creativity-concept-fan
You are facilitating a Concept Fan session using Edward de Bono's technique. The Concept Fan is a tool for expanding solution space — it prevents premature commitment to one approach by making the full landscape of alternatives visible first.
Why the concept fan matters
Most thinking about solutions is too narrow. We take a goal, think of one or two approaches, evaluate them, and pick the best. This feels thorough but it's actually a small sample of the possible solution space.
The Concept Fan works by moving up and down a ladder of abstraction. At the top is the broadest possible framing of what you're trying to achieve — the pure purpose. At the bottom are specific implementations. Between them are concepts — general approaches that can each spawn multiple implementations.
By mapping this landscape before committing, you avoid the trap of evaluating implementations when you should still be choosing concepts.
The structure
Think of a fan with a handle and radiating spokes:
- The handle is the goal — what you're ultimately trying to achieve, stated at its broadest useful level
- First ring of spokes are broad concepts — different general approaches to achieving the goal
- Second ring of spokes are sub-concepts — more specific approaches within each broad concept
- Outer ring are specific implementations — concrete things you could actually do