1 When you might use a Creative Workshop

A Creative Workshop provides an opportunity to bring together key people to create fresh thinking about an idea. It is used in many different scenarios, for example:

  • when a project is in the initial design phase
  • when ‘business as usual’ is not working and standard solutions have failed
  • when there is a new opportunity to do things differently.

A Creative Workshop is distinguished from other workshops by its focus on providing a supportive environment for participants to share new and innovative ideas openly.

A Creative Workshop can be used to:

  • generate and explore a range of ideas
  • select and build upon the best ideas
  • create a clear vision for how ideas can be realised
  • do all of these things!

You set the purpose and boundary of your own Creative Workshop.

Holding a successful Creative Workshop takes careful thought and planning. A poorly run workshop is a dispiriting experience for all involved. The facilitator needs to be sure that the right people are in the room, and that they have the space and support they need to think playfully and inventively about potentially serious topics.

Photo of a blue sky and white clouds with 9 cartoon light bulbs in the sky
Figure 1 A Creative Workshop can harness ‘blue-sky’ thinking!

Introduction

1.1 What’s the purpose?