Using creativity in problem solving (How to think outside the box)

Develop creative thinking techniques in the context of research.

Session outline/ plan

Innovation and creativity are, in theory, the lifeblood of a university environment. Often, however, the in-depth detail of our work and the highly logical nature of postgraduate or postdoctoral study and research can be at odds with the creation of original ideas.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Consider (research) creativity and problem solving and aim to develop a toolkit that can help them think more creatively in their work.
• Explore their creative style and how they can design environments to help them to come up with new ideas.
• Address the barriers to research creativity and tackle these barriers as problems that can be creatively addressed.

Presenter information:

Steve Hutchinson

A creative and dynamic executive coach, facilitator and author – Steve specialises in the areas of Leadership, Personal Impact and Professional Effectiveness. He works internationally in sectors from corporate to education and not for profit – but since he began as an academic zoologist, he has real insight into the challenges of thriving in a University environment.

He’s worked as a coach or trainer with dozens of organisations globally – with clients all over Europe and as far afield as Australia, Singapore and South Africa and Ghana - over nearly two decades in the field.

He's co-authored or edited seven books and written numerous chapters in other works.

This ONLINE session is available to research staff from the University of Liverpool. When registering for this event please ensure you use your University email address as non-University email registrations will be removed due to capacity restrictions, thank you.

Joining details will be sent 2 days and 2 hours before the session begins to the email address you registered with.

Please note - if you are unable to attend, you can register to be sent the resources from the session only by choosing a non-attending ticket.

The Researcher Development Framework (RDF) attributes developed during this session are relevant to the following sub-domains:

Researcher:

• 1.1 Development-focused

Knowledge and practice:

• 2.5 Critical thinking and analysis
• 2.6 Creativity and innovation

Accessibility Adjustments and Alternative Format requests: If you require any accessibility adjustments or have any questions about this session, please contact the Academy's RD team Researcher@liverpool.ac.uk at least 7 days before the session date so that your requirements can be referred to the facilitator(s) who will make every effort to address them where possible.

Academy Researcher Development Inclusivity Statement: The Academy is committed to providing an environment which recognises and values people's differences, capitalises on the strengths that those differences bring to the institution and supports all staff and students in maximising their potential to succeed. In line with the Academy's firm commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, we offer all postdoctoral and research-related opportunities to develop and network irrespective of a researcher’s gender, ethnicity, age, self-identification, disability, religious affiliation, or any other criteria used to separate and define.

Academy Code of Conduct: All events organised or facilitated by The Academy follow a Conduct of Conduct irrespective of the number of participants or session format. The Academy thanks all participants in advance for your cooperation to help ensure a safe and constructive environment for everybody. The Code of Conduct is available at: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/researcher/development/conduct-events/

Important: We take your privacy very seriously and will only use your email address to send you information about this session. Thereafter, we will contact you only where you have given us permission to do so. After that, you can opt-out at any time of receiving our communication by simply sending an email to researcher@liverpool.ac.uk

Stay in Touch: For the latest news and information about research staff development opportunities and resources follow PGR Development on BlueSky & LinkedIn. Further details about the University of Liverpool's Researcher Development activities can be found on the Researcher Hub: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/researcher/