Biography : Dale is currently a Project/Program Manager for The Boeing Company's Directed Energy Systems (DES) business unit in California. He has more than 20 years of service with The Boeing Company and has held various leadership positions in engineering as well as project and program management. He has experience in technology development, electro-mechanical design and new product development. Previously he worked 8 years for Lockheed “Skunk Works” in Burbank and 2 years at Vista Controls Corporation in Valencia California.

Dale has a M.A. degree in Design and a M.S. degree in Automation Engineering from California State University - Northridge, as well as a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from The University of Phoenix in Tempe, Arizona. Dale is currently in an Executive Juris Doctorate program attending his 2nd year of law school at Concord where he is specializing in Trademark, Intellectual Property and Patent law.

He has also served for over 10 years supporting the Hugh O’Brian Youth Foundation (HOBY) in many roles from a Seminar Vice-Chair to Ambassador Counselor. He continues to foster the vision to help young adults "Learn how to Think" – "Not what to Think." He is currently a National Management Liaison to HOBY for both the California - LA and California - Central Leadership sites and runs the California Central Ambassador Mentorship Program.

Dale also teaches distance learning in Project Management and Project Management Communications for DeVry University/Keller Graduate School of Management focusing on facilitating students to understand the leadership and management responsibilities in business environments.

Dale has been a member of the In2:InThinking Network since 2001 and a member of the Forum Team for every event. As a transplanted Southern California native, in his off time he likes to mountain bike at the beach and play volleyball.

Website: www.fesserdorff.com. Look here to find the handouts he prepared for all of his pre- post-conference sessions for our annual Forums.

Contact: Dale can be reached by e-mail at d.s.deardorff@att.net for additional information about this pre-conference session.


Title: Perceptions-Based Reality - Thinking With CoRT Tools

Date: Thursday, April 23rd

Length: 5 hours (Part 1 - 1:15-4:15pm and Part 2 - 5:15-7:15pm)

Location: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne - 6633 Canoga Avenue, Canoga Park

Cost: none

Description: This interactive workshop will give you the chance to understand how broaden your Thinking. A dominant fault of traditional thinking is the natural tendency to take up a narrow view. For example, when you instantly take up a judgment position on an issue. The Edward de Bono CoRT (Cognitive Research Trust) thinking tools are based upon modules that explore a series of tools for new thinking. The BREADTH CoRT module contains ten thinking tools designed specifically for directing your thinking approach looking for plus and minus points, considering all factors, consequences, aims and objectives, assessing priorities and taking other peoples views into consideration.  CoRT, named after the Cognitive Research Trust, was established in Cambridge England. Its purpose is to produce individuals who can think for themselves and become more involved in generative & creative thinking and operational & constructive thinking.

The session participants will learn how to make a deliberate effort to direct their thinking to these areas allowing them to develop the habit of broadening their thinking to allow for an increase in the number of aspects that a situation may be considered under. The CoRT tools allow participants to broaden their perceptions which are as fundamental to thinking as vocabulary is to reading. De Bono proposes that most of the problems in Thinking are at the perceptual level where people jump to the wrong conclusion but using the tools allows the opportunity for more rational behavior once the relevant facts and data are explored and understood.

Success with the tools does not require prior knowledge of them, a great memory, reading or writing skills. Following the new terminology and cognitive triggers for the tools allows the participants to create a pallet of thinking tools and modules which can be individually used to create a specific thinking objective or used as multiples in a sequence which can be used to create a thinking flow. These 10 triggers will include AGO, PMI, RULES, RAD, CAF, PLANNING, C&S, OPV, FIP and Decisions. The use of these Thinking tools can allow people to see more broadly and clearly allowing them to react more appropriately in a given situation.

Target Audience: This workshop is designed for those that desire to learn about their traditional Thinking limitations and establish new personal thinking tool sequences for improving the effectiveness of individuals and organizations.

Organization Issues: Attendees for this session can use the CoRT Thinking Tools to open Communication, explore Shared Dialog and minimize Political or People conflict. The ability to increase Personal Performance will ultimately lead to higher Synergy and the exposure of potential competing agendas.

Objectives: Upon completion of the workshop, the participant will see opportunities to clarify a “systemic” thinking approach to reduce ambiguity in thinking and assure that additional Point’s-of-View and Perceptions are explored and understood.

Handouts: Available for download