Creativity has been proven to enhance success in many areas of our life, from our professional endeavors to our personal relationships. If being able to think creatively is something that you would like to get better at, we have spent the time researching the best creative thinking courses that are available online. We have included both free and paid courses, that are suitable for all levels, to ensure that you can find a course best suited to you.
But first, let’s answer a very important questions – what is creative thinking?
Creative thinking is the capacity to generate many different kinds of ideas, manipulate ideas in unusual ways and make unconventional connections in order to outline different possibilities. Being able to think creatively allows you to be open-minded, an excellent problem solver and analytical. You will be able to constantly gain new insights by examining information from different viewpoints, and this means that your perspective at work will remain exciting and new.
If you’re wanting to develop fantastic creative thinking skills, you can do so online. Suitable for all levels, I have spent the time researching the best online creative thinking tutorials out there. So, if you’re looking to progress your creative thinking skills, there will be an online course out there for you!
1. Cracking the Creativity Code: Discovering Ideas (Coursera)
- Level: All levels
- Completion time: 12h
- Cost: Enroll for Free
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: 49,097
- Course rating: 4.7/5 (out 0f 948 ratings)
Creativity is an acquired skills that improves with practice, and this course aims to give you that practice and empower you to get your creative flair back.
During this course you will learn proven tools, frameworks and concepts useful for discovery. You will cover how to generate an unending steam of creative ideas, how to lead a process of innovation, how to implement ideas through all phases and how to solve problems with a high degree of innovation. You will also learn how to identify new and unfamiliar challenges from a creative point of view and how to define, structure and solve real world operations problems with creative thinking techniques! After the 12 hours are up, absolutely anyone should be able to implement world-changing ideas that can be used for business management and other basic principles.
2. Thinking Creatively (LinkedIn Learning)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 41m
- Cost: 1 month free trial
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: N/A
- Course rating: 4.6/5 (out 0f 1,060 ratings)
Anyone, whether you’re an artist or an actuary, can learn to be more creative… and this course will teach you how! Instructor Drew Boyd will share with you the importance of power and creativity in the workplace. You will go over the barriers to creativity and behaviors and techniques that will help you to generate novel ideas and problems to solutions. After, he will also go over the power of having a creative team and how to facilitate effective group sessions for a better creative output.
After you’ve covered all this educational and engaging content you will have a certificate to share with any employers or colleagues. This certificate will demonstrate the newfound creative thinking skills that you have just developed!
3. Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success (Coursera)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: Approx 20h
- Cost: Enroll for Free
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: 215,567
- Course rating: 4.7/5 (out 0f 3,300 ratings)
In todays ever-growing and changing world, being able to think creatively is essential, and this Coursera online tutorial teaches you how to be a creative thinker!
You will learn how to take a step back and reflect on your environment, even in todays fast-paced world. You will walk away from this course with the ability to understand what creative thinking techniques are, the importance of tackling global challenges as well as everyday problem-solving, and how to apply the appropriate technique based on the problem. Essentially, you will walk away with a ‘tool-box’ of behaviors and techniques that will augment your innate creativity in every situation.
4. Creative Thinking: How to Think More Creatively (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 1h 28m
- Cost: $44.99
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: 19,835
- Course rating: 4.1/5 (out 0f 251 ratings)
Want to learn how to approach situations and problems in a new way? Then this course is for you! Suitable for complete beginners, you will learn how to approach situations and problems in new ways. Essentially, you will learn how to think creatively and apply this creative thought processes to your business.
You will cover various topics, such as logic, positivity and creative exercises that you can try. As a result, you will leave the course far more creative than when you entered. You will leave with the ability to express yourself, reduce stress and anxiety, become more innovative, have more focus and become a better risk-taker.
5. Creative Thinking Techniques: Unleash Your Creative Ability (Udemy)
- Level: All levels
- Completion time: 55m
- Cost: $39.99
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 10,917
- Course rating: 3.7/5 (out 0f 190 ratings)
Learn creative thinking techniques and unlock your creative thinking ability with this Udemy course. Created by Hayley, who has been a creative coach for over 5 years, this course will help you to cultivate creativity and make your ideas take shape in the real worlds.
In just 55 minutes, you will cover how to brainstorm, analyze and evaluate innovative ideas and solutions. You will learn what methods and tools you can use to generate ideas for improving your own performance, how to develop your own creativity techniques, how to make new connections in your mind, and how to unlock creative solutions and skills of yourself and your team.
6. Warm Ups: 7 Quick Exercise to Boost Creativity (Skillshare)
- Level: All levels
- Completion time: 33m
- Cost: 14 day free trial
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 1,422
- Course rating: N/A
Designed more for those looking to be creative in an artistic sense, this Skillshare course will teach you how to use creative practices to simplify communication and build relationships with others.
You will cover why it is important to have a daily creative practice, everyday exercises you can do to enhance creative thinking, and specific breakthrough exercises for those days when thinking creatively feels REALLY tough. Once you’ve covered all these topics, you should have 7 simple exercises up your sleeve to ensure that you can always start each day with the ability to solve problems creatively.
Conclusion
So, there you have it… the 6 best creative thinking skills courses that are available online. These online classes are best suited to anyone who is wanting to develop thinking skills thrive in the workplace with the ability to find solutions to any problems.
Having excellent communication skills will aid you hundreds of careers, as these skills will allow you to work efficiently and with a new perspective. Specific careers where communication skills are particularly helpful include:
- Accountant
- Actuary
- Administrative Support
- Artist
- Human Resources
- IT Manager
- Lawyer
- Marketing Manager
- Paralegal
- Physician
- Public Relations Specialist
- Sales Associate
- Sales Manager
- Teacher
To gather the creative thinking skills that will make you a success in lots of careers, there are plenty of online courses available for you. There are free courses that take as little as an hour to complete, and there are more expensive courses that much longer to complete! Some courses are suitable for those with no previous creative thinking experience. Whereas other courses are better suited for those who have spent years practicing creative thinking, but are just looking to refresh their skills.
Either way, the online classes in this list are the best of the best. So, which course you decide take depends on your experience, funds and spare time. Do you have a huge amount of money to spend on your skill development? Do you have a lot of spare time, or are you just looking for a quick, but effective, skill top up?
