Posts

Showing posts from December, 2022

Some of the wrong things we do in brainstorming

Image
  I think it’s a superhuman ability to be able to listen to the voice in our head while at the same time listening to people around us. That’s why I believe that we should be allowed to immerse ourselves in the creative challenge, alone and focused, before we gather around the brainstorming table. With about 40 years of experience in creative and corporate work, I would know what things work and which ones would result in too much time and pizza consumed. Here’s my list: Starting from scratch.   It’s hard to think when being distracted by a group.  We need time alone to reflect on the problem at hand. Maybe we need to do a little research too. Or time to read books and watch films for inspiration. We would want to have some ideas percolate in our minds before interacting with other people. One of my ad agency bosses used to advise us, “Come to the meeting intellectually prepared.” Looking for the perfect solution.  I have been to some idea meetings that seemed more like meditation sess

Borrow brains and be more creative

Image
This is mysteriously effective! To come up with fresh ideas, put yourself in the shoes of other people. Better yet, put their brains in your head. For example, you are an educator who is designing a school. You are likely to build one that looks like another good school. But if you consult with Walt Disney, J. K. Rowling, or Steven Spielberg, you might have a more spectacular campus! Even the method of teaching might be different. This technique of "imagining how others would do it" was taught by Roger Von Oech in his book A Whack on the Side of the Head. Back in the advertising community, my concept team partner was a guy named Mario Monteagudo. “Genius” is not even sufficient to describe him. He won an ad of year award for several years in a row. One time while working on a print ad, he told me he would approach in the styles of five advertising legends he admired. He would add another approach using his own style, of course. The result was six potentially award-winning ads

The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas

Image
 The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. This advice came from a man named Linus Pauling.  He was a chemist, chemical engineer, botanist, writer and activist. His credentials are  proof that creativity is about connecting different regions of the brain.  His tip to generate a lot of ideas has these implications: 1.Don’t stop thinking after one idea. The next one you’d come up with     might be better. 2. Every problem has many solutions. It’s best to have the luxury of      choosing the best one considering all things. 3.  Don’t kill bad ideas on the spot. Just write down all thoughts because       some great ideas sound stupid at first. In brainstorming or thinking by yourself, just pour out what’s on your mind. If you keep censoring yourself or weeding out at an early stage, you will stall. Also, don’t tell the other people in the team that their ideas suck. If you do, they will stop thinking. What if the world’s next big idea would actually come from them? In the