Table of Contents

A time and place to think inside the box

Creativity is nice. But sometimes it makes sense to just think inside the box.

Have you ever wondered where the phrase “think outside the box” comes from?

After a quick search through several sources and sites, it seems to have originated from some management consultants who used the “Nine Dot Puzzle” to challenge their clients to think more creatively.

9 Dots

You will find no bigger advocate than me when it comes to the need for training professionals to be creative and innovative. But there’s a time and a place for everything. Sometimes L&D folks fall victim to the allure of a cool new technology or some sort of pop fad when a plainer, simpler solution would have been more effective.

Onboarding expert Michelle Baker and I recently had an opportunity to co-author an article in TD magazine entitled “Thinking Inside the Box” to offer some less sexy, though probably more effective, ways to meet the learning needs of organizations. Give it a read (it’ll take about 5 minutes), then let me know what you think in the Comment section.

What’s the most effective (and inside-the-box) solution you’ve ever implemented?

Articles Similar to A time and place to think inside the box

instructor becomes the pupil with kassy laborie and zovig garboushian
Brian Washburn

Turning the Tables: From Trainer to Student

As people who have designed and delivered effective training, Kassy Laborie and Zovig Garboushian know a thing or two about good learning experiences. So what nuggets have they gleaned from a 9-month course that they’re both attending, and that all of us should consider when designing our own programs? Today’s podcast answers that question.

facilitator competency rubric
Facilitation
Brian Washburn

Training Delivery and Facilitation Competency Rubric

A rubric is a way to assess performance with a standard set of evaluation criteria. The next time you need to assess the performance of someone delivering training (even if that someone is you), you may find this rubric helpful.

Subscribe to Get Updates from Endurance Learning

Brian Washburn, Author

Brian Washburn
CEO & Chief Ideas Guy

Enter your information below and we’ll send you the latest updates from our blog. Thanks for following!

activities cookbook

Download the Training Activity Cookbook

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the PDF of the Endurance Learning Activity Cookbook.

Download the What's Possible in L&D Worksheet

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the PDF of the What’s Possible in L&D Worksheet.

What's possible in L&D

Let's Talk Training!

Brian Washburn

Brian Washburn
CEO & Chief Ideas Guy

Enter your information below and we’ll get back to you soon.

Download the Feedback Lesson Plan

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the lesson plan as a PDF.

feedback lesson plan
MS Word Job Aid Template

Download the Microsoft Word Job Aid Template

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the Word version of this template.

Download the Free Lesson Plan Template!

Enter your email below and we’ll send you a Word document that you can start using today!

free lesson plan template
training materials checklist

Download the Training Materials Checklist

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the PDF of the Training Materials Checklist.

Subscribe to Endurance Learning for updates

Get regular updates from the Endurance Learning team.