Ken Robinson is an internationally-renowned expert in the field of creativity and innovation in business and education, his visionary consultancy skills employed by governments, major corporations and cultural organizations worldwide.
Born in Liverpool in 1950, he gained a Ph.D. in 1981 from the University of London for research into drama and theatre in education. He was the principal author of "The Arts in Schools: Principles, Practice and Provision", a standard text in the UK and around the world.
From 1985-1989 he was director of The Arts in Schools Project, a major UK initiative to improve the teaching of the arts, and in 1998 was appointed by the British government to chair the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education, the largest ever inquiry into the importance of creativity in education and the economy.
In June 2003 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his outstanding achievements as a writer, speaker and leader in creativity, the arts and education.
Among current projects he is working with Principal Voice, Ron Pompei on "Catalyzing Creativity" - a forum for the discussion and exchange of ideas on innovation and creativity in business.
The following interview of Sir Ken Robinson was conducted by IMNO in mid 2007. Please listen to the recording for Sir Robinson’s responses.
1) Can you please tell us about your background (the purpose of this question is to help individuals familiarize themselves with you): What were your parent’s professions? What did they want you to become?
Where did you attend College and University? What did you study? When and why did you decide to study Art Education?
Did you know, and how did you know you were going to be good at Educating Creativity? How did you develop the passion for this subject?
2) In last year’s Businessweek interview, You define creativity as “a process of having original ideas, the first being imagination. The capacity that we all have to see something in the mind’s eye.”
What role do you think heart and feelings play into imagination and creativity?
3) In your presentation to the London Business Forum, You talk about how people think they are not creative. That they underestimate their own intelligence.
As an individual, how should we live our lives so we don’t underestimate our own intelligence? What do parents do in a daily basis that underestimates their child’s intelligence?
What patterns do you follow in a daily basis to cultivate your culture of creativity?
4) In an article you wrote “Winning Business”, you emphasize that real creativity comes from finding your medium.
How should people choose which medium to develop if they feel like they enjoy many different mediums? Ex: (I want to be a Pop Star, a Fireman, a Fencer, a Businessman)
5) You speak about human capacity, what is an individual’s potential?
6) You also say that every person has tremendous creativity, why is that?
7) You are very much well accepted and respected as a speaker around the world. What have you learned about public speaking? What advice would you give to individuals seeking to improve their own communication and public speaking skills?
8) What are you most proud of in your career? What drives you to work hard/achieve your potential?
What do you think should motivate individuals to achieve their potential?
9) What global issues around the world are you most concerned about? What initiatives have you seen or participated on that has most effectively presented and impl | 
Interviews
Interviews
