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AI does thedoing. You dothe thinking.
Keynotes and workshops on better thinking in the age of AI, face-to-face or virtual. As AI handles more of the doing, thinking becomes the core job. Dan Pontefract's sessions help your leaders keep their own judgment, make better decisions, and still get things done.
1,000+Sessions delivered
10–200People per session
2019getAbstract Book of the Year
BothFace-to-face & virtual
Trusted by leaders at
The model
Dream. Decide. Do. Repeat.
Open Thinking is the practice of concurrently dreaming, deciding, and doing: a continuous cycle of Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Applied Thinking. Dan Pontefract introduced it in his 2018 book Open to Think, winner of the 2019 getAbstract International Book of the Year.
Do all three at once, rather than skipping reflection in the rush to act or analyzing without ever committing.
01DreamCreative Thinking, unleashed from constraints to generate new ideas.
02DecideCritical Thinking, a thorough analysis of ideas to inform an ethical decision.
03DoApplied Thinking, a commitment to execute the decision.
04RepeatKeep all three in motion, so no phase stalls the others.
The equation
Original intelligence plus AI equals enhanced.
Open Thinking treats AI as a complement to human judgment, not a substitute. The thinking stays yours. The tools make it sharper.
Pick your session
Thinking sessions leaders ask for.
One keynote and two workshops. Tap any one for what it covers and the full outline to share with your team. Every session is tailored to your event theme.
01Open Thinking, the keynote
Changing how we think in the age of AI.
As AI handles more of the doing, thinking becomes the core job. Based on Open to Think, this keynote helps leaders reclaim critical, creative, and applied thinking.
Takeaways: keep your own judgment when AI produces the first draft, balance reflection with action, build daily thinking habits, and use the cycle of dream, decide, do, and repeat.
02Better Thinking in the Age of AI, the workshop
AI does the doing. You do the thinking.
AI is absorbing more of our doing every day. The differentiator left is our thinking. Rooted in Dan Pontefract’s research on thinking and artificial intelligence, this workshop helps teams and individuals rebuild the muscles automation cannot replace, while using AI as a complementary tool.
Covers the Open Thinker Cycle, the Four Thinking Faces, the four AI warnings and guardrails, and time investment over time management. Runs 3.5 hours, or two 90-minute sessions, face-to-face or virtual.
03Mastering How to Be an Open Thinker
Dream. Decide. Do. Repeat.
We have become experts at doing and have forgotten creative and critical thinking. Based on Open to Think: Slow Down, Think Creatively, and Make Better Decisions, this session shows teams and individuals how to become better thinkers and how to build time back into the calendar so there is space to dream up ideas, make better decisions, and still get things done.
A half-day or full-day workshop, face-to-face or virtual. See all workshops.
Dan accomplished what we set out to do, which was not only to be inspirational, but also to leave everyone with tools and food for thought / self-reflection to improve their personal and professional lives.
Hermann HandaFCT
Good questions
Before you book.
What is Open Thinking?
A model of thinking that keeps Creative Thinking (dream), Critical Thinking (decide), and Applied Thinking (do) continuously in motion, so ideas are generated, examined ethically, and acted on. Dan Pontefract introduced it in Open to Think (2018), the 2019 getAbstract International Book of the Year.
What is Dan Pontefract's AI keynote about?
As AI handles more of the doing, thinking becomes the core job. The keynote helps leaders reclaim critical, creative, and applied thinking. Takeaways include keeping your own judgment when AI produces the first draft, balancing reflection with action, building daily thinking habits, and using the cycle of dream, decide, do, and repeat.
How does Open Thinking apply to AI?
When people outsource creative and critical thinking to tools, the quality of decisions drops. Open Thinking treats AI as a complement to human judgment, not a substitute.
What blocks Open Thinking?
Three habits from Open to Think: Indifferent Thinking, which skips the dreaming and deciding because it takes too much effort; Indecisive Thinking, or paralysis by analysis; and Inflexible Thinking, which jumps to action without reflecting.
Is there a workshop to follow the keynote?
Yes. Better Thinking in the Age of AI runs 3.5 hours or as two 90-minute sessions, and Mastering How to Be an Open Thinker runs as a half-day or full-day. Both are delivered face-to-face or virtual.
Does Dan Pontefract speak in the United States?
Yes. Dan is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and delivers keynotes and workshops across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, as well as virtually anywhere in the world. To check a date, use the contact form with your event date, audience size, and theme.
Let's build better thinkers.
Share your event date, audience, and theme. That is enough to tell you which session fits, or whether we should build one from scratch.
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