Course: The Psychology of Creative Thinking

Start here: an outline that treats creative thinking like a practised craft, not mysticism. Short sentence. Then details.

Course title: Psychology of Creative Thinking, A Practical Hybrid Programme for Emerging Leaders and HR Champions

Target audience (randomised): Emerging leaders, HR managers and frontline innovation champions working across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Participants typically have 3 to 8 years' experience, lead small teams or projects and are expected to embed creative practices back into day to day operations.

Preferred duration and format (randomised): 3 × 2 hour live virtual workshops (week 1 to 3) + 1 half day face to face capstone in Sydney (or hybrid equivalent at your nearest office). Prework: 45 minutes. Post workshop coaching: two 30 minute one on one sessions within four weeks.

Delivery mode: Hybrid, synchronous virtual sessions delivered via preferred corporate platform; capstone face to face for practical labs and peer review (regional rollouts available in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra).

Pricing and practical constraint (example): $495 incl. GST per person (minimum cohort 12, maximum 24). Optional workplace immersion packs available (additional cost). We guarantee delivery, no cancellations.

Blended learning approach and rationale
- Brief: Combine cognitive science, practical techniques and facilitated practice so participants leave with usable habits, not just warm fuzzy ideas.
- Why hybrid? Virtual theory + in person experimentation locks transfer. Many trainers promise pure discovery; I favour scaffolded practice, a mix of structure and chaotic ideation. Some will disagree. That's fine.

Learning outcomes (behavioural and measurable)
By programme end participants will:
1. Generate a wider spread of novel options during ideation (measured by increase in fluency and originality scores on a brief divergent thinking task).
2. Demonstrate improved idea refinement, ability to apply convergent filters and produce 1 to 2 implementable prototypes per team in the capstone (assessed by facilitator rubric).
3. Use at least two psychologically informed techniques (analogy mapping, mental imagery rehearsal) in live problem sessions.
4. Establish a 6 week action plan for embedding creative rituals into weekly team routines (manager observed).
5. Report a 20% increase in self rated creative confidence on post course survey (baseline and follow up).

Core modules and session breakdown

Pre work (45 minutes)
- Short e learning: "What creativity is, and what it isn't" (10 minutes).
- Self assessment: Openness, tolerance for ambiguity, and baseline divergent thinking task (15 minutes).
- Reflective prompt: One persistent problem at work you'd like to reframe (20 minutes).

Session 1, Foundations of Creative Cognition (2 hours, virtual)
Objectives
- Introduce divergent vs convergent thinking and key neuroscience concepts in plain English.
- Establish psychological safety for ideation.

Structure
- 0 to 10 min: Welcome, outcomes, quick poll (baseline mood/energy).
- 10 to 30 min: Short, evidence based primer, what the science says about ideation and insight (DMN, prefrontal balance simplified).
- 30 to 60 min: Live micro exercise: rapid divergent thinking sprints (scored for fluency & originality).
- 60 to 90 min: Breakout: investigate mental sets and functional fixedness using workplace scenarios.
- 90 to 110 min: Introduce associative combination and analogy thinking; guided practice.
- 110 to 120 min: Commit to a micro challenge for week 1.

Key materials
- Participant workbook (digital), short video explainer on DMN/executive balance, quick scoring sheets.

Facilitator notes
- Keep explanations crisp; avoid overloading with neuroscience jargon. Encourage playful risk taking.
- Opinion: Time boxed constraints often boost divergent output. Use them here.

Session 2, Tools for Idea Generation and Evaluation (2 hours, virtual)
Objectives
- Expand toolkit: SCAMPER, analogy mapping, mental imagery, forced connections.
- Practice convergent techniques: constraint framing, prioritisation matrices, prototype lite.

Structure
- 0 to 15 min: Warm up and share week 1 micro challenge outcomes.
- 15 to 45 min: Tool carousel, short demos of 4 techniques, with participants rotating in small groups.
- 45 to 75 min: Deep practice: analogical transfer exercise (map solutions from unrelated domains to a workplace problem).
- 75 to 100 min: Convergent workshop, prioritise ideas using impact effort and feasibility filters.
- 100 to 120 min: Preparation for capstone: form teams and select capstone problem.

Key materials
- Templates for SCAMPER, analogy map, rapid prototype checklist, decision matrix.

Facilitator notes
- Push back gently on groups that want to skip evaluation, long habits die hard.
- Opinion: Too much freedom without structure equals noise. Offer scaffolds.

Session 3, Creativity in Teams and Culture (2 hours, virtual)
Objectives
- Translate individual creative skills into team practices and team rituals.
- Address psychological factors: intrinsic motivation, autonomy, feedback loops.

Structure
- 0 to 15 min: Check in, energiser.
- 15 to 45 min: Quick theory: intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation and what research shows (brief case examples).
- 45 to 75 min: Role play: manager team feedback sessions focused on creative work; managers practice autonomy supportive language.
- 75 to 100 min: Design lab: teams draft a 6 week implementation plan to protect creative time, rituals and metrics.
- 100 to 120 min: Peer feedback and refinement.

Key materials
- Manager language guides, cultural audit checklist, ritual templates (weekly ideation hour, show and tell).

Facilitator notes
- Encourage honest trade offs: autonomy comes at cost of alignment, discuss how to balance.
- Small contradiction: I believe constraints make creativity better, but I also push for autonomy. Both true.

Capstone, Half day face to face (4 hours)
Objectives
- Prototype and present a workable creative solution to a real workplace problem.
- Practise pitch, critique and iteration in person.

Structure
- 0 to 20 min: Opening and setting norms.
- 20 to 80 min: Rapid prototype build (physical or digital low fidelity).
- 80 to 120 min: User testing and iteration with cross team feedback.
- 120 to 160 min: Final presentations (10 minutes each) + structured critique using rubrics.
- 160 to 180 min: Reflection and next steps; manager endorsement of action plans.

Assessment and measurement
- Pre/post divergent thinking task (fluency, flexibility, originality), scored.
- Rubric for prototypes (novelty, feasibility, business impact), facilitator and peer scoring.
- Manager observation checklist (3 and 6 week follow up).
- Participant self efficacy survey at baseline, immediate post, and 6 week follow up.
- Optional: implement Torrance style brief assessment for cohorts needing formal benchmarking.

Practical learning activities (samples)
- Forced connections: random word + Business problem -> 5 new concepts in 8 minutes.
- Analogy swap: pair organisations/problems and map transferable solutions.
- Mental imagery walkthrough: visualise a product's use from first person perspective, note edge cases.
- Constraint hack: redesign an existing process with a 50% time budget reduction.
- Manager coaching clinic: live feedback practice with a trained facilitator.

Materials and resources
- Participant workbook and printable templates.
- Short, curated reading list and 10 minute videos for microlearning.
- Optional kits for face to face: sticky notes, butcher paper, prototype materials.
- Access to a private collaboration channel for post course sharing.

Facilitation team and expertise
- Lead facilitator experienced in applied cognitive psychology and workplace design.
- Co facilitator skilled in coaching and behavioural change.
- Guest speaker (30 minutes) from an Organisation that successfully embedded creative rituals (positive case study; local to Melbourne).

Adaptations for different audiences and levels
- Senior executives: compress to one full day strategic workshop focused on cultural levers and resourcing.
- Frontline teams: additional hands on practice and shorter theory bursts; extra follow up coaching.
- Remote cohorts outside metro hubs: replace capstone with synchronous virtual prototyping + local hub meetups where feasible.

Evaluation plan and KPIs
- Short term: 90% completion of post workshop action plans; 80% satisfaction rating.
- Medium term (6 weeks): 60% of participants report weekly use of at least one creative ritual; demonstrated manager observed behaviour change.
- Long term (3 months): track implementation of at least one prototype into pilot (or measure cost/time savings if applicable).

Risk management and common barriers
- Barrier: Psychological safety lacking. Mitigation: robust prework on norms, manager briefing and structured feedback frames.
- Barrier: No time for practice. Mitigation: brief rituals and micro sprints that fit into weekly schedules.
- Barrier: Leadership buy in. Mitigation: deliver quick wins and present measurable early outcomes.

Championing change back at work
- Hand over pack for managers: short guide to protect creative time and give autonomy supportive feedback.
- 6 week cohort check ins: facilitated, 45 minutes.
- Peer network: cohort Slack channel or Teams group to keep momentum.

One opinion on improvement (explicit)
- Organisations should reward risk taking more than they reward being right. Yes, that risks messes. But the alternative is safe mediocrity. Give people low stakes zones to fail.

Two positive opinions some may dispute
- Structured constraints, timed sprints, fixed roles, often produce better creative outcomes than completely open sessions. Many facilitators preach pure freedom; I've seen constraints coax far richer ideas.
- A little neuroscience goes a long way. Explaining why the brain favours patterns helps teams adopt practices that actually work. Some will call this neuromarketing; I call it useful literacy.

Logistics and rollout suggestions
- Minimum viable cohort: 12 participants. Ideal: 16 to 20 for diverse cross pollination.
- Regional rollouts: run the hybrid capstone in rotating cities (Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide) to reduce travel.
- Pre course manager briefing (30 minutes) mandatory, ensures follow through.

Deliverables to the client
- Participant workbook and digital templates.
- Capstone assessment reports (team scores, recommendations).
- Follow up summary for managers with 6 week findings and suggested next steps.

Facilitator rubrics (sample criteria)
- Divergent idea quality: originality, variety, relevance (0 to 5).
- Prototype viability: clarity of problem, user value, feasibility (0 to 5).
- Team collaboration: inclusive participation, constructive critique, iteration (0 to 5).

Suggested follow up programmes (optional)
- 6 week coaching series for innovation champions.
- Train the trainer module to embed creative facilitation across managers.
- Creative leadership coaching for senior teams.

Why this works, short rationale
- We combine psychological insight, deliberate practice and measurement. Not airy inspiration. Practical. Evidence informed. Taught in ways adult learners stick to. You get habits, not just platitudes.

Estimated word count for all written participant materials: ~6,000 words (workbook + templates + readings).

Sources & Notes
- World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2020, projection that around 44% of workers will need reskilling by 2025 (used here to underscore skills urgency).
- Australia creative economy estimate: reference to national creative industries contribution to GDP (for local relevance, see Australia government and ABS creative industry summaries).

(Programme design and materials are developed from applied industry practice. We incorporate current research but keep explanations practical. If you want a longer version tailored to a senior executive cohort or a fully accredited assessment pathway, say the word.)

For additional resources on creative problem solving training, visit our comprehensive guides. Learn more about creative thinking skills and explore strategies for generating creative ideas in your workplace.