Creative thinkningAhmed Ragab

What is creative thinking?

• Creative thinking is the process of generating novel ideas and alternative courses of action, no matter how good those ideas and alternatives might be.

• Creative thinking is often characterized as thinking “outside the box”.

Creative thinking barriers

• Searching for the one “right” answer– Most educational systems teach that there is one

“right” answer to a problem. This is a boon to creativity since it acts as a block to brainstorming.

• Focusing on “being logical”– Being logical is valuable when evaluating ideas and

implementing them, however, focusing too much effort on being logical in the early imaginative phases discourages the use of intuition.

• Blindly following the rules– Often times, creativity depends on our ability

to break existing rules so we can find new ways of doing things.

• Constantly being practical– Suspending practicality for a while frees the

mind to consider creative solutions that, otherwise, might never arise.

• Fearing looking foolish– Creative thinking is no place for conformity.

New ideas are rarely born in a conforming environment. People tend toward conformity to avoid looking foolish.

• Fearing mistakes and failure– Trying something new often leads to failure,

however, failure should not be seen as an end; but rather as pit stops toward success.

The Creative Process

1-Preparation:: Prepare the mind for creative thinking (formal education, work experience, etc)

2-Investigation:: Develop a solid understanding of the problem or decision

3-Transformation:: View the similarities and differences in the information collected

4-Incubation:: Give the subconscious time to reflect on the information (daydream, relax, etc)

5-Illumination:: The creation of an innovative idea

6-Verification:: Validate the idea is accurate and useful (conduct experiments, prototypes, etc)

7-Implementation:: Transform the idea into reality

Creative thinking types

• Convergent thinking: is the ability to see the similarities and connections among various data and events.

• Divergent thinking: is the ability to see differences among various data and events.

Creative thinking techniques

• Analogical Thinking

• Brain storming

• Mind mapping

• Lateral thinking(Edward de Bono)

• Six thinking Hats

Analogical Thinking

• The most common creative process is analogical thinking--the transfer of an idea from one context to a new one. Perhaps 80 percent of creative ideas are rooted in analogical thinking, and examples abound in every field of human creativity

Brain storming

• Brainstorming is a process in which a small group of people interact with very little structure with the goal of producing a large quantity of novel and imaginative ideas.

Mind mapping

• Mind-mapping is a graphical technique that encourages thinking on both sides of the brain, visually displays the various relationships among ideas, and improves the ability to view a problem from many sides.

Lateral thinking

• 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

Six thinking Hats

IntuitiveInformative

Constructive

Cautious

CreativeReflective

The Red Hat

• What do you feel about the suggestion?

• What are your gut reactions?

• What intuitions do you have?

• Don’t think too long or too hard.

The White Hat

• The information seeking hat.

• What are the facts?• What information is

available? What is relevant?

• When wearing the white hat we are neutral in our thinking.

The Yellow Hat

• The sunshine hat.• It is positive and

constructive.• It is about

effectiveness and getting a job done.

• What are the benefits, the advantages?

The Black Hat

• The cautious hat.• In black hat the

thinker points out errors or pit-falls.

• What are the risks or dangers involved?

• Identifies difficulties and problems.

The Green Hat

• This is the creative mode of thinking.

• Green represents growth and movement.

• In green hat we look to new ideas and solutions.

• Lateral thinking wears a green hat.

The Blue Hat

• The control hat, organising thinking itself.

• Sets the focus, calls for the use of other hats.

• Monitors and reflects on the thinking processes used.

• Blue is for planning.

C.V Writing

• It is targeted on the specific job

• It is carefully and clearly laid out

• It is informative but concise

• It is accurate in content, spelling and grammar

• Be honest

Job Skills You Should List on Your Resume

• Communication Skills

• Interpersonal Skills

• Research and Planning

• Organizational Skills

• Management Skills

Cover letter writing

• What is a cover letter?

• A cover letter is a formal letter that accompanies your résumé. Use it to introduce yourself to potential employers, and to convince them that you’re the right person for the job.

• What information to include in your cover letter

• Your cover letter should give an employer an idea of who you

are, and explain what skills you could bring to the job.

Content

• Paragraph 1: a positive, formal introduction outlining how you heard about the opportunity, listing the documents you have enclosed (such as your CV).

• Paragraph 2: outline why you are interested in the role and the organization, demonstrating in depth research and mature reflection on how the opportunity fits into your career plans.

• Paragraph 3: highlight your key skills and experiences.

• Paragraph 4: highlight your key skills and experiences.

• Paragraph 5: end positively outlining when you will be available for interview

Interview Skills

• Dress for the Job or Company

• Listen

• Don't Talk Too Much

• Don't Be Too Familiar

• Use Appropriate Language

• Don't Be Cocky

• Take Care to Answer the Questions

• Ask Questions

• Don't Appear Desperate