Lateral Thinking Workshop

Edward de Bono – The Father of Lateral Thinking and Creativity

WARNING! Lateral Thinking will change the way you think.

 

 There is nothing more exciting ……than thinking of a new idea

 There is nothing more rewarding…..than seeing a new idea work

 There is nothing more useful…..then a new idea that helps you meet a goal

 

Lateral Thinking is:

seeking to solve problems by apparently illogical means

a process and willingness to look at things in a different way

a relatively new type of thinking that complements analytical and critical thinking not part of our mainstream education – yet

a fast, effective tool used to help individuals, companies and teams solve tough problems and create new ideas, new products, new processes and new services.

a term that is used interchangeably with creativity

 

Joel Barker has told you to get out of your paradigms—- Edward de Bono shows you how!

 

Lateral Thinking:

A way of thinking that seeks a solution to an intractable problem through unorthodox methods or elements that would normally be ignored by logical thinking. Edward de Bono divides thinking into two methods. He calls one ‘vertical thinking’ that is, using the processes of logic, the traditional-historical method. He calls the other ‘lateral thinking’, which involves disrupting an apparent sequence and arriving at the solution from another angle.

When you are faced with fast-changing trends, fierce competition, and the need to work miracles despite tight budgets, you need Lateral Thinking.

Developing breakthrough ideas does not have to be the result of luck or a shotgun effort. Edward de Bono’s proven methods provide a deliberate, systematic process that will result in innovative thinking. Creative thinking is not a talent, it is a skill that can be learnt. It empowers people by adding strength to their natural abilities which improves teamwork, productivity and where appropriate – profit.

Today, better quality and better service are essential, but they are not enough. Creativity and innovation are the only engines that will drive lasting, global success.

Our minds are trained to find typical and predictable solutions to problems. You can master the the tools for innovative thinking. Lateral thinking will also help you with strategic planning and thinking outside the box of everyday issues.

 

The Need for Creative Thinking

 The limits of logical and critical thinking

 Why Creative Thinking is a learnable set of skills

 

The Thinking Techniques:

ALTERNATIVES: How to use concepts as a breeding ground for new ideas. Sometimes we do not look beyond the obvious alternatives. Sometimes we do not look for alternatives at all. This session shows how to extract the concept behind a group of alternatives and then use it to generate further alternatives.

FOCUS: When and how to change the focus of your thinking. The discipline of defining your focus and sticking to it. The attitude of focusing on matters that are not problem areas. How to generate and use a Creative Hit List.

CHALLENGE: Breaking free from the limits of the accepted ways of operating. With Challenge, we believe that the present way of doing things is not necessarily the best. Challenge is not an attack or criticism. It is the willingness to explore the reasons why we do things the way we do and whether there are any alternatives.

RANDOM ENTRY: Using unconnected input to open up new lines of thinking.

PROVOCATION & MOVEMENT: Generating provocative statements and then using them to build new ideas. This session explores the nature of perception and how it limits our creativity. The provocation techniques are designed to challenge these limitations. Movement is a new mental operation that we can use as an alternative to judgement. It allows us to develop a provocative idea into one that is workable and realistic.

HARVESTING: At the end of a Creative Thinking session one takes note of specific ideas that seem practical and have obvious value. We need to make a deliberate harvesting effort to collect ideas and concepts that are less well developed.

TREATMENT OF IDEAS: How to develop ideas and shape them to fit an organisation or situation.

The aim is for you to leave the workshop with skills you have practised and can apply immediately on return to your home or workplace.