Creative Numbers

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Creative Numbers

If you are conducting a seminar or workshop on "creativity" or "creativity and innovation", you can use this exercise with benefits. It involves solving a few brain teasers involving some numbers. It allows participants to brainstorm. The exercise can be taken up individually by the participants or they can also do it in small groups. This also serves as an excellent energizer particularly after the lunch break. It is a also a very effective icebreaker.

If you wish to conduct this exercise in small groups, then divide the participants in small groups of two to three persons in each group formed randomly. Otherwise, you may as well allow each participant to tackle the exercise individually.

The exercise has three parts to it:

Part 1: Write down the equation given below on the white board or on the flip chart and show it to your participants:

5 + 5 + 5 = 550

Now instruct the participants to add one straight line to make it a correct statement.

Invite as many solutions as possible and conclude the exercise when you get the most correct solution.

Part 2: Now write down the number given below on the white board or on the flip chart and show it to your participants:

IX

It is the Roman number for 9. Instruct the participants to add a line to convert this odd number into an even number.

Invite as many solutions as possible and conclude the exercise when you get the most correct solution.

Part 3: Now write down the numbers given below (in the given sequence) on the white board or on the flip chart and show it to your participants:


8, 11, 15, 4, 14, 9, 1, 7, 6, 10, 3, 12, 2


Tell them that these numbers range from 1 to 15 but the numbers 5 and 13 are missing.


Request them to suggest the reasons for lining up the numbers in this particular sequence. Also, simultaneously request them to place the two missing number 5 and 13 in their appropriate places in the lineup of the numbers.


Let them continue to give as many answers to these two questions as they come out with till the time someone comes out with the correct answers.

Having done, thank the participants for their wholehearted involvement.

Take their feedback on the exercise and let them share their experiences in tackling these creativity and brain teasing exercises.

Fill them up with some relevant creativity concepts like out of box thinking, brainstorming and lateral thinking etc.

Get Hold of the Related Books

You can order the following books on "management games and icebreakers" as printed books and eBooks from Amazon online:

1. Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers
2. Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers (Volume 2)
3. Classic Team Building Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers
4. 101 Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers

Related Reading: (Repository of a large number of articles in management and leadership): http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com and http://management-universe.blogspot.com