Women’s Fresh Perspectives Conference

Expanding CreativityJessica Notini

Educational Workshop Sponsors

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Creative Thinking is…

“Life is a continuous exercise in creative problem solving.” Michael J. Gelb

Creative thinkingis a learned skill.

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Creative Thinking requires…

“Anyone who has not made a mistake has never tried anythingnew.” Albert Einstein

Making “mis-takes.”

“…a fully justified enterprisewhich was unsuccessful for reasons beyond your control .”

What helps you get to your most creative state?

Write down as many thoughtsas you can in 2 minutes.

Confirm what you already know about you!

Brainstorming vs Brainwriting

“Many of us are more capable than some of us, but none of us is as capable as all of us.” Tom Wilson

Brainwriting

Fast: generate many ideas in a short time.

Easy: Does not require facilitation.

Cheap: Only paper and pens ornotes on phones.

Quiet: people write, they don’t talk.

Inclusive: Engages people that don’t normally speak up.

State the problem/opportunity you want to consider…

Write as many ideas as you canIn “x” minutes.

Brainwriting Exercise

Brainstorming: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Collaboration is important…2 “so-so” ideas can be made great.

• Whenever everyone feelsthey contributed, people more motivated, projects more successful.

Cons

• Social loafing, slackers.

• Group think.

• Production blocking.

• Evaluation apprehension.

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Creative Thinking Skills

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” Albert Einstein

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Stages of Creativity

1. Preparation – formulation of problem, conscious effort, study, potential initial solving (but separate from absorbing)

2. Incubation – no conscious effort, let go, absorb

3. Intimation – feeling of impending solution

4. Illumination or insight – aha!

5. Verification – conscious development

Highly Creative People…

Re-think the problem!

Make a Mind MapMake a Mind Map

When you are sitting with a challenge that seems difficult to grasp, make a map of your impressions and thoughts about it. Draw a circle in the center of a blank sheet and write your stated challenge in it.

Around the circle, write ideas, thoughts, impressions, intuitions, and anything else that occurs to you about the challenge. Create a circle or “bubble” around each.

Note relationships, connections, and associations between thought “bubbles.”

Leave the map for a few hours or days and returnto it to improve it.

Positions• A Demand

• A Strategy to Get Needs Met

• A “Want”

Lies Beneath the Position

The Basic Need

The Driver or Motivator

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Rethink the Problem: Move from Positions to Interests

Interests

CONCRETESUBSTANTIVE

Examples:

• Food• Shelter• Clothing• Health

PSYCHOLOGICALEMOTIONAL

Examples:

• Respect• Autonomy• Enjoyment• Love• Understanding• Growth/Challenge

PROCEDURAL

Examples

• Participation

• Order

• Voice

• Fairness/Equality

Categories of Interests /Needs

• Promotes better understanding and connection between group members

• Although some interests may be in conflict, we regularly discover shared and differing interests that expand creative options

• Often discover more possible solutions or more different strategies to meet the underlying needs

• Solutions are more likely to solve the “real” problem and be more effective and durable

Why seek the underlying interests?

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Re-think the problem

Can you think about the challenge in wholly new ways?

Restate the ChallengeThe more time you spend in the wording of your challenge or goal, the quicker the solution will emerge. Write the challenge as a question or state the challenge from different perspectives:

“In what ways might I…”

You go back to that godforsaken cubicle and start thinking outside the box!

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Re-think the problem

Can you think about the challenge in wholly new ways?

Change the wording of the challenge by substituting synonyms or substitutes for key words.

S t r e t c h t h e p r o b l e m . Give it a larger scope.

Shrink the problem. Break it into sub-problems.

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Re-think the problem

During the creation process, continually ask:

Do I need to change my perceptions?Do I need to challenge the assumptions I am making?

Challenge your fundamental assumptions/perceptions:

State your challenge.

List your assumptions.

Challenge your fundamental assumptions.

Reverse each assumption: write down the opposite of each one.

Record differing viewpoints that might prove useful.

Ask yourself how to accomplish each reversal.

List as many useful viewpoints and ideas as you can.

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Re-think the problem

Exercise: Return to the challenge of increasing produce consumption and spend 4 minutes:

• Restating

• Substituting different words

• S t r e t c h i n g

• Shrinking

• Testing assumptions

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Re-think the problem

Whether you are improving something that exists or creating something new, information may be the key to your solution.

You may need:

More information. Better ways of handling existing information. Different ways of thinking about the information.

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Keep an Idea Log!

Ideas last in the mind 9 seconds, and are lost after 20 seconds. Think of the times you have been involved in a daily task and suddenly an idea popped into your head about a problem you were trying to solve. Use your smartphone or buy a small notebook that you carry with you wherever you go, and record ideas as they occur to you.

Give yourself limits!

Assure positive mood andexercise.

Highly Creative People…

Create psychological distance

• Time• Location• Probability• For someone else

Allows more abstract thinking

Corn thoughts in California? Corn thoughts in Greece

Highly Creative People…

*Edward de Bono

Be Provocative* Embrace the Absurd

Po is used to provoke certain things to happen in the mind. The use of the word signals that the thought that follows is known to be impossible, contradictory, or logical nonsense.

De Bono calls po a “provoking operation.” It helps you escape from what is taken for granted. The po statement is made and then you examine where it takes you.

For example: The factory emitting polluted water is upstream from other users

Po, the factory is downstream.

Try It Out!

Imagine where po statements could take you.

What kind of po statements could you make about some of the assumptions you take for granted in your challenge?

Encourage Diversity

“I’m happy you all agree with me, but is there something you’re not saying?”

Increased diversity =

Increased conflict =

Increased innovation

Diversity – Think Together

“Parallel thinking” De Bono “Six Hats”

Blue/Managing – what are we thinking about and how should we go about itWhite/Information – what information is available and/or neededRed/Emotion – intuitive or instinctive gut reactions or feelings (without need to justify)Black/Discernment – logic applied to identifying reasons to be cautious or conservativeYellow/Optimism – logic applied to identifying value and benefitsGreen/Creativity – new ideas, alternatives, possibilities, statements of provocation

“That’s a great idea!” and…

Person 1: Offer an idea for something to do.

Person 2: Accept the “offer.” by saying “That’s a great idea!...Let’s do it!” (Pretend to start to do it). Offer another complementary idea that builds on the first one.

Person 3: Accept the “offer.” by saying “That’s a great idea!...Let’s do it!” (Pretend to start to do it).Offer another complementary idea that builds on the second one.

Return to Person 1 and complete 3 rounds.

Greatest Marketing Innovations

1926 – The Electric Billboard

1927 – Sports Endorsements

1945 - Multi-level Marketing

1969 – Spiff Marketing

1984 - Gorilla Marketing

1994 – Pay for Click

2000 – Viral Videos

3400 BC – Product Labeling

2560 BC – Retail Signage

1609 – Space Ads

1870 – Freebies

1872 – Direct Marketing

1890 – Cold calling

1918 - Designer Labels

1923 – Broadcast Ads

Greatest Marketing Innovations

2015 – What Will You Do Next????