Speed thinking

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Speed thinking is a new, generative type of thinking developed by Dr Ken Hudson that consciously and deliberately accelerates the pace at which an individual or group thinks, creates, solves and acts.

Methods of fast, creative thinking by other recognised thinkers[]

Others have used the term speed thinking but for the most part as a rich by-product of thinking in a more creative way, for example; Dr Edward De Bono.^[1]

Certainly the idea of thinking quickly is not new. Authors such as Malcolm Gladwell,^[2] and his best-selling book, Blink,^[3] for example, document case after case of amazing people who rely on their intuition to make seemingly spell-binding decisions in moments.

Dr Hudson’s work departs from these thought leaders in that the primary aim of speed thinking is to think quickly and it provides a comprehensive structure so that most people can learn this new skill without the many years experience of the featured individual as outlined in Gladwell’s book.

The structure and method of speed thinking[]

The structure of speed thinking consists of two-minute bursts whilst trying to create nine-possibilities, a four-step process (start, evaluate, build, action) and a new tool called SpeedLinks. The structure, process and tools of Speed Thinking are covered in Dr Hudson’s latest book, Speed Thinking: How to Thrive in a Time-Poor World,^[4] and also covered in an earlier book, The Idea Accelerator.^[5] The 4 step Speed Thinking process has been influenced among others by David A. Kolb's Learning Style, Systems Thinking and the or Osborn-Parnes CPS Process.

The speed thinking system can be easily learned and can be applied to any time-pressure situation e.g. meetings, presentations, exams, assignments. The key benefit for students in particular, is that it helps them to get started and to avoid procrastinating.

The speed thinking insight[]

The insight for speed thinking came when Dr Ken Hudson noticed that whilst working with managers when he set them a challenge and gave them less time than they were used to or expected they often produced results that surprised themselves and felt more energised. Through trial and error and imagination Dr Hudson developed this insight into a high performance thinking system. Giving people less time ensures that they do not over-analyse or filter their responses which can unlock their creative and authentic selves.

In this regard Dr Hudson’s speed thinking concept is similar to Tim Gallwey and The Inner Game.^[6]

The idea that you can make big changes in minutes is also similar to Ken Blanchard's One Minute Manager series.^[7]

References[]

External links[]

• The Speed Thinking Zone [1]
• Dr Ken Hudson article in the CEO forum [2]
• Dr Ken Hudson author profile on Allen & Unwin [3]
• Shake up your thinking with Dr Ken Hudson [4]
• The School of Thinking