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The Creative Thinker's Toolkit  By  cover art

The Creative Thinker's Toolkit

By: Gerard Puccio,The Great Courses
Narrated by: Gerard Puccio
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Publisher's summary

According to the latest scientific research, anyone can be creative. You just have to know how to think creatively, which involves taking a more imaginative approach to the challenges we all face. Learn how to wield the same research-based tools that today's creative people use and tap into your inner creative thinker with Professor Puccio's engaging 24-lecture series that takes you step-by-step through the creative-thinking process.

You'll get a solid introduction to the four major stages of creative problem solving, one of the most effective methods used in creativity training around the world. Just like today's creative geniuses, you'll learn how to approach professional and personal challenges by clarifying your obstacles, ideating potential solutions, developing the ones that are workable, and implementing them in the real world.

You'll also learn how to wield the tools of the creative trade with the aid of simple exercises, in-studio demonstrations, hypothetical scenarios, and more. These powerful tools include everything from tapping into the power of brainwriting (an alternative take on brainstorming) to the effective use of How-How diagrams (which help you develop concrete action steps).

Whether you want to overcome writer's block, solve a complex business problem, or figure out the best way to resolve a tense argument, this series will give you everything you need so that when other people are dodging challenges, you're uncovering the hidden opportunities they'll have missed.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2014 The Great Courses (P)2014 The Teaching Company, LLC

What listeners say about The Creative Thinker's Toolkit

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Read.

Would you listen to The Creative Thinker's Toolkit again? Why?

Yes i would. There was a lot of good material covered in making creativity a strategic habit and not just something you stumble upon in this book, so much that i feel it would be beneficial to let the concepts set in then revisit.

What did you like best about this story?

The repetition and explanation. To most this is the thing they dislike the most but for me the repetition seems to drive home the concepts and their importance in the process. The examples giving with repetition i feel is more for the subconscious mind and only aids in helping the reader get the most out of the book.

Which scene was your favorite?

His explanation of the fundamentals strengths of creative people i found most memorable. Everyone is strong in one of these it seems and he points out that you should use the tools to aid you in the areas your not strong in to compliment the strength.

What did you learn from The Creative Thinker's Toolkit that you would use in your daily life?

I've been reading Creativity books for a while and i would say i learned that you can develop your creativity with enough effort. Like most books, they point out that with enough work you can be good at anything. Well this books aids the business minded individuals with tools to use in developing techniques to become more creative. I love how the Professors primary focus is to keep you thinking Laterally instead of vertically which is something i would use in my daily life.

Any additional comments?

It's a good book. I can see why most would disapprove of the format of the lectures and even the delivery of examples. Only thing i can say in addition is that remember this is just one of the many approaches to creativity. I wouldn't discount it because of the presentation of the content but the quality of the content in relationship to your goals.

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46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Not for the creative.

This would be better titled, "Gerard Puccio's overview of other motivational speakers ideas on how a salesman might try to exploit the creative process". There is nothing here worth a creative thinker's time. It only about how to imitate creative thought. Like most in this field, Puccio mistakes productivity for creativity, substituting process methodology for actual generative effort.
That given, there's nothing wrong with what he says, they are strategies for the uncreative, and his voice is pleasant enough if utterly insincere.

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32 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Really enjoyed it!

Where does The Creative Thinker's Toolkit rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my top 25 and I've listened to hundreds.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the approach, structure, and content of this series of lectures and I've continued to think about and apply many of the lectures well after I've listened. Several times I stopped and took notes while listening. There were some odd pauses in the narration, but that's OK because the content was so great!

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25 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Some fascinating stories but a tad repetitive?

Would you try another book from The Great Courses and/or Professor Gerard Puccio?

The Great Courses is a pretty neat series, however the clapping at the start and end of every chapter drives me nuts.

Who was your favorite character and why?

None in particular as it was a non-fiction rather than story book.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked quite a few of the stories told in the audio book, he uses examples well and I think overall the chapters with examples and stories drew me in a lot more. They'd all be my favourite.

Was The Creative Thinker's Toolkit worth the listening time?

I felt it did drag on a bit but I did gain some useful insights into directing my creativity better.

Any additional comments?

Gotta say, Professor Gerard Puccio's voice sounded like I was listening to Vince Vaughn mixed with a bit of Barack Obama teach me about creativity :P

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Focused on Creative Problem Solving

I will start by saying my primary creative activities are in visual art. In that sense, the book wasn't as helpful as I had hoped; however, it had a lot of fresh insights for anyone, whether in a creative role or not. The focus was definitely on the workplace, but the insights and skills he offered could be useful for anyone. Some of the skills he explained (how do do them, not just what to do) included using various kinds of logic, brain storming, self questioning, and letting go of blocks.

One of the highlights for me was the explanation of different kinds of creativity. There are creators and there are fixers. A creator might come up with a whole new business project idea, for example, while a fixer might find a newer and more efficient way of doing something already being done. (I don't remember what language he used to describe this, but this is the concept he explained.) I shared a lot of this with my husband as I listened, and slowly he realized that even though he doesn't consider himself creative, he is. He's the fixer type.

Everything in the book was very well explained, and the reader/speaker did an excellent job of drawing in people with example situations to work on before moving on. The only thing that, bothered me was the sole focus on the workplace. While most of the skills he teaches are useful in other areas, I wish that there had been a broader application of examples and situations presented.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting, definitely learned a few things

Would you consider the audio edition of The Creative Thinker's Toolkit to be better than the print version?

N/A

Did Professor Gerard Puccio do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

This question does not really apply. However I would point out that the narrative was a little tough to listen to for long periods. It's 24 lectures and the narrative starts sounding like William Shatner is delivering it. The pauses and drawn out words were tough to take.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

Overall good lectures. Very comprehensive. I think the delivery was the downside for me.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Everyone in the world should listen to this

I learn something from every lecture. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I gave this five stars because it is one of the best audio books I have had the pleasure of listening to you and I have tons of really good audiobooks. This is absolutely a must have

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9 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • E.
  • 02-16-15

Interesting then Boring

I enjoyed the first 5 lectures and the mundaneness built, until I was bored. It began to sound like the same material.

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8 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Not what I wanted

I thought that I was going to learn how to be more creative in general so that I could apply it to art. However, it’s more about business / creativity at work.

I had already learned most everything from Lean process improvement already. Only helpful tip was an anecdote about Bob Hope and the idea that creativity should be about quantity and paring down ideas instead of hoping for lightning to strike with one idea. Did not finish. Instructor was fine, a little awkward at times.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Inspiring? Yes!

I really liked this and found it helpful. I would recommend to artists, but also to business leaders, team leaders and problem-solvers in general. A lot to consider and a lot to work with... Love his examples from the lives of real-life historical creatives. Very inspiring, all in all.

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