Competence model articles Enables participants to be creative and think out of the box Promoting creativity, problem solving and out of the box thinking Refers to a variety of methods that encourage creativity, problem solving and out of the box thinking Skill and knowledge to apply methods and ways encouraging creativity, problem solving and out of the box thinking Understanding and facilitating individual and group learning process

Try it on

This task would help you to identify and learn about the methods that encourage creativity, problem solving and out of the box thinking. We invite you to read more about methods you have never applied before.

Donatas Petkauskas February 22, 2020

0 63 1 minute read

Try it on — Photo by Christian Fregnan on Unsplash

Why did I choose this tool?

Skill to apply the method comes through experience, in this e-learning tool we encourage you to try out one of the method and broaden your awareness about each of the tool.

How does this apply to being a trainer?

It helps you to have your “box of methods” which encourages creativity, problem solving and out of the box thinking. It helps you to apply methods regarding their aims and origin.

Main content:

Run through the checklist of methods.
Check if you ever applied the method in your trainings.
Continue the list with your applied methods – write them down with links or brief description.

Tools, methods encouraging creativity, problem solving and out of the box thinking	I apply this method/ I don’t apply this method (optional: Why?)
Lateral thinking process, of Edward de Bono is a manner of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. It involves ideas that may not be obtainable using only traditional step-by-step logic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_thinking
Six Thinking Hats, of Edward de Bono – a tool for group discussion and individual thinking involving six colored hats. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Thinking_Hats
Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument – right brain / left brain. is a system to measure and describe thinking preferences in people https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herrmann_Brain_Dominance_Instrument
Brainstorming and Brainwriting – is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorming
Think outside the box – is a metaphor that means to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking_outside_the_box
Business war games, for the resolution of competitive problems https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_war_games
SWOT analysis – is a strategic planning technique used to help a person or organization to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to business competition or project planning. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis
The method USIT of convergent creativity for finding innovative solution concepts to engineering-design type problems https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_structured_inventive_thinking
Five Ws – (sometimes referred to as Five Ws and How, 5W1H, or Six Ws) are questions whose answers are considered basic in information gathering or problem solving. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Ws

Reflection questions:

What are the most inspiring methods you will certainly use in the future?

Exercises:

How to apply it in everyday life:

We do believe that each of this method could be applied in everyday life. For example, you need to understand the Root Cause why your children/friend/whoever didn’t tell you the truth, use 5 Whys technique and get to know root causes.

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Co-author of the article: Agne Kvikliene

Agne Kvikliene – professional IT project manager who sometimes works as a trainer helping people to build organizational changes, strategies and ensure the quality. She had been working with training programmes and coordinated national trainers’ pool at National Agency of EU programmes for youth. While having experience in training, educating people she initiated training quality standards and raised the topic of trainers competences development. The biggest achievement for her was to lead Eastern partnership youth forum which was a milestone for the strengthening the quality of the non-formal education and the partnership among the EU and EaP countries. It became a continuous activity happening once in a two year.

Co-author of the article: Povilas Plukas

Povilas Plukas is the learning designer who designs experiences that grow personalities and helps organisations to reach their learning goals. Over the last 10 years he provides training courses on personal development, interpersonal communication, teamwork, change management, learning to learn, social entrepreneurship, gamification and game design. Povilas is a member of International Applied Improvisation network. He studied improvisation at Second City, a world-famous improv school in Chicago. He is partner in the consulting company Kitokie Projektai. The company has been active both in Lithuania and internationally since 2000.

Editor: Donatas Petkauskas

is professional supervisor, coach and experiential learning trainer, having more than 15 years of experience in consulting various organizations and individuals, creating and conducting training course on national and international levels. Donatas has extensive experience in non-formal education, training of youth workers and trainers. He is working in the field of non-formal education since 2003, since 2004 he is a member of trainers pool of Lithuanian National Agency (currently an alumni).