de Bono's Advanced Creativity Course

Innovation is a People Process and a Business Basic

The search is on to ensure your organization’s survival and prosperity into the future. What’s desperately needed, and often missing are proven, repeatable methods for producing creativity on demand; the ability to innovate.

de Bono's Advanced Creativity Course combines two time-tested results driven methodologies—Six Thinking Hats® and Lateral Thinking™.

Six Thinking Hats® embraces the necessary components of effective innovation: focus, planning, idea generation, evaluation, design and project implementation.

Lateral Thinking™  is an idea generating tool kit  that breaks routine thinking patterns.

Current public workshop schedule and secure online registration

After your teams learn the skills they will be equipped to:

1. Create new or improved processes, products, services, and markets on demand.

2. Constructively challenge the status quo to uncover hidden opportunities.

3. Increase your practical new idea output.

4. Rigorously evaluate ideas to develop those with the biggest impact on the business.

5. Break the idea killer habit that shuts down the creative process.

6. Tap into the thinking power of each individual on the team.

7. Organize and lead productive innovation meetings.

8. Implement with quality, speed, respect and value.

9. Manage the thinking process.

10. Reduce conflict.

11. Execute work plans on time and on budget.

12. Make decisions and identify required resources.

 The results are remarkable, immediate and will energize your entire organization to innovate.

DuPont benchmarked every creativity  process on the market for its Creativity Center. Dr. David Tanner, former technical director of DuPont, says, “the de Bono techniques were the most useful.” An employee’s suggestion—the reengineering of a manufacturing process for Kevlar®—eliminated nine steps in the manufacturing process as a result of using de Bono techniques and saved DuPont $30 million dollars!

"A fair idea put to use is better than a good idea kept on the polishing wheel." —Alex F. Osborn

 Who will Benefit by Learning to be Creative and Innovative on Demand?

• Groups that are tasked with attracting more business, more customers, more business from existing customers, more profitable business.

• People who are frustrated with the slow progress made on important issues in meeting after meeting.

• Groups that need a stronger approach to creativity and innovation than the brainstorming tool they are currently using.

• Remote teams that need a common framework to discuss projects, action items, strategy, ideas, decisions, problems.

• Scientists and engineers who need systematic tools to break open their thinking.

• Groups that routinely hear—We need new thinking.

• Groups that are tasked with improving operations.

• Executives that need to develop powerful strategies for their divisions and companies. They could be feeling the same old, same old just isn't working anymore.

• Anyone who wants to strengthen their Innovation Instinct™—their ability to generate, build on and implement valuable new ideas.

Results: ABB gains results in two days. The tools work.

"With Six Thinking Hats we gain results in two days, which with old methods would have taken at least a month."

—Juhani Pylkkwho, Corporate Research Director, ABB Finland

Our Methods have Proven to be Uniquely Powerful for Organizations:

• Where quality improvement efforts are lacking a repeatable systematic process for creativity and innovation. Quality is no longer enough.

• Operating in a fast-changing market that will continue to require fast thinking, quick implementation and more creativity to effectively serve the needs of customers.

• Facing stiff competition from well-established companies with strong brand equity and deep pockets.

• Exploring ways to leverage their own brand equity to increase market share, reduce costs and improve margins.

• Where creativity has been focused on individual effort, yet, teams would benefit greatly from a more structured methodology to generate, build on and implement valuable ideas.

• Where budgets are limited and all training efforts must product immediate benefits and long-term ROI.

Duration: 2-3 days. Two-days is perfect for teams that need a powerful method that creates an easy to work with framework for new idea generation and evaluation that ends with an action plan for next steps. Three days includes job application and coaching to drive skill development—increase confidence. Call 818-507-6055 to discuss your needs.

Group Size: 16- 24 will ensure good group dynamics. The course is fast paced and full of hands-on exercises and application. If you need us to deliver for a larger group we will arrange two instructors.

Materials: Official de Bono Thinking Systems course materials. 

Our Instructors: Our company is different. Training is led by highly qualified Business Experts. Many are successful leaders of their own companies. They understand your challenges and the need to work smarter, think smarter and act faster. They have demonstrated expert capability in three distinctly different areas:

1. They have a very high level of competence using the tools with a wide variety clients across industries, non profits, and government. 
2. They have developed the capability to train and coach business leaders to effectively use these tools.
3. They are well established de Bono Thinking Systems Instructors.

More Helpful Information

Results. Case Studies & Articles

• Customer Service Soars!
• The Nestle Prepared Food Division Approach - PDF file
• Washoe Health System's Approach - 1996 Winner of the George Land Award for Innovation, PDF file
• Compaq Computer Strengthens Six Sigma Black Belt Training with Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking Tools
• Six Thinking Hats Across Cultures - The Bosch Experience
• Six Thinking Hats for Full Color Thinking, article, PDF file
• What is Six Thinking Hats? PDF file
• Use Six Thinking Hats to Break the Idea Killer Habit
• A Multitude of Business Challenges: Examples of Blue Hat Focus Statements

Clients—a wide range of business, industry and government are tapping our creativity and innovation expertise.

Program FAQ's: We have collected these questions and think you will appreciate the insights they provide our clients.

Two Ways You Can Learn de Bono's Advanced Creativity Tools

Attend a Public Seminar. View our schedule for upcoming dates, location, pricing, registration information. Register early to secure your spot as seating is limited. This is a great way to evaluate the methodology to help you decide how to position in your organization.

Attend Instructor Certification in Six Thinking Hats® & Lateral Thinking™. Become certified to teach the Six Thinking Hats® method to others. You can also certify your own in-house de Bono Thinking Systems experts. Details, schedule, top 10 reasons to become a certified instructor. We will work with you to develop an appropriate plan for your organization. Call 818-507-6055. Already a certified Instructor? Here is how to maintain your certified instructor status.

Book Us to Present at Your Conferences and Retreats. Tap our expertise to present a keynote or general session on creativity and innovation. We also present interactive breakout sessions incorporating Simplicity™, Six Thinking Hats® and Lateral Thinking™ tools. Call 818-507-6055.

The Opportunity Thinker, is a member of the de Bono Thinking Systems, Inc. global network, a de Bono organization.

"You can do no better than attend a de Bono seminar."

- Tom Peters

Contact Lynda Curtin to plan your launch info@LyndaCurtin.com or call 818-507-6055