Out of the box - creativity training

T H I N K I N G O U T S I D E T H E B O X

Wake up your brain!

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T H I N K I N G O U T S I D E T H E B O X

(also called "thinking out of the box" or "thinking outside the square")

is to think differently,

unconventionally,

or from a new perspective.

This phrase often refers creative

thinking also in business.

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„Television won’t be able to hold onto any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring into a box every night.”

Darryl F. Zanuck,

Head of 20th Century Fox, 1946

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„That’s an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?”

R.B.Hayes, US Prasident, after participating in a trial phone conversation between Washington and Philadelphia in

1876

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„I think there is a world market for about five computers”

Thomas J. Watson Sr., Chairman of IBM, 1943

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T H E N I N E D O T P R O B L E M

To solve…

1. Below are nine dots arranged in a set of three rows. Your challenge is to draw four straight lines which go through the middle of all of the dots without taking the pencil off the paper.

2. Start from any position

3. Each line must start where the last line finished.

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T H E N I N E D O T P R O B L E M

To solve…

1. Below are nine dots arranged in a set of three rows. Your challenge is to draw four straight lines which go through the middle of all of the dots without taking the pencil off the paper.

2. Start from any position

3. Each line must start where the last line finished.

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L O O K B E Y O N D …

…the current definition of the problem

Analyse the definition

Are there any rules?

Look for other definitions

Do not accept other

people's definitions. They

may be wrong.

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I N V E S T I G AT E …

…the boundaries

What are the boundaries which the solution must fit into?

Are the boundaries your own perceptions or reality?

What are the possibilities if you push the boundaries?

What are the benefits of small boundary changes?

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H A R D W O R K …

…not always is the solution

Repeating the same

wrong process does not

work.

You can be very close to a

solution while not getting

any closer to it.

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puzzle

Have a look at the picture.

It shows someone holding

a block of wood.

What will happen to the

wood when the person

lets go of it?

„ D R O P T H E B L O C K ”

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puzzle

Have a look at the picture.

It shows someone holding

a block of wood.

What will happen to the

wood when the person

lets go of it?

„ D R O P T H E B L O C K ”

How about other perspective? Did you checked assumptions?

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We do not see the world as it is,

we see it as we are!

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T H I N K A B O U T T H E S I T U AT I O N . . .

… before act…

What assumptions have you made?

What rules have you assumed?

How do you see the world and how

is your view different to that of other

people?

What advantages and

disadvantages are there of each

way of thinking?

If you see the world from only one angle you will struggle to change it.

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H O W C A N Y O U T H I N K D I F F E R E N T LY ?

Imagine the problem from someone else's angle

What happens in other countries /

cultures / companies?

How can you change the situation to

make a solution work?

Visit or read about other people's

lives and try to understand why they

think in the way they do.

C R E AT I V I T Y

„Creativity is one of the last remaining legal ways of gaining an unfair advantage over the competition.”

Ed McCabe

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W H O H A S T I M E F O R C R E AT I V I T Y A N Y WAY ?

Did you ever use such excuses?

• I have no time for that

• I’m busier than I have ever been

• I have too many projects for that and there are

deadlines I have to meet

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W H O H A S T I M E F O R C R E AT I V I T Y A N Y WAY ?

Keeping up with the competition

This can be overwhelming for many professionals because many of the

„standards” we put in place actually limit creative ability and competiveness

Be innovative

Produce new ideas

Perform regular tasks

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WA K E - U P L AT E N D C H I L D H O O D A B I L I T I E S

As children our world is dominated by stories, pictures and imagination

As adults we are dominated by rules, standards and boundiaries

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3 0 C I R C L E S …

Exercise…

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3 0 C I R C L E S …

Exercise…

H O W C A N W E T R A I N O U R C R E AT I V I T Y ?

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BE CURIOUS!

Play – have fun!

Suspend judgment

Ask a lot of questions

„Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.”

Samuel Johnson

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MAKE CONNECTIONS

Talk to people in different

fields

Step sideways & see

another angle

Try something new

„Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.” William Plomer

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CHALLENGE YOURSELF

Take risks

Accept failures

Question assumptions

„A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein

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CULTIVATE YOUR IDEAS

Daydream

Give ideas time to grow

Consider all the

possibilities

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes, it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow.” Unknown

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Let’s all try to be more creative,

ouside-the-box thinkers ;)

B E C R E AT I V E

T H A N K Y O U F O R Y O U R AT T E N T I O N

Kasia Ostojska

Raben Management Services

Katarzyna.Ostojska@raben-group.com

Research and Market Analysis Manager