The Innovative Mindset: Improvisation and Business in the 21st Century
53 minutes of course content
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Course Description
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The Innovative Mindset: Improvisation and Business in the 21st Century
The 21st century world is fast-changing and unpredictable. We have to be intentional about building and maintaining a mindset which allows us to focus our time and energy on productive activities, and forward moving innovation if we want to thrive. The innovative mindset of discovery is a set of attitudes and behaviors which were derived from 55+ years of studying, teaching and performing improvisation at the Brave New Workshop, the longest-running satirical and improv comedy theater in the U.S. In this course you will gain insight into the mindset of discovery and its benefits as well as practical tools and techniques to help you spend more time in it. The goal of the course is to increase your ability to weave innovation in your everyday life at work and at home.
We have found that practicing five simple but powerful behaviors, which we call the Big Five, is an effective way to position yourself to spend more time in the mindset of discovery. The Big Five are listening, deferring judgment, reframing, declaring, jumping in.
- Listening is inherently critical and essential throughout most stages of the innovation process. Listening is about awareness, being present, taking what you think is your ability to hear, see, perceive, and notice, and then cranking it up 100 times. Truly listening can make the person you’re working with feel validated and respected and can help to build trust and create the foundation for innovation.
- Deferring judgment is the Big Five behavior that perhaps gets mis-interpreted most often. We forget to focus on the word defer and somehow replace it with eliminate or avoid. This behavior is really about that first move – the question of “What is the first thing I do when something new comes my way?”
- A strong declaration is one that is clear, concise, authentic and rich in content. The declarations we make – and the clarity with which we communicate our ideas, our points of view, and the information that we are trying to share – all can make you and others move from a place of confusion and lack of confidence to a place of safety and engagement. This movement away from fear leads only to the discovery of new information, points of view and ideas.
- Of the Big Five, reframing feels like one of the most physical behaviors because it’s all about seeing the situation differently. Reframing obstacles, looking at the situation from a different angle, and finding another path toward the solution is a wonderful way to add value to any process. Reframing is an engine that provides a diverse set of perspectives throughout the process continuously and not just when something goes wrong.
- To jump in can mean a lot of different things depending on our roles, the projects we are working on, or what task we are accomplishing on any given day. It is the beginning. It is the opposite of hesitating because action demands we make decisions. We rarely, if ever, have every conceivable tool or resource, or all the key information on hand before we hit ‘Go.” But enough information is usually sufficient and the truth is, we always feel better once we begin.
After taking this course, you will be able to:
- Redefine innovation as a mindset and set of behaviors, rather than a process or organizational directive
- Increase self-awareness of one's mindset
- Understand the symptoms of the unproductive mindset of fear and recognize them in oneself
- Gain techniques to shift into a productive mindset of discovery
- Articulate one's own motivation to foster an innovative mindset
- Architect an innovation fitness plan that outlines structured practice of the key behaviors that root us in an innovative mindset
This course is for professionals within the following business functions:
- Anyone that wants to increase their innovation competency and ability
- Anyone that manages people or wants to manage people
- Anyone that is committed to their professional development
- Anyone that seeks to move the needle for their organization's ability to innovate
- Anyone who aim's to build an innovation-friendly culture
- Anyone who wants to freshen up their thinking
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Welcome to the Innovative Mindset - 5 Minutes
- The Innovative Mindset Intro Quiz
- A little but about this course and a warm welcome
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Your mindset matters - 13 Minutes
- Behavioral Innovation
- Improvisation 101
- Improvisational Roots of the Innovative Mindset
- The Mindset of Fear
- The Mindset of Discovery
- The Art of Practice
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The Big Five - 25 Minutes
- Meanwhile in an office near you...
- Listening
- Practice LISTENING
- Meanwhile in an office near you...
- Deferring Judgment
- Practice DEFERRING JUDGMENT
- Meanwhile in an office near you...
- Meanwhile in an office near you...
- Practice DECLARING
- Meanwhile in an office near you...
- Reframing
- Practice REFRAMING
- Meanwhile in an office near you...
- Jumping In
- Practice JUMPING IN
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Wrap up - 10 Minutes
- Let's see what you have learned!
- Thank you!
- Your Innovation Fitness Plan
- Would love to hear your feedback!
- What next...
About the Expert
Wiley
John Sweeney & Elena Imaretska