Purpose: To help participants think creatively in any type of training class.

 Time Required: 10 minutes.

 Size of Group: Unlimited.

 Materials Required: Flipchart.

 The Exercise in Action: To help participants begin thinking about creative solutions to problems, Gary Polain, vice president of business development with Priority Management in Bellevue, WA, poses the following brainteaser:

Polain writes the equation 5+5+5 = 550 on a flipchart at the front of the classroom. He then instructs participants to copy the equation and to add one straight line to make it a correct statement. Polain tells participants that while adding a line through the equal sign to come up with 5+5+5 ≠ 550 is good thinking, it isn’t the “right” answer he’s looking for. See “Answer” graphic below for the solution.