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Think Smarter, Not Harder

Getting the Best Out of People

Nigel Newman

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• Global organisation in over 40 countries

• Education, business and government

• 7.5 million ‘users’ worldwide

The Edward de Bono Foundation

Argentina / Australia / Belgium Argentina / Australia / Belgium

Bolivia / Brazil / Brunei / Canada China Bolivia / Brazil / Brunei / Canada China / Cyprus / Denmark / Finland France / / Cyprus / Denmark / Finland France / Germany / Greece / Hong Kong / India / Germany / Greece / Hong Kong / India / Indonesia / Ireland Israel / Italy / Japan Indonesia / Ireland Israel / Italy / Japan / Kuwait Latvia / Malaysia / Malta / / Kuwait Latvia / Malaysia / Malta / Mexico New Zealand / Norway / Oman Mexico New Zealand / Norway / Oman Pakistan / Philippines / Portugal Pakistan / Philippines / Portugal Romania / Russia / Singapore / South Romania / Russia / Singapore / South Africa / South Korea / Spain / Sweden / Africa / South Korea / Spain / Sweden / Thailand The Netherlands / Turkey / Thailand The Netherlands / Turkey / United Arab Emirates / United Arab Emirates / United United Kingdom Kingdom USA / VenezuelaUSA / Venezuela

3Cognitive Research Trust

4Human Capital Release

“There is a growing realisation that the only true sustainable resource is our people and their intellectual capacity to think”

McKinsey & Co

5Thinking Activity

Quick…make a decision…!

Oh…what’s his name…!

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Habits of Mind

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There are two ways we make choices:

• fast, intuitive, automatic thinking (System 1)• slow, rational, calculating thinking (System 2)

“Daniel Kahneman reveals how our minds are tripped up by error and prejudice (even when we are being logical), and gives practical techniques for slower, smarter thinking, enabling everyone to make better decisions at work, at home and in everything they do..”

Think Fast – Think Slow

8System 1 & System 2

A Bat & Ball costs £1.10p

The Bat costs £1.00 more than the ball….

How much does the ball cost?

Bat = £1.05p

Ball = 5p….so total £1.10p

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“up to 90% of errors in thinking are in perception not judgement” Prof. David Perkins, Harvard University

Importance of Perception

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• The excellence of the brain arises directly from its ability to make, organise & use patterns

Psychology

• These patterns also form our perceptions which are used to see ideas and make decisions

• These mental routines allow continuity but can prevent us from being really creative

• To see new things we may need help in leaving these patterns and routines…..

11Perception: self-organising patterns

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“All cars must be painted yellow by law”

3 minutes to “Discuss…”

13Directing Attention

Plus, Minus, InterestingP.M.I.

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“All cars must be painted yellow by law”

1 minute – All the Plus points

1 minute – All the Minus points

1 minute – All the Interesting points

15Directing Thinking

FocusPP MM

II

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17OPV - Other Peoples’ Views

Drivers Children

Environmentalists

Law Enforcement

Elderly PeopleManufacturers

“All cars must be painted yellow by law”

Animals

18Thinking in Hats…

Six ‘notional’ hats that can be put on and taken off easily to indicate a role or mode of thinking

19Six Thinking Hats

White hat - information and data

Red hat - emotion and intuition

Black hat - negative and caution

Yellow hat - benefits and positive

Green hat - possibilities and alternatives

Blue hat - overview and process

20Parallel Thinking

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1. Illegal to manufacture high fat foods

2. A complete ban on car access to city centres

3. All training done online by computers

4. Compulsory recycling of all waste products

5. An email curfew or ‘e-free’ day every week

Suggested Topics……..

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Focus: ……………………………

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Problem-Problem-solvingsolving

ImprovemenImprovementt

Fresh Fresh ThinkingThinking

Creative Thinking

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Psychologist Jennifer Mueller states that people don't like to feel uncertain; it's an aversive state that generally we try to escape from. Unfortunately creativity requires uncertainty by definition because we're trying to do something that hasn't been done before.People deal with the disconnect by saying one thing, "Creativity is good, we want more of it!" but actually rejecting creative ideas for being impractical. And, the more uncertain people feel, the harder they find it to recognise a truly creative idea – it's only when we're unsure that we can be sure we're in new territory….

Pablo Picasso once pointed out that all children are creative – the challenge is to remain creative into adulthood…!

The Paradox……..

25How we see the world….

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“If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it……”

“Imagination is more important than knowledge……”

Albert Einstein

Encouraging Creativity

27Multiple Intelligences

28Creative Challenge

Tear a hole in A4-size paper of sufficient size to put the whole of your actual body

through...

Tear a hole in A4-size paper of sufficient size to put the whole of your actual body

through...

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Thinking patterns

"The world market for computers is 5…" Tom Watson, founder of IBM

"I cannot imagine why anyone would ever want a computer on their desk"

Ken Olsen, CEO of DEC "64K will be enough memory for anyone…"

Bill Gates, founder Microsoft

Dominant Logic

30Heraclitus

“Expect the unexpected…”

31Improbability

32Green Hat on Supermarket Shopping

33Concept Extraction

Idea ConceptConcept Alternative Ideas

Cafe Refreshment Refreshment Vending

Water fountain

Nail bar

Juice bar

Massage chair

Sauna

Solarium

Quiet room

34Wishful Thinking

Wouldn’t it be nice if….

35Lateral Thinking

Frog

Supermarket Shopping

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Share:

If I have an apple and you have an apple and we exchange apples, we both still have one apple….. However, if I have an idea and you have an idea and we exchange ideas, we each now have two ideas…

George Bernard Shaw

Doing things with the ideas

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Nurture:

Ideas are like wild rabbits they are elusive and shy – you may see a couple but be patient and pretty soon you have a many!

John Steinbeck

Doing things with the ideas

38Doing things with the ideas

39Leadership

T = Find and set aside TIME for creative thinking for everyoneE = Generate ENTHUSIASM by welcoming suggestions and ideasA = Change ATTITUDE by avoiding criticism and expecting complimentsM = MODEL the creative behaviours you desire from your colleagues

Think TEAM

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A Norwegian oil company losing $100,000 + per day in revenue due to unsolved drilling problem - after 12-minute ‘green hat’ session generated idea that saved in excess of $10m….

Global insurance company use lateral thinking to create first entirely new insurance product for over 100 years

“The six thinking hats technique provides a disciplined process that changes the way teams think, providing essential skills vital to corporate survival in a rapidly changing world”

In his book Born to Win John Bertrand, skipper of the successful 1983 challenger for the America's Cup yacht race explained that lateral thinking enabled the Australian boat to claim victory, ending 132 years of American supremacy

Success Stories….

41Full Time

Questions ?

Thank You