Would you like your team to be more creative?
Not quite sure how to do this?
This week, Dr Amy Climer shares the discoveries of her recent research on three key elements teams need to be creative. Amy is a speaker, trainer and coach. She also produces a podcast called Deliberate Creative and a wonderful reflection and processing tool called Climer Cards.
As experiential educators, we often want the teams we work with to be creative. We encourage them to think differently and give them unique challenges to push their skills. While we praise creativity, we often fail to teach teams how to be creative.
The idea of teaching creativity may sound odd to you, but it works. Since the 1970s, research has shown over and over that creativity is a teachable, learnable skill. Through deliberate practise, we can develop our ability to generate new ideas and design unique, innovative solutions.
In 2018, I spoke at TEDxAsheville on The Power of Deliberate Creative Teams. I shared my research that revealed three elements teams need if they want to be creative together.
As you listen to the talk, think about how to incorporate this research into the programs you facilitate.
Creativity does not happen by accident. It’s about so much more than getting the “right people” in the room. If teams are to be creative they must be deliberate. Deliberate creativity is about intentionally developing the skills, process, and mindset to maximize creativity. When teams learn deliberate creativity they are able to innovate on demand.
In what ways are you developing deliberate creativity in your teams?
Original post May 2019, last updated November 2023.