a hundred votes each.' This suggests that the votes are not just used at election time but can be used later to indicate approval or otherwise of the government. If the votes for the opposition reached a certain threshold, new elections would be called.
Wishful thinking
The provocation is in the form of 'wouldn't it be nice if . . .'. An example of this is the problem of the factory polluting the river.
So, we could also have a provocation 'Po, all telephone calls are friendly'. This suggests a green light on the phone. You would give an extra digit on your phone number but only to your friends. If one of them called, the green light would shine – but it wouldn't shine for other calls.
The provocation must be more than just a desire. It would not be very provocative to say 'Po, the trains were always on time'. But it would be provocative to say 'Po, you got paid for waiting for a train'.
Other provocations
The above ways of setting up provocations are not exhaustive. There are many other ways. What is important is that the provocation is meant to be a provocation. It is never meant to be an idea in itself. It is never meant to be just a desire for improvement.
The more unlikely a provocation seems, the more powerful it will be if you succeed in using that provocation. There is little value in weak or feeble provocations. They might seem easier to use but do not get you anywhere.
The head of a life assurance company in Canada set up the following provocation: 'Po, you die before you die.' As usual, this sounds totally impossible and illogical. From it, comes a powerful idea.
If the person insured gets a severe and probably terminal illness, the insurance company pays out 75 per cent of the death benefits. This provides money for hospital care and other expenses. The other 25 per cent of the benefits are paid on
Escape
This is the easiest to use. We just pick something that we usually take for granted in a situation and we drop that
thing or 'escape' from it. So, if we take for granted that watchdogs bark, we set up: 'Po, watchdogs do not bark.' From this develops the idea of training a dog to press with its paw a button that activates all alarm systems, alerts the police and sets off a tape recorder with a barking dog sound.
'Po, restaurants have no chairs.' Using 'moment to moment' movement we see people standing around and eating. They spend less time in the restaurant. From this comes the idea of charging by time as well as by the food eaten.
Reversal
Here we take a normal relationship and reverse it. Filters are there to remove some of the tar in cigarettes. 'Po, we add something instead of removing it.' What could we add? We could add air with a tiny pinhole so that, when you draw in smoke, you dilute it with air. This reduces the rate at which the harmful particles are deposited in the lungs (this is concentration related since it is an aerosol).
Distortion
Here there is a change in a sequence or a change in relationships. Normally, you pick up the phone, dial the number and speak. 'Po, you speak before you dial.' This can lead to two ideas. The first is voice-activated dialling – which exists. The second idea is to build a simple tape recorder into the phone. If you are using the phone to
make a complaint or to order something, you can rehearse what you are going to say and say it into the recorder. Then you dial the number and, at the right moment, play the recording. This way you get your message right.
Exaggeration
This is an exaggeration, upwards or downwards of any dimension. It must be an actual dimension. 'Po, telephone calls can only last two minutes.' This suggests a compression technique so that you can talk at a normal speed, but the transmitted message is compressed so as to occupy less of the line time. The exaggeration must be unreasonable otherwise it has little provocative effect.
'Po, all voters have a hundred votes each.' This suggests that the votes are not just used at election time but can be used later to indicate approval or otherwise of the government. If the votes for the opposition reached a certain threshold, new elections would be called.
Wishful thinking
The provocation is in the form of 'wouldn't it be nice if . . .'. An example of this is the problem of the factory polluting the river.
So, we could also have a provocation 'Po, all telephone calls are friendly'. This suggests a green light on the phone. You would give an extra digit on your phone number but only to your friends. If one of them called, the green light would shine – but it wouldn't shine for other calls.
The provocation must be more than just a desire. It would not be very provocative to say 'Po, the trains were always on time'. But it would be provocative to say 'Po, you got paid for waiting for a train'.
Other provocations
The above ways of setting up provocations are not exhaustive. There are many other ways. What is important is that the provocation is meant to be a provocation. It is never meant to be an idea in itself. It is never meant to be just a desire for improvement.
The more unlikely a provocation seems, the more powerful it will be if you succeed in using that provocation. There is little value in weak or feeble provocations. They might seem easier to use but do not get you anywhere.
The head of a life assurance company in Canada set up the following provocation: 'Po, you die before you die.' As usual, this sounds totally impossible and illogical. From it, comes a powerful idea.
If the person insured gets a severe and probably terminal illness, the insurance company pays out 75 per cent of the death benefits. This provides money for hospital care and other expenses. The other 25 per cent of the benefits are paid on
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