Creative Thinking
WELCOME TO THE COURSE
Welcome to Hyper Island's Creative Thinking online course.
A 4-week remote course for anyone seeking to expand their creative confidence and bring some fresh tools and techniques into their organization.
LET'S START?
Please take a few minutes to read this Welcome Kit. And remember to complete the first assignments before the course formally starts with the first live session. Here you will find:
1. How will you learn
2. What will you learn
3. Course crew
4. How to get the most out of this course
5. Your first tasks
If you have any questions about the Welcome Kit information, post them on the #help Slack channel or ask the Course Leader.
1. How will you learn
Each week will follow the same pattern. During the week, you will engage with other course participants, tackle group activities, deep dive into contents, and complete a weekly challenge and a reflection journal.
LIVE SESSIONS (ON WEDNESDAYS)
Each week, a new module is kickstarted with a 2-hour live session, which combines content, activities, and interactive discussions between facilitators, speakers, and participants. We will use the Zoom video platform for our meetings. Through the link that we will share on Slack, you will be able to access the platform using different devices (laptop, PC, cell phone, or tablet).
Get ready for the Live Sessions, it's without any doubt the best part of the course! But don't worry if, for any reason you miss it, the recording of the session will be always available the next day on Slack!
Course Calendar
The live sessions take place every Wednesday from 12h00 to 14h00 EST (16h00-18h00 GMT), but you can watch the recording afterward on your own time. The dates for the live sessions (13/09, 20/09, 27/04, and 03/10) are on the calendar below. You can access it here in your browser.
LEARNING KIT
On Tuesdays, we'll share the Learning Kit related to the next module. Learning Kits are sets of content designed to help you delve deeper into each topic. They will be a mix of original content and Hyper Island curation, catering to different levels of prior knowledge. Articles, videos, book recommendations for you to study at your own pace.
WEEKLY CHALLENGE
Each week, we select a challenge for you to try out and thus apply a module concept or tool in your own context, to really get your learning real-world ready. We strongly believe in experiential learning, and we'll try to bring fun and light challenges for you to experiment with.
CERTIFICATE
As part of the recognition of participation and engagement in the journey, we have a certificate of course completion. To receive it you must share at least 2 Weekly Challenges, and 2 Reflection Journals and give feedback to at least 2 classmates.TOOLS
We also recommend tools that add to the module content. This is the proposal to complement the challenges and learning of the course, but you should feel free to chart your own path. You'll find all the tools in the Hyper Island Toolkit, which we'll share shortly.
REFLECTION JOURNAL
Each week, after having participated in the Live Session and having done the experiential challenge, you'll be invited to answer some reflection questions adapted to the topics of the module. Your task will be to set aside about 15 minutes to reflect on these questions and share your thoughts with other Slack participants. This is a way to help consolidate your learning and encourage learning together through sharing. You will be able to access the reflection questions in the module's Learning Kit.
Feedback
As part of your journey, we hope you will read the reflection journals of other participants and share your thoughts, comments, and constructive suggestions. We conclude that much of the course's learning occurs through these interactions. Along the way, you will also receive feedback from peers, other participants, and course facilitators.
Slack
All communication and sharing will happen in Slack. This is where our learning community works, exchanges ideas, and collaborates. We'll add you to the main channels: #announcements, #networking, and #help. Other channels will be displayed as the course progresses.
We strongly suggest turning on Slack notifications during the course (at least during business hours) to facilitate tracking and engagement. We found the desktop and mobile app really useful, but you can also choose to use it in your browser. If you need any tips, just contact us.
Only Hyper Island course participants and course crew members will be able to access information shared in Slack
2. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
MODULE 1: Exploring Creativity
One of the most useful skills you can learn for creativity is how to build things. Translating an idea into something physical is an active process of exploration and elaboration, not only execution. As you build, the idea becomes more of what it ultimately could be. We will help you to understand a range of practical tools which can help you to bring creative approaches into your daily routines. In doing so, we will help you reflect on the human relationship to creativity and encourage you to reconnect with your playful childhood roots and present techniques to train your building muscle.
MODULE 2: Creative Mindset
In the second module we will continue to invite you to train your creative muscles but also to explore some of the fundamentals of the science of creativity. With cutting edge research from neuroscience we will take a deep dive into the power of understanding brain networks and how to master your ability to explore and exploit with all your senses for new opportunities. We will introduce frameworks for understanding mindsets that promote curiosity, serendipity and complexity as routes to greater creativity. You will learn how to make order from disorder along with a host of everyday practices to allow you to get out of your comfort zone and bubble hop for a broader palette of creative inputs.
MODULE 3: Creative teams
Creativity and collaboration are fundamental skills for high performing teams in today’s workplaces. Increasingly this means forming velcro teams which can bond and dissolve at lightning speed to solve complex problems - often whilst working remotely in different parts of the world. For this module we will explore the art and science of creative teaming with specific reference to key themes such as trust and diversity. But we will also explore how to lead yourself and others through the facilitation of creative processes that maximise inclusion.
MODULE 4: Creative Tech
The final module will inspire and encourage you to be an explorer and practitioner of digital tools for creative confidence. In a world of seemingly exponential growth of digital tools, many of which are available for free, we will help you consider a range of creative technologies and their uses for diverse means - from agile prototyping and app creation to creative digital storytelling. Having explored the what of digital tools for creativity we will subsequently explore the how; how to hack your routine to bring new tools into your toolbox through a mindset of networked curiosity and exploration of emerging sites and toolboxes for creatives.
3. THE TEAM
Meet some of our team members who will be leading this course.
LAYLA OLIVEIRA
COURSE LEADER
Brazilian, graduated in Social Communication from PUC-Rio, she has a specialization in Marketing from COPPEAD-UFRJ and a master's degree in Digital Experience Design from Hyper Island UK. She has dedicated a good part of her professional life to the corporate market, working at companies such as Americanas.com, RJZCyrela, and Telefonica in Brazil, and is now part of Hyper Island's team as speaker and facilitator. (Layla's Linkedin)
Benito Berretta
SPEAKER
Benito Berretta is a facilitator and speaker at Hyper Island specialized in marketing, innovation, and the development of sustainable business. An innovative disruptor, Benito is passionate about building purpose in teams and brands. He has held several executive positions at multinational corporations, most recently acting as Head of Marketing for Latin America at Akzo Nobel Decorative Paints. Throughout the three decades that span his career, he has developed considerable expertise in Change Management, Sales, Marketing and Team Building. Benito holds degrees in Economics and IT as well as a Post-Degree in Marketing. (Benito's Linkedin)
VERONICA MAGARIÑOS
SPEAKER
After 20 years in financial services, Veronica left her position as Business Development Executive 10 years ago to come to Brazil with her husband and 5 children where she devoted herself to teaching yoga and meditation to a diverse community. With a focus on guiding and supporting people and groups to unlock potential Veronica has spent the last 5 years helping individuals and companies navigate the current scenario of rapid & accelerated change as a Facilitator, Business Leader, and Head of Methodology co-creating solutions for global companies in diverse industries in Brazil, US, and Europe. (Veronica's Linkedin)
4. HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS COURSE
At Hyper Island, we believe that how you learn is as important as what you learn. In that spirit, here is a brief summary of the educational principles behind the course and some of the practical things you need to know.
BE AS ACTIVE AS YOU CAN
This is not a traditional apprenticeship program. It was developed using a "learning by doing" approach, through experimentation. Each person's experience will be different. The program will offer a variety of perspectives, case studies and principles for you to explore and put into practice. Throughout the course, we will offer ideas, models and methods, and you will be able to apply them in your own context - with yourself and with your team. At all times, you will have the support of our team and your fellow students.
'Blended' Learning
We combine the best of online and offline methods to create a powerful and hands-on learning experience. Blended learning refers to this union of "online" and "offline" methods. You will learn on your own by reading, watching videos, discovering things online and reflecting on it all. You will also apply your learning through group activities and weekly challenges. In the meantime, you will participate in weekly live sessions on the topics covered in each of the modules. You'll also collaborate and learn from your peers, using Slack to reflect, discuss challenges and ask questions.
SHARING AND CONFIDENTIALITY
Throughout the course, we'll ask you to share your Slack experiences and learnings with other participants. We think the more you share the better, as you'll get more feedback and have more interesting discussions.
But we understand that some information may be sensitive. It's up to you to draw your own boundaries regarding confidentiality. In addition, we ask that you never share the words, ideas, materials of other participants without their express permission.
5. PREPARATION
We have some quick task for you to complete before the course starts. Consider this the beginning of your learning journey.
JOIN THE SLACK
It takes 2 minutes to log into Slack and complete your profile with your name and photo!
Introduce yourself with a short video on the channel #networking. It's a great way to get to know each other before the start of the course!
In your introduction, please include:
- A brief introduction of you and your work;
- Your biggest expectations for the course
- Your biggest challenges and opportunities related to the topic of the course.
Make sure you're signed into Slack before the course's first live session because that's where you'll access the session's Zoom link!
JOIN SLACK
Hyper Island creates learning experiences that challenge companies and individuals to grow and remain competitive in an increasingly digitized world. With customers like Google, adidas and IKEA, this "Harvard Digital" was listed by CNN as one of the most innovative schools in the world.