Why great thinkers ask divergent questions | Natalie Nixon

Asking the wrong questions can hold you back. @NatalieNixon explains how to ask divergent questions to become a great thinker.

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Natalie Nixon, a creativity strategist, emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions in order to foster innovation and creativity. She believes that inquiry and curiosity are crucial for driving innovation, as they can bridge information gaps and encourage expansive thinking. 

Nixon introduces the "Taxonomy of Questions," which includes divergent questions ("Why?", "What if...?", "I wonder...?") that promote big picture thinking, and convergent questions ("What?", "Where?", "When?") that provide tactical guidance. To thrive in an ambiguous world, we need to balance both types of questions, embracing creativity as a uniquely human trait that sets us apart from technology and automation. 

Nixon suggests becoming "clumsy students" of something new in order to build confidence in asking questions and seeking help. By practicing this discipline of inquiry, we can develop our ability to think differently and drive innovation.

0:00 Asking better questions
1:11 Inquire and be curious
1:47 Two types of questions: Divergent & convergent
2:30 Creative questions = surviving automation
3:39 How to practice better questions

Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/divergent-and-convergent-questions/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description

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About Natalie Nixon:
Dr. Natalie Nixon is the Creativity Whisperer to the C-Suite, helping leaders achieve transformative business results by applying wonder, rigor, and foresight. A magnetic keynote speaker, Nixon shares why creativity is not a “nice to have” but a “must have” and leaves audiences with practical techniques to upgrade their organizational and individual creative capacity in the midst of ubiquitous technology and hybrid work environments — always with an eye on innovation and the future of work. Marketing guru Seth Godin has said that Nixon “can help you get unstuck and unlock the work you were born to do.”

As CEO & Creativity Strategist at Figure 8 Thinking, Nixon is a highly sought after global keynote speaker & advisor, author of the award-winning book The Creativity Leap and editor of Strategic Design Thinking. Real Leaders named her one of the "Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World," and her clients have included Google, Salesforce, META, New Balance, and Deloitte. Profiles on Nixon as well as her writing have been featured in Forbes, INC, and Fast Company. She earned her B.A. from Vassar College and her Ph.D. from the University of Westminster in London.

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