Creative Ideation Training

Creative Ideation Training, also called Collective Genius, is a two-hour team training session run by Mike Barry, a Sydney creative director based in North Balgowlah. It is built for corporate offsites and team training days, and it gives a group practical methods for generating better ideas more often.

How the two hours are structured

• Mindset: a short three-point opening on choosing to work creatively as a group
• Process: a walk through tested ideation methods the team can reuse
• Practise: applying those methods to real creative challenges the team brings

Who it suits

• In-house marketing, communications and product teams
• Groups running an offsite or an annual training day
• Client-side teams who brief and review agency work
• Leaders who want creative practice embedded rather than demonstrated once

What a team takes away

• A shared set of ideation methods, not a one-off brainstorm
• More confidence contributing ideas in a group
• A clearer view of how the creative process works, which makes briefing and feedback to agency partners easier
• More creative work that can be handled in-house

About Mike Barry

Mike is a creative director from Sydney with more than fifteen years of experience in digital and creative agencies. He facilitates the session himself, mixing demonstration, facilitation and mentoring. He is also the author and illustrator of the Action Tank graphic novels.

Common questions

How long does the session take, and what happens in it?

It runs for two hours and moves through three parts: mindset, ideation process, then practice. The practice section applies the methods to real challenges the team is working on, so the time is not spent on hypothetical exercises.

Is this a talk or a working session?

It is a working session. The theory is kept short and the group spends the back half applying ideation methods themselves, with Mike facilitating and mentoring as they go.

Does the team need creative experience?

No. The session is written for mixed teams rather than creative departments, and the mindset section is there to get everyone comfortable contributing first. Client-side teams who brief agencies are a common audience.

Can it be run as part of an offsite?

Yes. Two hours is sized to slot into an offsite agenda or a team training day. The session is run at your venue, so you choose the setting.

How do I arrange a session?

Email Mike at [email protected] with your team size, the date you are considering and the kind of creative challenges you want to work on. He is based at North Balgowlah on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Features

• Creativity Coaching
• Graphic Design
• Storytelling

Location