RSS FeedDirect Attention Thinking Training
Posted by Frank Connolly 6 January 2010
The Direct Attention Thinking Tools (DATT) make up a suite of tools for directing attention and helping to develop a broader and more inclusive view of a given topic. If we wait for things to come to our attention will will miss things and notice others too late. If however, we deliberately direct our attention we will see much more. Our perception will be improved.
DATT provides a scaffold for our thinking and perception.
Each of the tools carry out a defined function, and collectively provide a strategic framework for a wide range of thinking including, consequential, problem solving, assessment, evaluation, exploration, analysis, prioritising and pathways to action.
The tools provide 10 simple pathways for making thinking more strategic, more comprehensive and to assist in forming a framework for defining problems and situations, thereby improving capacity to move forward with considered and effective action.
The DATT tools can be learned, practiced and applied in a deliberate fashion in much the same way as a carpenter selects certain tools to undertake a specific function.
Drive your thinking in the right direction. In this 2 x half day training session you will learn 10 thinking tools that will help you to be a sharper, more direct thinker. The tools will enable you to solve problems with greater ease and make the best possible decisions, quicker.
For more information on the DATT training contact Frank on 0400 109727 or at frank@think-quick.com.au
An alternate historical perspective
Posted by Frank Connolly 21 October 2009
Remember that old quote about those who fail to learn from the mistakes of history are forever doomed to repeat them? I just finished listening to a series of four podcasts on the war on the Eastern front during WW2 which has quite literally blown me away. No normal person who listens to these fascinating narratives can possibly view human conflict in the same light again.
While I’m no war buff, I do have a great historical curiosity and I concede that of the 3000 or so podcasts that regular populate my ipod, Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History is by far and away my favourite. iTunes describes these podcasts with In “Hardcore History” the very unconventional Dan Carlin takes his “Martian, outside of the box” way of thinking and applies it to the past. Not only are these podcasts extensively researched and passionately presented, it’s done so from multiple perspectives which allows for a very compelling picture of events to emerge.
We tend to have a slanted view of history and if asked what were the key battles and struggles of WW2 I wonder how many of us would be able to look beyond D-Day, Dunkirk, El Alamein, Anzio, Midway, Iwo Jima, etc etc. By far and away the biggest and perhaps the most significant battles happened on the Russian front between the Soviet and the German armies. It’s perhaps an indication of the degree to which our view of the world is dominated by American perspectives and popular culture.
When I think about it, my primary source of reference to the Russian front came from Hogan Heroes, in which reassignment to the Russian front was the omnipresent threat for Col Klink and Sergeant Shultz. A sad reflection on our (my) knowledge given the enormity of what transpired between Russia and Berlin from 1941 to 1945. The descriptions and first hand accounts offered in these podcasts will leave you incredulous.
Listening to these superbly researched and presented podcasts has made me look at WW2 with a very different perspective. The ability to get people to do this cannot be understated because by altering our perspectives the way we feel about things changes, and altering the way we feel is the only genuine way of altering how we react to them.
These podcasts are a great example of the perspective shifts and insights that can be gained by stepping around a complex subject and examining it from multiple perspectives. Do yourself a favour and download the four episodes of “Ghosts of the Ostfront”. Whether you are a history buff or not, you cannot help but be impacted by these narratives.
ACTKM Conference 2009
Posted by Frank Connolly 14 October 2009
This week I had the pleasure of presenting at the annual ACT KM conference in Canberra.
The two day event was as diverse as one could have hoped with an eclectic array of presentations which is indicative I think of one of two things:
1) KM is running out of relevance and things to say, so is transmuting into different disciplines, or 2) KM is now being considered as so much a part of other business that it is relevant who matter what discipline you are involved in.
My view is certainly the latter, as each of the speakers provided evidence of the absolute necessity of knowledge management approaches in each of their subject matter areas. I found every speaker had something interesting to offer and my failure to mention all of them here is simply a product of my erratic note-taking rather than a lack of acknowledgement to all.
So many good points were made by speakers on Day 1, I felt compelled to incorporate some of their astute observation into my session on day 2. Not only does this pay homage to their efforts but it also serves to make me look a little bit clever by association. I like that.
Amanda Horne spoke of Positive Psychology and made the point that it can take take 3 or more good things happening to turn you around from a single bad occurrence. It is for this reason that we routinely think in the feasibility and benefit space before critical assessment when applying the Six Thinking Hats methodology. Due in part to the predominant brain chemistries in play during each of these functions, it is far easier to move from a positive to a negative state, than from negative to positive – try it.
Patrick Lambe, the Mephistophlian KM Sensai from Singapore discussed the roles of faith, magic and culture in KM and posed some challenging questions about how to move KM forward. (Patrick also inexplicably lost his goatee during the conference dinner.) Arthur Shelley, author and expert on animal behaviour, again stressed the importance of conversations in making sense of the world and Mark Schenk did something totally unexpected and got people telling stories. This was done in a Story slam format that elicited some truly amazing stories from the audience.
Convention and any semblance of order were cast aside on Day 2 when a futuristic hypothetical was conducted featuring a range of luminaries from the year 2050. In this session “What happened to KM – looking back at 2020 from 2050″ the panel were challenged to postulate on the future of the industry and just where we might be 40 years hence. Michelle Lambert of the KM Round Table made a significant contribution to the panel deliberation and had she not not already carved a place in KM history for herself, she certainly has now.
Many thanks to David, Nerida and the rest of the ACTKM committee for the work they put into the two days that were well summed up by Edgar Tan at the end when we expressed his appreciation not only for the diverse content, but also for the humour that the entire group brought to the sessions over the two days.
Lateral Thinking Training
Posted by Frank Connolly 3 October 2009
Lateral thinking is a term invented by Edward de Bono which describes thinking that uses specific techniques for developing new ideas through changing concepts and perceptions through using formal thinking tools. A lateral thinking solution to a problem is often described as coming from left field or from outside the box.
The lateral thinking tools developed by de Bono are for breaking open entrenched and predictable thinking. “The brain is a self-organising system that routinely organises input into patterns. These tools enable us to move laterally across those patterns, thereby opening up new, concepts, perceptions and ideas.”
Lateral thinking provides a means of generating new ideas which has never ending application inside an organisations where new and innovative ways of doing things are increasingly called for. The lateral thinking tools provide a structured and logical approach to creativity and are based on an understanding of the brain being a self-organising information system. This makes creativity and the generation of valuable ideas a skill that everyone can learn, develop and deliberately apply.
Lateral thinking should not be viewed solely as a means of solving problems. The tools are designed to be able to look at anything with a view to exploring and designing a better way forward. This thinking is about making a creative effort and looking at alternatives and possibilities.
Lateral thinking is one of the prerequisites for innovation to occur. Lateral thinking assists in changing people’s perceptions, which intern changes how they feel about something, which then helps facilitate change.
This training is designed for those with a need to regularly generate ideas and new perspectives, and in this complex and rapidly changing world, that means everyone!
For more information on the 1.5 day training, contact Frank on 0400 109727 or at frank@think-quick.com.au
The Six Thinking Hats Training & Facilitation
Posted by Frank Connolly 3 October 2009
Thinking is the ultimate human resource but how much effort do we put into developing it, nurturing it and using it to its fullest potential?
People, communities and organisations are seeking improvement and quality in most areas except in the most important of areas – the quality of our thinking. If we can improve the quality of our thinking, the actions that follow that thinking will also improve.
It is often assumed that intelligence goes hand in hand with thinking. Often however, intelligent people are in danger of becoming poor thinkers. This is what is known as the intelligence trap. That is, they use their intelligence to entrench themselves in support of one point of view. Even though you have a great sports car you may be a poor driver. Similarly those with excellent minds may use them inadequately.
The Six Thinking Hats is a thinking technique used to look at things from a number of different perspectives. It forces us to move outside our habitual thinking style and develop a more rounded view of a given situation. The Hats promote fuller input from more people and significantly reduce argument from those with divergent points of view. With this adversarial approach removed the amount of time taken to conduct a meeting can be significantly reduced. People can contribute under any Hat even though they initially support the opposite view. The Six Hats encourage co-operation, exploration and innovation by getting everyone thinking in parallel.
The methods can be effectively applied individually to improve one’s own thinking and in any community or organisational setting in which getting the most out of the collective intelligence of your people is paramount.
“Think Quick” can train your people in these thinking methods to significantly enhance your capacity to:
- Make better decisions and improve problem solving
- Improve team productivity & Communication
- Share and collaborate more freely
- Generate new and creative ideas
- Run focused, outcome oriented and shorter meetings, and
- Empower your people with a thinking toolset that adds value not only in the workplace, but in private life.
Alternatively, if you have that important meeting coming up where you simply must capitalise on the knowledge of your participants, Think Quick can facilitate such a session whether it be with 5 or 500 people.
For more information contact Frank on 0400 109727 or at frank@think-quick.com.au
Positive Workskills Training
Posted by Frank Connolly 1 October 2009
This programme provides a range of practical guidelines and tools that enable people to maintain a positive and practical focus even when things around them are not quite going according to plan.
The vast majority of people think that being positive and being happy are the same things. They are in fact NOT and the rhetoric about having to be happy to achieve is simply incorrect.
Research has shown that people who frame their life through a positive focus can perform better, develop stronger relationships and are more value to be around.
Positive Workskills training isn’t about laughter, motivation or adding humour to the workplace, it’s about showing you a way to develop and maintain a positive focus that will allow you to perform at your best and enjoy the process as best you can.
The course differs from many offerings in the “resilience” space in that there is a practical orientation and does not dwell on Happiness as being a major driver of developing a more positive focus in work and life. The methods allow participants to examine their beliefs around performance, resilience, confidence, happiness, self-image and temperament and refocus productively where possible and where necessary.
For details on these half day training sessions contact Frank on 0400 109727 or at frank@think-quick.com.au
The Think Quick! blog!
Posted by admin 22 September 2008
Greetings all. Now that I’ve moved on from my whole of government role I’m starting to find time to put together my own blog and this is it. Think Quick!
Actually when I say my own blog, I mean I’ll be the primary driver but I will be working with all of those brilliant people that I have had the pleasure to work with, meet and learn from over the past 10 years (and there’s been quite a few.) Some have started to appear in the Favourite Links at left of screen, and I will progressively add to this list.
Over the coming weeks I’ll be starting to pull together the tools techniques and training we successfully applied and bundle them up into a unique set of offerings. The mix will be eclectic and selected specifically to help make sense of, and act in the increasingly complex and changing world in which we now find ourselves.
The methods on offer will incorporate both the new and contemporary along with a number of the tried and true standards such as the methods developed by Edward de Bono, including Lateral Thinking, The Direct Attention Thinking Tools and the Six Thinking Hats.
Frank Connolly