Creative Thinking: The Unexpected Essential Skill

It all started with the BIG question on the table. What skills did we need in 2025 that we didn't see coming—and what does that mean for our careers?

 

This Coffee Chat was all about looking in the rearview mirror at the year behind us and thinking forward to what skills matter now. We kicked off with the big one: prompt engineering. Would we have known in January 2025 that mastering AI prompts would become critical? Some of us saw the signals, but most of us didn't jump on it fast enough. The question became: how do we get better at spotting trends before they pass us by?

 

The conversation turned to staying informed and developing a radar for what's next. Reading widely—Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, industry newsletters—and practicing pattern recognition helps you see what's coming down the hall. One participant carved out intentional innovation time each week to stay ahead of trends. Another pointed out that AI isn't just a tool—it's part of the workflow now. Prompt engineering, understanding AI agents versus simple prompts, and knowing which AI tool fits which task all became essential skills this year.

 

We explored creativity, storytelling, and binge-worthy learning. One participant asked: what if we designed learning people actually wanted to come back to, like a Netflix series? The group talked about framing content around compelling narratives, using humor and relatability (even corny stuff works if it's memorable), and building playlists instead of learning paths. Old-school techniques came back up too—process mapping, branching scenarios, empathy mapping, and the lost art of asking the right questions. Not "What problem are you solving?" but "What happened that brought you to my office today?"

 

We also tackled content curation with purpose. Throwing an entire library at people doesn't work. Instead, we need to help learners build targeted playlists—whether it's curated courses, YouTube videos, or internal resources—that actually match what they need. And we talked about dusting off skills like questioning, critical thinking, and creative problem solving. These aren't nice-to-haves anymore. They're essential.

 

The takeaway? The skills we need keep shifting faster than ever. Staying curious, staying informed, and staying flexible isn't optional—it's how we keep up.

 

So what skill are you sharpening as we head into 2026?

 

Stay curious! -Shannon

 

Video

 

Transcript

 

Transcript Summary

 

Chat Box

 

Other Resources:

 

Don’t forget!

 

Pass the Cranberry Sauce

 

Q1 Coffee Chat Schedule

 

Coffee Chat Schedule

 

Blog Posts:

 

Order taker to STRATEGIC Business Partner (2025)

 

Five skills L&D professionals couldn't ignore

 

6 must-have skills for 2025

 

Ditch Engagement! Create Learning People Can’t Ignore

 

Why Everyday Development is Crucial to Closing the Skills Gap

 

Podcasts:

 

Harvard’s Taylor Swift Course What You’re Really Learning

 

Examples:

 

When HR Goes Too Hard

 

Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish - Annenberg Learner

 

Webinar:

 

Creating Training Videos That Stick: Small Changes for Improved Outcomes 

 

LinkedIn Posts

 

LinkedIn post on Microsoft by Dylan Tokar

 

Building Your Radar: How to Spot Signals and Make Sense of Change by Al Dea 

 

Dear Leadership, We Need to Talk Not Activity by Shannon Tipton

 

 

Books:

 

The CEO's Guide to Training, eLearning & Work: Empowering Learning for a Competitive Advantage by Will Thalheimer

 

Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro: Strategies to Ignite Learning by Bianca Baumann and Mike Taylor

 

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath

 

The Accidental Instructional Designer by Cammy Bean

 

Practical Empathy by Indi Young   Be part of the Community. Gain more valuable resources to build your skills! Learn more here.   Join the conversation  Be part of the live chat! Sign up here.     Hire Learning Rebels  When you need learning that sticks, we’ll fight to make performance results happen. Visit the Learning Rebels website to learn more   Host: Shannon Tipton  Podcast produced by: Obsidian Productions