The following are ways to shift your perspective so that you can see something new in a situation or approach a problem in a new way.

  1. Shifting PerspectiveGet a New Perspective
    1. Order of Magnitude Perspective
      1. Look down at the situation from 10,000 feet
      2. Stand on a Balcony and look at the situation
    2. Put Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes
      1. Your boss
      2. Your peer
      3. Your customer
      4. A famous person
    3. Fast Forward in Time and Look Back at the Situation
    4. Slow the Situation Down
    5. Look at the Bigger Picture
      1. How does this fit in the bigger picture?
      2. What could shift in the bigger picture to change this?
      3. Does this matter in the bigger picture?
      4. How could the bigger picture impact this?
  1. Examine It More Closely
    1. Restate the situation or problem
    2. Be more specific in describing the situation or problem
    3. Break the situation or problem into pieces
    4. Examine the path of most resistance
    5. How would you approach the opposite of the situation?
    6. Combine two opposites in the situation
    7. Draw a picture of the situation or problem
    8. Draw a map of the situation
    9. Build a model of the situation or problem
    10. Choose an object that represents the situation
    11. Simulate the situation
  2. Observe the Situation (silently)
    1. Look for the bottlenecks
    2. Look at people’s facial expressions & movements
    3. Look for the details
    4. Look at the big picture