People and organisations are seeking improvement and quality across many areas except that which is the most important – the quality of the way we think.

If we improve the quality of our thinking the quality of the actions that follow correspondingly improve.

The Six Thinking Hats are designed to dramatically improve the way we think. The methods are used to look at issues from multiple perspectives and help us to move beyond our habitual thinking styles to achieve a more rounded and thorough view of a given situation.

In this full day session participants will develop:

• a sound understanding of multiple thinking styles,
• the ability to design and facilitate effective, outcome oriented meetings,
• the ability to generate new ideas using lateral thinking methods,
• the ability to design and lay out a thinking process, and
• become a more thorough and objective thinker.

The session will be held at Melbourne’s premier training venue and all participants will be provided with an optional work-based assessment with which to immediately start to apply the methods back in the workplace. Successful completion of this assessment provides the “Blue Hat Facilitator” Pin.  Email & telephone coaching will be provided to assist with this at no additional cost.

Date & Time : 8:30am – 4:30pm, Friday March 18, 2011

Where: The Airlie Leadership Development Centre, 260 Domain Rd South Yarra

Value: $490/person with an early rate of $440/person up until Feb 25

Other: Participants from all sectors are welcome. Coffee/Tea will be provided upon arrival by qualified Baristas and the highest quality morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea will be provided. (If you’ve been to Airlie before you’ll know what this means!)

Many thanks for your response to this. The session is now fully subscribed and we look forward to a big day on the 18th!

We will be scheduling another session within the week so please watch this space!

Flyer: Six Thinking Hats training ALDC Mar 18

Any enquires may be directed to Frank at think.quick@me.com / 0400 109727 or Laurel on 0417 321296

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One of the questions I take some pleasure in asking when training is “Who has wasted their time in a meeting that had no focus and few, if any, outcomes in recent times?” Invariably 90% of all participants raise their hands. In fact the response is so predictable the question is almost rhetorical.

The Facilitation training we are offering on Dec 9 is designed to address this all too standard response. All participants will receive full manuals and instruction from an experienced trainer and facilitator, whilst experiencing a  highly interactive and practice oriented session.  Ongoing coaching will also be available to enable them to complete an optional work-based assessment to attain their “Blue Hat Facilitator” certification and Pin.

It is expected that all participants will not only become lead facilitators capable of running an array of meeting types but also key drivers of positive cultural change once back in the workplace.

When: Thursday Dec 9, 8:30am – 4:30pm

Where: Airlie Leadership Development Centre, 260 Domain Rd Sth Yarra

Value: $490/person with an early bird value of $450/person up until Nov 19 or for bookings of 4 or more.

For more details please see the flyer attached: Six Thinking Hats Facilitator Training Dec 9

Register here!

This is a public workshop and participants from all sectors are invited and welcome.

Any enquiries may be directed to think.quick@me.com or directed to Frank on 0400 109727.

“I undertook my Six Hats Facilitation training with Frank in 2009 and right from my first application the result have been astonishing in a number of ways. Firstly, the ideas came so thick and fast that the scribe couldn’t keep up. Excellent decisions were made and actions assigned — all in about 40 minutes. The second surprise was the amount of energy in the room throughout the meeting. It wasn’t just another meeting taking people away from their “real” work, everyone actually enjoyed it. A third surprise was the avowed cynics willingly agreeing that the methodology actually worked, that it could elicit more enthusiasm from them, and produce excellent results in a short time. The final surprise was how exhausting it was to  slow people down, and then stop them from elaborating on their many ideas.”   (Ricky Tuck. Education & Training – Victorian Public Records Office.)

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At Think Quick we don’t simply assist with your issues, we help build your capacity to solve your own.

We provide new perspectives and new means of looking at your organisational issues so that appropriate and sustainable action can be designed in-house to address them.

In every instance we use accredited and experienced practitioners and practice a range of contemporary techniques designed to address the thinking of participants so that the focus leads to tangible and improved design and action.

The world is highly complex and rapidly shifting, so to be able to act with impact we must first be able to make sense of what is happening around us. The methods we use are designed to do this. Sessions are designed to replicate the way people behave in real life, as opposed to the way we “expect” them to behave in organisational settings.

Amongst the methods we use are those developed by Edward de Bono and include Lateral Thinking, Direct Attention Thinking Tools and the Six Thinking Hats. We also focus strongly on the Cognitive Edge methods which enable the emergence of fresh ideas, insights, new design and solutions derived form the multiple and diverse perspectives present in the room. The cognitive Edge methods are based on participation and discovery, as apposed to more traditional linear and prescriptive group methods that are common.

All of the methods applied are focused on gaining new insights, navigating through complex issues thereby allowing organisations and participants to take advantage of new opportunities in conditions of uncertainty.

The strengths and benefits of these approaches are:

*    We generate means of seeing the world through the eyes of participants, rather than via the narrower interpretations of a facilitator or third party.

*   We assist organisations to develop contextually appropriate interventions to address issues rather than applying standard methods that have minimal impact when issues are complex.

*    The methods tap directly into the knowledge of the assembled group and generate new design possibilities and participant buy-in. With this buy-in, outcomes tend to be more resilient and sustainable.

*    The methods allow for the navigation of issues for a fuller exploration rather than a solution oriented approach reliant on our first pattern matches that are not always the best fit.

*    The methods encourage innovative thinking and generate a range of possible solutions by tapping into the diverse perspectives and knowledge of the assembled group.

*    We use techniques that allow for wide scanning and the identification of weak signals that potentially have economic and human costs to the organisation.

*    The methods used move participants from a static approach to addressing issues to one in which there is a strong focus on design and forward momentum without the paralysis of perceived risk.

Our accredited and experienced practitioners have successfully facilitated many sessions and projects across public and private sectors and have worked closely with clients to determine need and co-design and process to ensure the best possible outcomes.

Think Quick also assists in the design and implementation of projects where new perspectives and new approaches are required.  These include evaluations, navigating change, strategy, planning, leadership and culture related interventions.

For more information contact Frank at think.quick@me.com

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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 think.quick@me.com

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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 think.quick@me.com

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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 think.quick@me.com

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