WORKSHOP
Taking a creativity trip
Short overview:
The workshop will introduce the participants to the basics of creativity – learning about creativity myths, creativity level, creativity styles and creativity principles. Also, participants will practice some of the creativity principles through idea creation techniques and a digital content creation tool. The participants will also self-assess their creative style, using a Google sharing office suite tool – Google Form, learning more about themselves, but also about the group they are part of.
Objectives of the workshop:
- To learn how creativity works (understand the creativity level and creativity styles);
- To learn about creativity principles that help us to create new and worthwhile ideas;
- To be able to use some idea creation techniques.
Present the participants a short introduction to the myths of creativity and the definition of creativity (see the theory from this chapter).
Each participant receives a colored A4 paper (with a 5X3 square grid on it) and access to pens and crayons;
Ask them “to fill the grid with unique apples” and read them the following rules, written down on a flipchart paper:
- Each apple has to be unique
- Start from top left and end at bottom right of the grid
- In silence!
They have eight minutes to fill the grid. At the end, the participants present and share thoughts on their grids (not all of them have to do it).
Questions you might ask:
- How many apples they manage to create?
- How does the last idea compare to the first idea they had?
Connect their answers to the principle of “quantity is a condition of quality” in the idea creation process. Conclude the exercise presenting the creativity principles (see the theory from this chapter).
Use one tablet or one phone for each group with the app Texting story installed.
Video-projector & laptop will be used to watch the videos created by the teams. You may also create a social media channel group where the teams can share the content they developed.
Tell the participants that now they will practise the creativity principle of “Build on each other’s ideas”. Split the group into teams of a maximum of 4 people, and ask them to download on one of the team members’ phones/tablets the app “Texting Story”. They will use the app to create a common story that starts with “We are going on a trip…”.
Rules of the game:
- They choose the name of the two characters from the “Texting Story” conversation, who go on a trip.
- One person starts the story/the conversation and writes down the story in the app (while saying the story out loud for the team);
- After 30 seconds of writing, the person passes the phone to the next team member that resumes the story with “yes, and… “ and continues for 30 seconds the story;
- Each team has to take five rounds to develop the common story;
- Participants should think of stories that are not offensive, intolerant, aggressive in any way. Make them aware of the consequences of extreme and cultural or gender insensitive stories.
- At the end, the story is saved as a video and shared on the common social media channel group created for the workshop.
The whole group watches the videos developed, and then reflects on the exercise - what they learned, what was useful, what was challenging, what they think about the final stories they created together, etc.
Conclude the exercise by asking the group what other creativity principles they involved in the exercise.
Use flipchart paper and markers or video-projector and laptop, if you choose to make a digital presentation of the theory.
Google form is used for self-assessment of the creative style
Phones/tablets is to be used by participants for self-assessment
Video-projector & laptop to show the final results of the group on creative styles.
For the Google Form, use Kirton’s KAI model, as presented in the summary Table 1: Creative Style Descriptions based on Kirton’s Adaption-Innovation Framework. Create multiple choice grid questions, and on one end of the grid use the descriptions of More Adaptive style, and on the other end use the descriptions of More Innovative style. The participants will have to choose the answer that fits them best for each of the seven aspects of the style: concern for paradigm/structure; importance to organization; continuous improvement and problem solving; change management; communication; teams/team building; and as viewed by others.
Here is a Google Form you could copy and then use for your group: Creative Style Form.
Present the theory on creativity level and creativity style (see the theory from this chapter).
Using a Google Form you developed in the preparation phase of the workshop, participants self-assess themselves, discovering their creative style; also, using the sharing option of Google Form they can see what creative styles are there in the group of the workshop. The Google Form automatic report can show you only info about the group, but not for each individual.
Follow-up discussion:
Reflect with the participants on what they learned throughout the session and how they plan to use what they learnt or practised.
COMMENTS
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