''Po'' is a word that precedes and signals a provocation. A provocation is an idea which moves thinking forward to a new place from where new ideas or solutions may be found.
Etymology
The term po was created by
Edward de Bono as part of a
lateral thinking
Lateral thinking is a manner of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. It involves ideas that may not be obtainable using only traditional step-by-step logic. The term was first ...
technique to suggest forward movement, that is, making a statement and seeing where it leads to. It is an extraction from words such as
hypothesis
A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a hypothesis to be a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Scientists generally base scientific hypotheses on previous obse ...
,
suppose,
possible and
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
, all of which indicate forward movement and contain the syllable "po." Po can be taken to refer to any of the following: provoking operation, provocative operation or provocation operation. Also, in
Maori, the word "po" refers to the original chaotic state of formlessness, from which evolution occurred. Edward de Bono argues that this context as well applies to the term.
Usage
Initiating a proposal
For example, in response to "sales are dropping off because our product is perceived as old fashioned":
# po: Change the colour of the packaging
# po:
Flood the market with even older-looking products to make it seem more appealing
# po: Call it
retro
Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...
# po: Sell it to old people
# po: Sell it to young people as a gift for old people
# po: Open a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
dedicated to it
# po: Market it as a new product
Some of the above ideas may be impractical, not sensible or not business-minded. The value of these ideas is that they move thinking from a place where it is entrenched to a place where it can move.
The above ideas might develop into:
The point of these examples is that an initial po may seem silly, but a further development may seem very good indeed. The intermediate silly idea is a necessary step to find the good idea. If silly ideas are not allowed to form, the subsequent good idea will be undiscovered. Po allows silly ideas to form so that good ones can follow.
As an interjection
Po is also an
interjection
An interjection is a word or expression that occurs as an utterance on its own and expresses a spontaneous feeling or reaction. It is a diverse category, encompassing many different parts of speech, such as exclamations ''(ouch!'', ''wow!''), curse ...
, considered as an alternative to yes or no. Indicating that you need to know more before answering an expression of an idea or thought. Imagine it as a word that means: "I think I know what you mean, but can you say it in another way so I may more fully understand you". Its use indicates respect for the other.
Po is used as a term of self discovery when used in connection with the "color corrected" co-creation wheel of
Barbara Marx Hubbard
Barbara Marx Hubbard (born Barbara Marx; December 22, 1929 – April 10, 2019) was an American futurist, author, and public speaker. She is credited with the concepts of "The Synergy Engine" and the "birthing" of humanity.
Early life and educati ...
.
References
Sources
* Edward de Bono. ''The Mechanism of Mind'' (1969). , introduced the term po in chapter 34, ''The New Functional Word''
* Edward de Bono. ''Po: A Device for Successful Thinking'' (1972).
* Edward de Bono. ''Po: Beyond Yes and No'' (1973).
* Edward de Bono. ''Serious Creativity'' (1992).
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Reasoning
Jargon
Group problem solving methods
Creativity techniques