Start Thinking

Start Thinking is the foundational 1/2 day workshop for the Business of Thinking and is used to debrief the participants Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI™) profile. The program is based upon Whole Brain Thinking and how we can use it each and every day. In addition to the Whole Brain Thinking, it also focuses on Thinking Preferences and the participants HBDI™ profiles.

The following are the learning objectives of the Start Thinking workshop:

  • Define and describe the Whole Brain Model, which is the basis of the HBDI™
  • Examine how preferences affect behaviors in planning, work and communication
  • Explore how the participants behavior reflects these styles
  • Prepares the participant to receive and understand their HBDI™ profile results

To build upon the Start Thinking foundation created by the “Business of Thinking” there are additional Thinking modules available.

For most organizations the ThinkAbout Teams ˝ day module is perfect because you can not do it all yourself – it requires Teams and Teamwork to succeed.  To often it turns out the so called Team is a group of dedicated, hard working individuals working alone. This HBDI™ Team Thinking training exposes the participants to their Team Thinking Preferences which identify Individiators and Mini-Networks within the Whole Brain Map.  Whole Brain Technology does not solve all of the problems a team faces. But, it can dramatically impact the ability of a Team to unleash and combine the best thinking and talents of individual team members so that the team is truly one in which the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.

If you’re struggling with creativity and Innovative Thinking then ThinkAbout Creative Thinking is a practical and valid solution. Creative Thinking is a Whole Brain process since it requires thinking from all four quadrants. There are distinct stages in the creative process and each stage requires thinking from a particular quadrant. The process is dynamic, evolving and on-going – meaning that the implementation of an idea often requires as much creative thinking as the original “ah ha” did coming up with it in the first place. During this ˝ day workshop, participants will learn to use the Whole Brain Creator to generate many new and different ideas – many of which have immediate value for the business.

What is Whole Brain Thinking?

You have no doubt heard about left brain-right brain, but whole brain thinking expands on that idea. Brain research shows four structures and HBDI™ assessments measure four distinct styles of thinking.

Current research shows that the human brain is highly specialized. The research from Herrmann International shows that there are an equal number of people in all four basic groups. The four quadrant whole brain model allows for more sophisticated combinations that measure both intellectual and emotional preferences which influence thinking styles and learning styles.

The HBDI™ draws on brain physiology research of Nobel prize-winning scientists like Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga. It was developed by the late Ned Herrmann at General Electric using advanced brain scanning technology. The HBDI™ model has been validated by more than 60 doctoral theses and scientific study, and by the satisfaction of more than 300,000 participants.

Ned Herrmann's Whole Brain Model

Explanation The HBDI™ is based on an understanding of the four-quadrant nature of the human brain. The brain is comprised of left and right hemispheres, but there are also two parts of our thinking brain: the limbic and the cerebral. (See Your Whole Brain.)

Each quadrant of the brain is responsible for highly specialized functions and thought processes. Ned Herrmann's Whole Brain model is a metaphor that demonstrated the preferred modes of each quadrant.

The HBDI™ thinking styles assessment is a 120-question survey that provides a visual picture of an individual, team or group's mental preferences. It illustrates the "lens" through which we view life and helps provide a better understanding of how we process information, work, learn and relate to other people in our daily lives.

How Can the HBDI™ be Used?

These are things you can improve with personal use

  • Relationships with colleagues friends and significant others
  • Your self awareness
  • Developing new skills based on the thinking styles you prefer
  • Personal Growth
  • Finding the right job or career
  • Getting the right educational focus or training
  • Writing
  • Better decision making

These are things that can be improved with Organizational Uses

  • Understanding your organizational culture
  • Finding the right structures
  • Better group process
  • Planning Learning
  • Improving management/leadership style
  • Team Building
  • Strengthening staff interacton
  • Modeling
  • Creative problem solving
  • Teaching/learning
  • Counseling
  • Communication

  These are good Educational Uses

  • Organization development
  • Career planning
  • Productivity improvement
  • Job searches and choices
  • Strengthening marriage relationships
  • Improving communication in the family
  • Strategic operational issues can be strengthened
  • Learning group formation
  • Managing differences
  • Creative team formation and team assets
  • Dealing with diversity

Duration: Full or half day power sessions available [2-day session available with problem/issue worked on second day]

Venue: Typically off-site location but can conduct inside your company location

Attendance: Up to 16 people per workshop (minimum 5-8 recommended)

Cost: $2500 per workshop - plus HBDI™ Personal Profile per attendee, travel and lodging - plus venue hire if required, special company discounts available.

Contract approval: ½ workshop costs must be provided prior to or at the time of the session. Remaining ½ costs to be billed within 30 days.