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Instructor: Stuart G. Walesh, Ph.D., P.E., F.NSPE, Dist.M.ASCE
Course Length: 1.5 Hours
Purpose and Background
Are you and your colleagues, whether in the private practice, government, manufacturing, or academic sectors, very busy? Perhaps you rarely take the time to systematically, collaboratively, and creatively address challenging issues, solve major problems, or pursue promising opportunities. As a result, is the future happening to you rather than being created by you? Stressing the growing importance of creative and innovative thinking and decision making, columnist Thomas Friedman says “Today, just about everything is a commodity, except imagination, except the ability to spark new ideas.”
Want to take a fresh look at where you and your organization are going, or could be going, in a rapidly changing world? Worried about difficult economic times and market challenges? Would like to pursue some opportunities? If so, this webinar may be for you.
Given a basic understanding of the mind – more specifically, the very different functions of the left and right hemispheres of the brain - and the mind’s role in creativity and innovation, and given the proper practical tools, a group can more successfully solve a problem, pursue an opportunity, or address an issue. The results will almost always be better than that produced by the common hectic, hit or miss, reactive, suboptimal, left-brain-only-dominated approach. Furthermore, solving some problems may create more opportunities for the problem solvers.
The webinar leader has great confidence in the intelligence, knowledge, imagination, and good will of the kind of people – mostly technical and scientific professionals - who typically work within E/A/C firms, government entities, manufacturing firms, and universities. When brought together, given a challenge, and provided with “whole brain” collaboration tools, good things will happen. “We know most of the creativity, the innovation, the stuff that drives productivity lies,” says Jack Welch, the former Chairman of GE, “in the minds of those closest to the work.”
Participants receive a detailed handout on which the webinar will draw. The handout includes references to articles, books, e-newsletters, websites and other self-study materials.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Appreciate the difference between creativity and innovation
- List 6 collaboration methods
- Discover the function of the brain’s left and right hemispheres
Seminar Benefits
- Obtain creativity-related knowledge and skills that will be immediately applicable to many problems/opportunities/issues within your organization
- Move toward the solution of a major problem or determination of a way (or getting much closer to a way) to exploit a promising opportunity
- Find a new direction for your organization
- Expand your understanding of the human mind
- Appreciate further the breadth and depth of resources available in your organization
- Re-energize your groups such as project teams, executive committees, and task forces
- Influence positively the decision-making culture in your organization
Assessment of Learning Outcomes
Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).
Intended Audience
This webinar is intended for you if you have a leadership function in government, an A/E/C firm, an academic institution, or volunteer organization. You want to create the future, not let it happen to you. The webinar’s secondary audience is those personnel who welcome and value collaboration.
Seminar Outline
- Your valuable personnel “assets”
- Some views of the future and its challenges
- Creative/innovative breakthroughs: Revealing case studies
- A brain primer: The whole brain approach
- Decision-making tools: 10 methods
- Resources for additional study
How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion
To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.
How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?
1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]