Home > Training Topics > Creativity

Creativity

In need of some of creativity secrets? We will give you tools we have developed over the last forty years to help you access your creativity and produce more innovative ideas.

Being creative and innovative has little to do with innate talent. We all have the capability of being "creative." In our creativity training, we address the following learning points.

---

Learning Points for Creativity

Opening your mind to new ideas and accepting them can reveal unique solutions and enhance problem-solving. This involves really listening to what someone is saying and accepting their idea as a possible solution. Participants practice not anticipating what the right or wrong solution is, but instead, being open to hearing, and ultimately accepting, new ideas.

The most essential element of effective brainstorming and creative thinking is creating a safe environment of trust and support. Participants will see how thinking "outside the box" is only possible when they are not affected by external issues that restrict their ability to be totally open and free to new ideas. They will be rewarded for expressing their opinions and contributing to a solution. As a result, they will hear more innovative ideas expressed more quickly than they may be used to in the workplace.

Deferring your judgment of ideas, accepting of all styles and perspectives, and saying 'yes first' increases team productivity. We will discuss why deferring judgment is so critical to productivity and creativity. By implementing this concept, Participants will experience how easier it is to come up with unique, and unexpected, solutions.

Effective organizations recognize the ever-changing roles and focuses that occur within teams. In order for individuals to form a team, they must "share focus" (or "give and take"). Sharing focus creates a conscious "sharing" of the physical, emotional, and mental space by all individuals in a group. Participants will learn how to create and maintain an environment that embraces different types and styles of "focus" thereby allowing each person to contribute in their own unique way.

Using all of the concepts listed above, a group of individuals can create any improvisation, solution, or product when working as a team. The "glue" of the team is trust in and support for each other as well as trust in the process. Teams must 'practice' being a team. Teamwork does not 'happen' automatically. Teams need to acknowledge and understand that creating a successful group is a daily endeavor that requires consistent attention, practice and skill development. Participants will see their tendencies, patterns, and behaviors "come to life" and develop an awareness of how to maximize their team's potential.

---

Yes, And

Saying "yes" to an idea or acknowledging you heard an idea allows creativity and ideas to flow. After saying "yes," adding another idea to what is already being explored often leads to more unique ideas. Participants will learn how to say "yes, and" and see results far superior to those obtained by just saying "yes."