If you found a colleague chatting to a rubber duck what would you think?
Time for a holiday?
Maybe they opted for a liquid lunch…?
Perhaps a visit to Specsavers is in order…?
They might be on to something…
In software engineering, there’s a well-established practice called rubber duck debugging or rubber duckingthat’s used to deconstruct and solve complex programming issues.
It’s a very simple idea – solve a problem by talking about it.
You’re forced to run through it and during that process you tend to hit upon the solution. Perhaps you’ve made some progress but you’ve reached a sticking point or stumbling block. Rather than explaining it all to a friend, avoid the need to start from scratch by sharing it with your duck instead. We promise he won’t mind.
This is a great way to explore a creative conundrum
When you can’t seem to find your creative mojo, tell it to the duck. You’ll be surprised how your brain responds when you say it out loud. The simple act of talking it through helps your mind explore the issue from a different perspective.
Best of all, you don’t need to bother anyone and nobody else needs to know.
It doesn’t have to be a duck
Try it on a teddy bear, a toddler, a toy soldier…
Your audience options are endless so go nuts or quackers, of course.
But if it’s a duck you’re after…
We’ve got plenty of rubber ducks here at Alive
If your creativity has taken a dive, give us a shout. We’ll be happy to share some new ideas and creative thoughts!
