Tag Archive for: creativity

Lost for ideas for your next presentation? ...


A Whack on the Side of the Head

by Roger von Oech

Over the years, A WHACK ON THE SIDE OF THE HEAD has been praised by business people, educators, scientists, homemakers, artists, youth leaders, and many more. The book has been stimulating creativity in millions of readers, translated into eleven languages, and used in seminars around the world. 

There are so many ways to get your company or group thinking in an innovative and creative way. There are synergies which can be garnered from groups, even if no one in the group is actually a creative genius. Of course, if you round up quite a few intellectuals, and creative folks, and put them in the same room working together it's amazing what you can come up with and sometimes it only takes a few people to really make a major breakthrough in industry.

Now then, let me give you a few tips and tactics right off the top of my head which will help your organization harness the power of this next generation, and get them working in a synergistic fashion to propel innovation. Below are of some of the things you should be considering;

1. Mix and Match Thinking Styles:

The other day, I was discussing a new design for a fairly cool little gizmo which has endless applications with an engineer and semi-scientist. He indicated that our minds worked differently. We did come up with at least one decent modification to his design which would allow for more versatility for various scalable applications. That's a good thing.

2. Don't Underestimate Your Brain Power:

Just because you think that you are not so good at math, design, sketching, art, innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship, intense study, marketing, writing, or pitching your new concept doesn't mean you have adequately sized up your abilities. Sometimes when you are quite focused you can do all sorts of things and find talents you never thought you had.

3. When Brain Storming There Are No Bad Ideas:

Oh sure, there are bad idea, disastrous ones in fact, but you have to set that aside when brain storming. Just as you need to suspend your belief system when watching a Sci Fi movie for instance. Let your mind go, let the minds of your team go, and don't correct or nix anyone's idea, or be afraid of your own during brain storming. Let it go, and go for it. There will be plenty of time later to evaluate and discard silly ideas, and even all have a laugh about them - together.

4. Make a To Do List to Research:

No one is an expert in everything, except for you of course. It is okay to realize this and make lists of things you need to check; facts and figures. After you're done brainstorming, or before you take anyone's word as gospel, it makes sense to check your facts. Even brilliant people can sometimes be a little off on their facts and figures, and that doesn't mean they're stupid, or they don't know what they're talking about, it's just that sometimes even brilliant people make small mistakes.

5. Don't Be Too Hard on This Next Generation:

This new generation has been taught using a different perspective and teaching method. Much of what they have done comes from group think. Therefore, they are very good at it. Often entrepreneurs, and successful individuals are not into group think, and many of them are creative geniuses, and can't stand it. That doesn't mean it won't work, or that these up-and-coming innovators can't help your organization with creativity and design. They can, and they often do.

It is my hope that you will please consider these five points, and think on it. Consider it from a philosophical perspective, and work these ideas into what you are currently doing. You may find yourself in the midst of something incredible which could revolutionize your industry, or change the forward progression of mankind.
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Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 24,444 articles by September 4th at 4:44 PM will be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..

From the public speaking ezine this week - you can access it here => http://bit.ly/cQBbVn until 9th June.

We're all creative. Our individual creativity is present to greater or lesser degrees, but we all have the capacity to be more creative. Creativity is a force which enables us to develop and expand our concepts, come up with innovations, recast old ideas, and problem solve. This creative capacity is important to your physical and mental health, your business success, and financial well-being. Here are some tips to wake up your creative abilities:

1. FRESH EYES - Look at things with a new perspective, child-like without all of the baggage of preconceived notions and past experience. This is a powerful way to increase your creativity. It will take practice to limit your inclinations to judge from prior experience and past practices.

2. EXERCISE - Yes, physical exercise will help awaken your mental capabilities as well. Often while engaged in exercise you will find that you will come up with new ideas, and as your physical well-being improves your mental acuteness will too.

3. REST - Just like exercise, rest is also important. You will be less creative when you're exhausted, tired or burnt-out.

4. VARY YOUR ROUTINE - Take a different way home. Don't go to the same restaurant every Friday. Cultivate variety and spontaneity.

5. PUZZLES - Mental exercise is important. Often puzzles, video games, or other challenges will stimulate your creative "juices."

6. QUESTION EVERYTHING - Ask yourself why? Preconceived ideas, standard approaches, and thinking you already know the answers are counterproductive to creativity.

7. MEDITATION - Some people have the ability to meditate, clear their mind, and reduce stress through this practice. Try it.

8. DISCIPLINE - A disciplined mind does not mean a rigid one. Scatter-brained, unable to focus individuals do not exude creativity, and if they do come up with a creative thought it will soon be lost in the disarray and confusion of their thoughts.

9. CONNECT - A variety of experiences, friends, associates, and activities will help you develop an alert, expansive, and creative intelligence. Piggy-back on existing concepts. You will not know or understand the applicability or usefulness of inspirations without connections.

10. DON'T GIVE UP! - Discouragement and setbacks are common and to be expected. "Throwing in the towel" will only result in failure and continue a negative cycle. Who knows? - Your next idea may be your best one.

Copyright © 2010, Dr. Ben A. Carlsen, MBA. All Rights Reserved Worldwide for all Media. You may reprint this article in your ezine, newsletter, newspaper, magazine, website, etc. as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, leave my name and bio box intact, and you follow all of the EzineArticles Terms of Service for Publishers.

Dr. Ben A. Carlsen, MBA, is author of "Bites of Business" http://bitesofbusiness.com
He is an experienced consultant, leader, management expert and educator. Carlsen was Chairman of the Los Angeles County Productivity Managers Network, Chair of the Marketing Managers Association, and President of the Association for Systems Management (So. California Chapter). For more info visit: http://drben.info

Creative visualization is the technique of using your imagination to create pictures of yourself achieving a desired goal or outcome and focusing on that image until you achieve your objective.

Thought is a power and has its effect on the material world. Thoughts, if powerful enough, travel from one mind to another. If we keep thinking the same thought, people in our environment perceive it and act on it, furthering, usually in an unconscious manner, the materialization of our desires.

Use your natural creative imagination in a more and more conscious way, as a technique to create what you truly want.

Use the power of your imagination to create what you want in your life.

Let go of your limitations - Act Now!

Publius Terentius Afer said:  "In fact, nothing is said that has not been said before."

Hmmm.  Have we learnt nothing new to communicate?

Or is communication more about what is of relevance in the new things we learn?  I would like to think that we are continually learning new things as a species.

And yet our basic conditions of existence and operation tend to remain the same.  And yes, we tend to say the same things about them.  The successful public speaker is the one who can put a new spotlight on things, find new words ...  and ways of saying .... those old things so that we are reminded of them, how they operate, and how we can look at them in a better light... and use them to be better at this existence and this operation.

So, Publius Terentius Afer, I would like to think that you are wrong in some ways.  But thank you for the reminder that our creativity is just so vital if we are to create new speeches and presentations.

Techniques To Unlock Your Creativity And Innovation

Have you ever questioned wither you were creative or thought of innovative ideas? I believe at one point all of us has questioned our own ability to create something remarkable; the pressure and expectations from society can be overwhelming especially in a society wired 24/7.

It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.
Walt Disney

But does creativity and innovation need to be the impossible? What about exploring deep within ourselves to unlock apart of us which we thought were only impossible?
We all have our own methods to unlock creativity and create an innovative mindset. Here are 5 which I believe are the greatest methods:

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Ignore everybody. The more original your idea is, the less good advice other people will be able to give you.