Future-proof your thinking
The Practical Thinking Playbook from OTB Academy is a five-stage online course for taking any challenge from "what's actually the problem?" to a tested idea with evidence behind it. Built from 30 years of doing this work in real rooms, on real problems.
Methods field-tested with
The problem
Most people aren't poor thinkers. They're ^untrained ^thinkers. We were taught what to know, what to do and how to follow processes. Very few of us were taught how to ^think.
Why this? Why now?
AI can
But it can't replicate the human ability to
Think
As AI makes technical capability easy to copy, the real differentiator is the quality of your thinking. That's your human advantage.
Individuals trained in these methods.
Global organisations, including Visa, Unilever, Nestlé, the NHS, Siemens and Warner.
Innovation bootcamps run, in boardrooms, labs, hospitals and start-ups.
Years doing this work. Not writing about it: doing it.
The shift
The course
Built on the Think Flywheel, our framework for thinking excellence. You bring a real problem; each stage moves it forward and builds on the last.
01
Get the challenge right before a single idea.
Most thinking fails by starting in the wrong place. Reframe your problem as a How Might We statement, set your success criteria and map what must stop, continue and start.
You leave withA challenge statement you trust
02
Go wide. Thirty ideas, no judging.
Why brainstorming falls short, and ten techniques that beat it: from 360 Degree Thinking and Random Words to Safari and Jugaad.
You leave with30+ ideas, including the strange ones
03
Come back in, sharper. Choose.
Dot-vote in silence, score against the criteria you set in Stage 1, then prototype before you decide. No politics, no anchoring.
You leave withOne idea, scored and stress-tested
04
Give it an owner, a plan and a first step.
The Idea Auction, backward planning and the 30-day mission: by this date, I will have this proof, and I'll know it's worth pursuing if this happens.
You leave withA one-page plan you can share with anyone
05
Make the learning last.
Measure what matters, test your assumptions and run an After Action Review. Then turn what worked into a standard someone else can use.
You leave withEvidence, insights and one standard
What's inside
Every stage has a core path: watch, check, apply. The rest are optional extras you can use whenever they help. Try them here.
Core part of every stage Optional use it when it helps
About two hours in total, most lessons two to five minutes. Here's 18 seconds of Random Words.
57 cards across the five stages, with "I knew it / not sure / didn't know" ratings.
What's the one rule of Stage 2?
29 quick checks. Instant feedback, and you can retry as often as you like.
Every lesson written up as readable chapters, plus 16 printable worksheets. Download it whole, or stage by stage. Tap the book to look inside.
Answer a short questionnaire and find out whether you're a squiggle, circle, triangle or box.
Audio for every stage, for the commute or a walk. Here: "If you argue for your limitations…"
Lesson one
Four thinking profiles. Not a box to put yourself in: a starting point. The best thinkers know their type and flex into the others when the moment calls for it.
Creative and full of energy. Five ideas before anyone else has finished the brief. Watch out for: skipping the step of asking whether it's the right problem.
Your guide
"None of that matters to you unless we teach you what actually works."
Alongside Mark Davies, she has spent more than three decades doing this work: inside boardrooms, innovation labs, manufacturing plants, hospitals, start-ups, charities and government departments, across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the United States, Africa and Australia.
Is it for you?
Curriculum
41 videos, 29 quick checks, 4 interactive tools, 5 flashcard decks, 5 audio conversations, a companion ebook and a certificate.
From learners
"This course has changed my way of thinking! I now have a toolkit of techniques that I use daily to help me with everyday problem solving, innovation thinking and challenging my teams to think creatively. The best investment and thinking upgrade I have ever made!"
Enrol today
$250$99one-off
For teams
Every technique works in a team as well as solo. If you want the Playbook for a group, or run live with OTB facilitators, let's talk.
FAQs
About two hours of video in total, in lessons of two to five minutes. Go at your own pace: most people work through the core path over a week or two, then run their 30-day mission.
No. Every technique has a solo version, from Brain Writing on your own to a desk-based Safari. If you do have a team, the worksheets and flashcards are built to use with them.
A real challenge. Something that needs to change at work, in your team or in your own life. You'll carry it through all five stages.
No. Each stage has a core path (watch, check, apply). Flashcards, audio and downloads are optional extras you can use whenever they help.
Yes, when you complete the core path. Though the thing you really leave with is a capability you can use on every challenge that follows.
Five stages. One real challenge. A capability that compounds every time you use it.
Start the Playbook · $99