6 Creative Thinking courses in Manchester

Overview There are many companies that have designed a creative environment for their employees to help them relax and spark creative thinking to enhance the performance of the people working in the organisation. The creative way help boost the mind of the employees and thereby generate a positive attitude. This course will help organizations to do regular brainstorming sessions when working on a project to allow employees to contribute and build on a project. This will create an immense engagement as their team members are involved in the creative process.

Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving: In-House Training Two critical skillsets for the future of work are critical thinking and creative problem solving. These modes of working and thinking intersect and overlap; both are necessary and both can be taught. Having the ability to exercise creativity while at the same time applying structure and discipline to the thinking process is a key competency in the twenty-first century workplace. This course explores the interplay between critical and creative thinking, and the necessity of each to effective problem solving and decision making. Participants will learn a variety of techniques to apply critical thinking to real-life scenarios. They will experiment with different problem-solving approaches and will learn about cognitive influences on our decisions and choices. The course delves into the business value of creativity and involves participants in actively integrating criticality, creativity, and problem solving. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Explain basic concepts of problem solving Infer types of cognitive biases that impact decision making Utilize types of root cause analysis Differentiate among obstacles to sound decision making Apply a variety of problem-solving approaches / processes to existing challenges Evaluate alternative solution methods using various techniques Analyze real world problem scenarios to determine the lateral thinking type needed to address them Foundation Concepts Definitions Thinking modes and cognitive bias Basic problem-solving framework Problem Definition and Solution Generation Root cause analysis Basic problem-solving obstacles Generating alternative solutions Evaluating Alternatives Critical thinking guidelines Obstacles to sound decision making Tools for evaluating alternatives Exploring Lateral Thinking Problem-solving challenge Workplace application

Changing patterns of thinking can be challenging, I work with individuals and small groups to discover techniques that are proven methods of change, such lateral thinking techniques, Appreciative Inquiry and other methodologies to change stuck patterns.

The leader of today has greater challenges than ever before in terms of unlocking human potential in their organisation and delivering results. This programme will help you achieve those aims and help you initiate and manage change more effectively. In particular, it will help you to: Develop an effective strategy to achieve your business goals Understand the role of emotional intelligence in leadership Take away a practical leadership tool-kit Develop a more dynamic approach through enhanced strategic creativity Broaden your understanding of the corporate culture to increase your influence within it Improve your persuasion and influencing skills to achieve your strategic goals Learn the key functions of strategic leadership In today’s world, one of the main aims of the leader is to develop the capability of the organisation to handle change and the challenges of the future even if those challenges have yet to be discovered. Leading in the organisational setting is becoming increasingly difficult because of the increase in regulation in all sectors and the risk of litigation. All organisations need leaders who can handle these challenges effectively, in particular the complexities of organisational life. At the same time, people who feel they are led effectively from the top find it easier to cope with and perform under higher pressure levels and therefore achieve the ultimate business goals Who should attend? This programme has been specifically designed for senior managers and those middle managers who are on the fast track to senior positions. It is suitable for both public and private sector individuals and all senior managers, executives and directors who understand the benefits both personally and professionally of developing strategic leadership skills. Practical training methods The course leader uses a broad range of learning techniques including short input sessions, individual development exercises, group work and case studies to provide a strong mix between practical training and giving a sound foundation of strategic leadership theory. The course provides you with a unique opportunity to put into practice what you have learnt and benefit from the observations and perceptions of the other course members. Leadership is less about doing and more about being. Day One Introduction and objectives The need for strategic leadership The roots of leadership How thought on leadership has developed Current perceptions on strategic leadership The leadership/management debate People and process issues The integrated approach to deliver results Levels of leadership The capabilities required at the strategic level The difference between strategic leadership and strategy Qualities and capabilities of strategic leaders Illustration through case studies Review of strategic capability Developing specific leadership qualities A review of strategic capability using case study examples Developing an approach to leadership Reviewing the traditional and current approaches to leadership CASE STUDY 1: Developing a leadership strategy Understanding leadership processes at all levels Applying the leadership hierarchy Analysing the process PRACTICAL EXERCISE Demonstrating the theory of leadership processes in practice Leadership and emotional intelligence The relationship between leadership and emotion The essence of organisational climate PRACTICAL EXERCISE Participants will work on an exercise to illustrate the theory of emotional intelligence in practice Day Two Review of day one Understanding strategic creativity Examining the psychological aspects of strategic thinking Mind mapping and other approaches to creative thinking Developing a creativity toolkit CASE STUDY 2: A strategic leadership challenge Developing a new vision and plan to transform an organisation to face future challenges based on a real-life scenario Developing strategic leadership capability A review of current approaches Understanding the behavioural approaches Developing a contingency approach Understanding corporate culture The structural aspects The behavioural aspects The human aspects How leaders can change corporate culture Developing a toolkit for change Understanding the cultural web The link with emotional intelligence CASE STUDY 3: Analysing leadership techniques This practical case study illustrates how the strategic approach and the application of appropriate leadership techniques including ‘split screen ability’ work in a real-life scenario Performance aspects at the strategic level Developing vision, goals and objectives Creating corporate identity and alignment Working with individual influencers Effective strategic influencing skills The characteristics of effective persuasive leaders Understanding methods of persuasion Profiling others Building the top team The nature of the top team Accepting diversity and challenge The key functions of strategic leadership Putting these into action Personal leadership planning Identifying tomorrow’s leaders Practical approaches The challenges for the future. 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Introduction to Design Thinking: In-House Training Innovation is the cornerstone of highly successful companies, especially those that continue to be successful over the years and decades. Design thinking practices fuel this continual innovation, as they are the critical links from inspiration to delivery, concept to showroom floor, and start-up to global business. Design thinking is a structured approach to promoting innovation and creative problem-solving. It is not a new approach. It has been around for centuries, as the art, architecture, and inventions of mankind illustrate. By examining the steps to achieving great design and maximum utility of product, design thinking approaches provide a framework in which to develop new solutions to problems and new products to sell. This highly interactive course is designed to help participants think like designers to generate innovation, and to help teams to produce more innovation and creativity. Since design thinking is based on doing rather than thinking, we participants are challenged to apply the techniques, in the classroom, to create new ideas and solutions to a case study project. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Explain the underlying principles and value of using Design Thinking for innovation Describe the basic concepts of the Stanford Model for Design Thinking Evaluate a set of basic Design Thinking techniques for application to your projects Apply tools, techniques, and skills aligned with the 5 stages of the Stanford Model Drive innovation through Design Thinking at some level in your work environment Foundation Concepts Problems and solutions The Design Thinking difference Design Thinking skills and abilities Design Thinking mindset Design Thinking frameworks Stages of Design Thinking Problems and solutions The Design Thinking difference Design Thinking skills and abilities Design Thinking mindset Design Thinking frameworks General Practices Team formation Visualization Improvisation Personalization Empathize Practices Overview of Empathize techniques Observation Engagement Interviews Define Practices Overview of Define practices Unpacking techniques Defining the customer techniques Integrating the Define experience Ideate Practices Overview of Ideate practices Reusable techniques for the Ideate stage New Ideate techniques to explore Prototype & Test Practices Overview of Prototype practices Examples of prototypes Overview of Testing practices Forms of testing techniques Adopt and Adapt Design Thinking Overview of Design Thinking implementation Design Thinking implementation challenges Success in implementing Design Thinking Summary and Next Steps Workshop summary Next steps: Personal Action Plans

Strategic Thinking: In-House Training The goal of this course is to provide you with the building blocks and the motivation to develop the critical skill of strategic thinking. The participants will consider a four-part model that distinguishes strategic thinking from strategic planning and managing. With that understanding, you will investigate the critical components of strategic thinking and how to apply it effectively. What you Will Learn Define strategic thinking and distinguish it from strategic planning and management Explain a high-level approach to gaining strategic thinking skills Integrate other interpersonal skills, such as self-awareness, systems thinking, leadership, constructive conflict, and collaboration, into the fabric of strategic thinking skills Select appropriate techniques to apply strategic thinking in specific situations Recognize and emulate effective strategic thinking behaviors Getting Started Introductions Course structure Course goals and objectives Foundation Concepts Interactive event: Define Strategic Thinking (ST) Interactive event: Discuss relationship of ST with Strategic Planning, Management and Decision Making Strategic Level Framework - Tying it all together Strategic thinking attributes Strategic Thinking Critical Success Factors Strategic Thinking Critical Success Factors - 5-part model Strategic Thinking and the Organization Critical Success Factors Model applied to an organization Tools Introduction (5): Environmental, 5 Forces, SWOT, Value Proposition, Integral Theory of Worldview Video: Fog of War Strategic Thinking and the Individual Critical Success Factors Model applied to an individual Tools Introduction (5): Thinking Styles, Six Thinking Hats, Reverse Thinking, Systems Thinking, Integral Theory of Worldview Strategic Thinking at the Interpersonal and Team Levels Emotional Intelligence - Self Awareness and Working With Others Team Leadership and Trust Constructive Conflict as the Gateway to Collaboration Interactive event: Testing the Models - Challenge Perspective; What's Missing Applying the critical skill of Strategic Thinking Worldview: Team versus client Trusted Advisor Interactive event: Doing what is asked (Case study, wherein participants review the default case scenario prepared for this workshop and add specific details to make the scenario more relevant to their experiences / needs. Teams develop an action plan for applying ST concepts and techniques they have learned here to the situation, then compare and contrast results.)