A KAWA on Idioms

Did you know that many languages share the same idioms? Here's a nice summary. Have you seen our "old" videos – where we presented many idioms with KAWAs? https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUE3Qc4yl2oG-yR8_Fr1Gv6F5tNOUjIe7 Now also available as a package in color, with a black-and-white template, and a blank template for self-design.

What does KAWA actually mean?

KAWA, according to Vera F. Birkenbihl, is an acronym and stands for: Kreative Ausbeute von Wort-Assoziationen (Creative Exploitation of Word Associations). But KAWA is easier to remember. KAWAs can be made on any topic that interests you.

How about creating your own KAWA and why does this technique work?

First, write the topic in the center in large letters. By the way, I always use the paper in landscape orientation and draw the letters so that they can be colored later. In our Mindmap Template Ring Block, KAWAs are drawn on the white left page. Now, let your thoughts wander and consider what comes to mind about the term and what would be important enough to be written down. The rule of the game is: what you write down must begin with one of the letters in the center. The smaller the term, the fewer letters you have available, and the more you have to think. The lack of letters forces you to think about a topic more intensely. By the way, it's not mandatory to use every letter. And: there is no right or wrong with KAWA. An example: Suppose you want to create a KAWA about your best friend Eva, then you only have three letters available. But you can use them multiple times. Perhaps E stands for elegant, successful, eloquent, for V you find her trustworthy, crazy, and in love, and for A you've associated silly and single. If your best friend had been named Hannelore, you would, of course, have had more letters available.

From KAWA to KAGA

If you also incorporate many pictures, your KAWA becomes a KAGA, and the G then stands for Grafie Gestaltung (Graphic Design). I often write notes in KAWA form during meetings. It keeps me alert, no matter how unimportant or boring a meeting is. And I catch everything. Here's an example on the topic: Have fun, Jens Voigt