Creative Problem Solving Institute 2025

Exploring the human-machine interactions for all steps of CPS

Literally taking participants through the basics of LLM and image generative AI formats to show how AI can fuel increased creativity but not provide the best ideas without human interaction.

I’ll run an exercise (invent a snack food item) where participants will find the most relevant market to address, ideate food items, create packaging, and present their final products at the end of the session.

Clarify: What market to address, what themes fit the market, what’s trending in.
Ideate: Names, conceptual themes, trend ingredients.
Develop: refine the idea to fit the market
Ideate: Package design, marketing campaign ideas
Develop: refine the packaging and campaign into a direction for the skit / commercial
Implement: Present your idea with an acted out “commercial” then a quick (less than one minute) description of how AI helped you, but didn’t answer the prompt without your help.

That process runs Human-AI-Human-AI-Human etc. Never AI-AI-AI, nor Human-Human-Human. The result is like the chess example that proved that a human-machine pairing is superior to either human or machine alone.

The project (workshop) is designed to neither advocate for or against AI, but to show how this exciting new tool can be leveraged in creativity. The result is that participants see how to use AI well instead of being concerned about it or accusing AI of doing things it can’t.

Brain Storming is often a process of using our sense of sight and sound, but we often ignore the influence of taste, smell and touch. This session is going to challenge participants to notice all five senses and how the influences can broaden our creativity. We will use a variety of activities that engage the sight, sound, taste, smell and feel experiences to broaden our thoughts and ideas.

Facilitators, trainers, coaches, and change agents have all been there:  your beautiful, brilliant, potentially life-changing training/presentation/session gets derailed by one or more resistant participants, who seem fully committed to sabotaging the event.  You’ve tried everything that LinkedIn infographic recommended: smiling at them, selling the “WIIFMs,” negotiating with them. But still they won’t budge.

In this session, we’ll find more creative – and more effective – ways to address the situation. Participants will learn how to reframe the problem, engage with resistors in new ways, and leverage the potential that resistance holds for creating an even stronger session. We’ll see how a divergence/convergence approach can disarm opposition while modeling the kind of respectful and inclusive behaviors we want others to follow. And participants can share with each other what has worked – and not worked – in their own practices, to leave with an even fuller list of tools and resources for the next time a scowling attendee starts to fuss.

Imagine this: a room buzzing with energy, walls covered in vibrant sticky notes, and a community of like-minded individuals ready to push boundaries and ignite transformation!
Whether you’re searching for your next big breakthrough, feeling a little stuck, or just craving a fresh, innovative approach to personal development, this session is designed just for Y-O-U! 
Imagine stepping into the CEO suite of your own life. In this hands-on, game-changing workshop, you’ll learn how to take charge of your personal and professional journey, unlock untapped potential, and create a vision for a future YOU can’t wait to lead.
With nothing more than a stack of sticky notes and the power of your imagination, you’ll master a fun, visual methodology that top executives use to strategize their business empires—now reimagined to help YOU strategize your life. This isn't just another self-help session; it’s a fast-paced, interactive experience that will leave you energized, inspired, and equipped with actionable insights to become the architect of your destiny.
What Awaits You:

• Unlocking Hidden Patterns: Piece together the story of your life—its successes, surprises, and lessons learned—to reveal your strengths and unique value.
• Setting Audacious Goals: Dream boldly and then break those dreams into a step-by-step action plan you can start implementing today.
• Designing Your Vision: Create a personalized "CEO roadmap" that aligns with your core values and sets the course for your next chapter.

Why Should You Attend?
Let’s be honest—there are dozens of ways to “think about your future,” but very few are as dynamic, creative, and downright fun as this. You’ll leave this session with a wall of colorful ideas, your very own strategic life plan, and a renewed sense of excitement about your journey ahead. Plus, you’ll pick up insights and ideas you can use over and over again to stay at the top of your game. Your future CEO self is already RSVP’ing.
Bring your curiosity, your creativity, and maybe even a friend. Let’s make those sticky notes work as hard as you do!

Discover how simple mark-making can break through traditional thinking barriers and stretch your problem-solving toolkit. This hands-on workshop introduces Possibility Books, an evidence-based method that uses abstract visual responses (no artistic skill required) to build creative confidence, embrace ambiguity, and generate unexpected connections. Participants will experience a series of guided prompts, which can be applied in classes and group facilitations, that demonstrate how reflection through mark-making followed by collaborative sharing can unlock new pathways for innovation.

This interactive session will explore how culture and communication styles shape creative processes. Using engaging activities, discussions, and real-world applications, participants will gain insights into the concepts of individualism/collectivism, high/low power distance, and high/low uncertainty avoidance and how they impact creativity.

Founder of InsideOut Creativity, Katie Ravich, and Polarity Thinking™ expert, Liz Monroe-Cook, introduce you to the powerful, creative process of working with Polarities specifically in Educational settings.

Polarities can be leveraged in your everyday life and also within your classrooms, and within your teams. Understanding and integrating Polarity Thinking™ as a creative process has positive impacts across the whole learning ecosystem.

We deep-dive into how this can happen, exploring this creative process using common Polarities educators are working within every day, through collaborative discussion and hands-on processes:

• Mapping interdependent relationships using affective creative thinking skills and heightening emotional intelligence.
• Exploring the partnership of Polarity Thinking™ and Creative Problem-Solving (CPS).
• Raising curiosity and thinking flexibly about the concept of ‘blameless discernment’ and becoming unconsciously competent in this shared creative practice.

If you are a curious-minded teacher or leader in schools, universities, or community colleges, this workshop will ignite both thinking and action, offering a fresh perspective on familiar challenges. We invite you to be both Challenged (and) Supported as you shift your thinking to transform your practice.