Random Stimulation

Origin. de Bono; a special case of Forced Relationships with a random rather than chosen stimulus.

Mechanism. Introduces a term selected by a process independent of the problem. Independence is the whole mechanism: any stimulus chosen by the practitioner is chosen from within the practitioner's existing associative structure and therefore cannot leave it.

Procedure. Draw a concrete noun by a genuinely random process. Do not reject it. List its attributes and associations. Force each into contact with the problem.

Applies to. Escaping a local optimum.

Limitations. Practitioners reject the first word and draw again. That single act destroys the independence and, with it, the method.