Creative Discussion using Plain Pair Groups

Creative Discussion – a key to insight and change

William Plain
Emeritus Professor, Nagoya University of Foreign Studies

Plain Pair Group Teaching (Plain PGT)
- for universities and schools
Plain Pair Group Discussion (Plain PGD)
- for decision making and staff development
- for informal or community creative discussion

A flash of insight is the spark of cosmic intelligence.
Small group sharing of insight can change the pattern of human intelligence.

www.creativediscussion.org & www.earthsight.org

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Creative Potential

Accessing the creative potential of each member of an organisation

Creative potential

Each person in an organization possesses enormous potential for creative vision which can be of immense value to the organisation. This wealth of ideas is rarely tapped through standard management processes.

Corporate awareness raising

Creative Discussion using Plain Pair Groups helps each person to access insights which will often be specific to the needs of the organisation. An overall increase of awareness can help the organisation situate itself more intelligently in its area of principal activity and also in relation to wider human and planetary concerns.

Insight network

Creative Discussion in small groups permits a structured interaction which respects individual exploration in a common search for new ideas while Plain Pair Groups promotes a network interaction among groups which amplifies the insights generated throughout the organisation and across hierarchies.

Education, training and conferences

The Creative Discussion process is equally useful in knowledge-based activities such as education, training and conferences. Here an alternation between knowledge transfer, ‘insight group’ exploration of received and prior knowledge, followed by ‘pair group’ access to the insights of other groups facilitates a deeper and more extensive professional and transdisciplinary knowledge.

The human condition

A glance at the human species over time shows deep contradictions: on one side culture and society, knowledge and compassion, on the other domination and exploitation, war and discrimination. There is a fundamental divide in the human condition. Plain Pair Groups with Creative Discussion is an attempt to create a simple social dynamic through which individuals and organisations can see with clarity and make choices with wisdom.

The corporate world

These principles can apply in principle to any corporation, organisation or knowledge based activity. Any idea of course needs constant adaptation to the internal needs and environmental conditons of the organisation. A possible application can be seen in Solar Toyota.

Recognition and remuneration