Crash Course in Creativity (Crash Course Series) - Softcover

Clegg, Brian; Birch, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0749438339 ISBN 13: 9780749438333

Publisher: Kogan page, 2002

Synopsis

An easy-to-use work of improving creativity fast suitable for individuals or as part of a group. Split into 30 units, this Crash Course in Creativity is designed to be manageable in spare time. The free CD-ROM contains additional techniques and exercises, together with interactive Web links.

About this title

About the Authors

Brian Clegg is a journalist and creativity consultant. He is a well known writer both in traditional media and on the World Wide Web. He worked at British Airways for 17 years. In 1984 became one of the airline's first PC programmers. While at BA he developed a considerable interest in business creativity.

Brian left the airline to established himself as a freelance writer and set up Creativity Unleashed Limited (www.cul.co.uk), a company specialising in consultancy on business creativity and computer usability. He is a regular contributor to PC Week, Personal Computer World, Computer Weekly and the internet-based magazine, V3. and consultant. He can be contacted on email at brian@cul.co.uk

Recent books have included Instant Time Management (Kogan Page) and an exploration of mankind's enduring fascination with light: Light Years.

Paul Birch is a change and creativity consultant and trainer. One of his previous roles was that of 'Corporate Jester' at British Airways -- an internal consultant who challenges and provokes at all levels of the organisation. A well-known author, he has also written Instant Leadership and co-authored Instant Teamwork and Instant Creativity in the Kogan Page Instant series.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

1. Getting the basics

Why creativity?

Creativity primer

Culture

Techniques

Personal development

Mental energy

Fun

2. Work plan

Introducing the course

Checklist

3. The course

Unit 1: A taster

Unit 2: Getting to know you - loosening up a new group

Unit 3: Clarifying the problem - just what are you trying to do?

Unit 4: Challenging assumptions - thinking differently about a problem to understand it better

Unit 5: Good vibrations - positive thinking

Unit 6: New 'how to's - getting different cuts at the problem

Unit 7: Incremental creativity - step change techniques

Unit 8: Distortion - idea generation techniques that modify the nature of the problem

Unit 9: Pure energy - injecting oomph

Unit 10: Seeking knowledge - building a personal knowledge base to feed creativity

Unit 11: Seeing it differently - looking at solutions through different eyes

Unit 12: A swift kick - random stimuli to generate a new starting point

Unit 13: Looking somewhere else - taking a look beyond the obvious

Unit 14: Simple fun - laughter makers

Unit 15: Breakdown - techniques that break down a problem into components

Unit 16: Touchy-feely - generating ideas using right-brain activities

Unit 17: Natural input - using nature and science as tools to generate ideas

Unit 18: Memories are made of this - memory techniques

Unit 19: Strange translations - generating ideas from misunderstanding

Unit 20: Creative comms - stimulating new approaches by forcing different modes of communication

Unit 21: Going green - environmental techniques to enhance creativity

Unit 22: Spatial thinking - right-brain group sessions

Unit 23: Selection techniques - which idea is best?

Unit 24: Changing group dynamics - more energy and fun

Unit 25: Refinement techniques - polishing up your ideas

Unit 26: Knowledge expansion - more techniques to help personal knowledge management

Unit 27: Spock rules - logic exercises to challenge the brain

Unit 28: Making it happen - techniques to expedite implementation

Unit 29: Right-brain teamwork - more exercises to encourage groups to engage the right brain

Unit 30: Mental workout - personal creativity exercises

4. Review

Pulling it together

Collected reading list

Appendix

Random words

People for 'Someone else's view'

Techniques with high Culture ratings

Techniques with high Techniques ratings

Techniques with high Personal development ratings

Techniques with high Mental energy ratings

Techniques with high Fun ratings

Techniques suited to stage 1 - understanding the problem

Techniques suited to stage 2 - generating ideas

Techniques suited to stage 3 - selection and refinement

Techniques suited to stage 4 - planning for selling and implementation

Edition details

• Publisher: Kogan page
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0749438339
• ISBN 13: 9780749438333
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 253