When we think of creativity, we often think of the arts – drawing, writing, or perhaps something theatrical. While those areas certainly require creativity, they do not have a monopoly on creativity. Another popular myth is that creativity is some sort of character trait. You either have it, or you don’t. And if you don’t you’ll never have it. Not true. Creativity is a skill which can be taught to anyone and, with the right training, by (almost) anyone.
Why do we need creativity?
Creativity is essential to make improvements or find solutions. In the work environment, you might use the same systems and procedures that have been around for over five years. But times have changed. There are new, faster, more efficient ways of doing the same job or reaching the same goal. But it will take creative new thinking to find, tweak and embed those ways. In the personal environment, creativity is also key. With so much that we want to do but limited time and energy to do it with, creativity is essential. Perhaps your children need to be in different places at the same time, the cat needs to go to the vet and you have a pile of laundry to do before the morning. The question is ‘how can we make all this happen?’ What that takes, is some very creative thinking. Creative new thinking doesn’t just happen and you can’t expect to only create successful new ideas. You may need to break down inhibitions, persuade your team to embrace the uncomfortable and most importantly, that ideas should be neither good, nor bad. They are just ideas until they reach the evaluation stage. What might appear to be the most impractical of all suggestions, could turn out to be the catalyst which produces a gold-star solution.
What is creativity training?
There appears to be unlimited sources of creativity training. From the simple random word generator to more structured facilitation programmes such as Rapid Consensus™ where the group needs to design a better, more desirable future. It really depends on what your thinking and creativity needs are.
Creativity training with Holst
We love thinking and creativity! So much so, that you’ll find a workshop to suit every type of team or organisation. We’re proud distributors of the thinking skills tools of Dr Edward de Bono. Lateral Thinking and Six Thinking Hats® are arguably the most well-known of his suite of tools, which combine to form the Course in Creativity™. In addition, our Creative Teams workshops makes it easy for teams to get the most from their idea generation sessions. Our team of terrific trainers always bring an element of fun to creativity workshops. No stuffiness or contrived formality, instead delegates leave enthused by their newly found creativity, ready to put their fresh skills into action.
The benefits of team creativity
A team that feels able to exercise their creativity is one which is cohesive, engaged and productive. Each team member should feel that their ideas are valuable and worth laying on the table. Every team leader should feel able to let this creativity flourish.]]>
