ABC-lists are used as a creativity and thinking tool, developed by Mr. Birkenbihl years ago. It can help you to solve problems, come up with new ideas or simply summarize gained knowledge.

1. Creativit through ABC-lists
ABC-lists are used as a creativity and thinking tool,
developed by Mrs. Birkenbihl years ago. It can help you to
solve problems, come up with new ideas or simply
summarize gained knowledge.
Vera F. Birkenbihl developed ABC-lists. This creativity and thinking tool can be applied
to all areas of life. Decades ago, Elizabeth Loftus found out that people remember
information by listing them according to their first letter. This is the reason, why it is
easier for us to recall information by using ABC-lists.
To create an ABC-list, you should start off writing down the topic, called the problem.
You can do that by hand on a sheet of paper or electronically. Then you need to write
down the alphabet vertically. There should be enough space to the right of the
letters. Now you can start creating your list. Take about 2 – 3 minutes and write down
everything that comes to your mind.
Vilango GmbH
The Birkenbihl Approach

2. You only need to comply with 3
simple rules:
1. Run over the alphabet – up and down!
You do not have to start at the top and go down all the way. In fact, this is counter-
productive. Wherever some association pops up, write it down and move on. By
moving up and down all the time, more associations, ideas, formulations etc. will
come up. Thereby, unconscious knowledge is used. This is knowledge that you are
not aware of! Repeat the process of moving up and down several times. It is
recommended to set a timer – 3 minutes maximum!
2. Gaps and multiple entries are allowed
No more pressure! When using ABC-lists you do not have to fill all blanks. If more
than one association pops up – great! Write down as many as you want. If there are
many gaps at the end of session one, you might fill them in the next sessions.
3. Literal arabesques, a sophisticated technique
This is a technique for people who are already familiar with ABC-lists. It ensures more
productivity. For more information, please contact us or participate in one of our free
eSeminars.
Vilango GmbH
The Birkenbihl Approach

3. The ABC-technique for creative work
This ABC-technique helps you to be ever more creative. By filling in the blanks of an
ABC-list, you collect associations, which are “old connections” of our network of
knowledge. If you do not now anything about a topic, you have a gap in the network.
If you know a little bit about a topic, there might be a few “gnats”. If you know a lot
about a topic, there are “clouds of gnats”. Associations are therefore generated by
the connection of these gnats. This implies that we can only associate things we
already know.
Real creativity is described by the connection of two or more knowledge domains
(seemingly unconnected) that results in a new development. Vera F. Birkenbihl also
described it as “bi-sociative” creativity.
Vilango GmbH
The Birkenbihl Approach

4. Consultation of ABC-lists
To consult ABC-lists mean to “make sense of it”. You can consult one list you have
created, more lists you have created, or lists somebody else has created. First, you
should summarize double entries. You could even allocate weighting for all entries.
Different associations, which actually state something similar, can be categorized.
Thereby, you create a network of knowledge, which can help you and other persons
to make decisions. Your lists can be the basis for new ideas that finally ease your life.
Make sense of ABC-lists!
In the previously published post I described the ABC-technique in details. However, I
have not set out details about the last step of the technique: consulting the lists.
Actually making sense of the lists to use the collected information is the most
important step. Not consulting lists make your work useless. Therefore it is essential
to follow these easy steps towards optimal consultation.
First of all, it is fundamental to know that you can consult any ABC-lists – whether it is
yours or not, whether you have created it or somebody else.
Vilango GmbH
The Birkenbihl Approach

5. The step-by-step approach
Step 1: Identify the problem at hand. It becomes most obvious when you write it
down.
Step 2: Consult the list. Do you know under which letter to search for? If not, you
might use the method of letter lottery or even lists lottery.
Letter lottery: Prepare little plastic balls with letters on it and keep it in a bag or can.
Whenever you need a letter, draw a ball. Thereby, a letter is randomly chosen.
Step 3: Produce spontaneous associations immediately. Speak your associations out
load – within 90 seconds. It is suggested to draw or write down your associations in
the moment they come to your mind. By documenting them, the danger of loosing
them is limited.
Step 4: Think through each of the associations separately. Hence, helpful connections
are detected which might trigger new ideas.
Step 5: Back to step 2. Repeat the process using other lists, if necessary.
These 5 steps describe the general approach. However, the process might be altered
or interrupted. Sometimes the redeeming solution pops up during the first run.
Sometimes you need 4 or 5 runs until you find a satisfiable answer.
Vilango GmbH
The Birkenbihl Approach

6. Statistically, one consults 2.5 ABC-lists. This is valuable information when starting off
using ABC-lists, since you will need more time and runs at the beginning. Later on,
you will get more used to thinking “in ABC-lists”. Remember: The first step is always
the hardest.
Get more information about ABC-
lists on our homepage for foreign
language learning and life-time
learning. Computer courses provide
more information.
Vilango GmbH
The Birkenbihl Approach