Tools to Boost Our Individual & Collaborative Creativity
What would Chuck Norris do? Or, as many of us at 360PR asked on Friday, how would MC Hammer reinvent something, or Donald Trump improve efficiency?
Our agency participated in a hands-on professional development session on Friday (courtesy of The Loeb Group) that focused on “Tools to Boost Our Individual & Collaborative Creativity” — and there were plenty of tactile toys and doohickeys supplied to prime the pump.
PR practitioners are generally quick, creative thinkers. But foosball tables and yoga balance balls aside, creativity is not simply a byproduct of an office’s environment.
There are tangible tools for generating and propelling ideas, particularly under stress and time constraints, that can help you determine where you want to go (your desired outcome) and how to get there (which creativity boosters to employ). Once you clarify the problem at hand (it shouldn’t be “reach anyone with a pulse”), get the creative juices flowing through a variety of image-rich words, metaphors, and random connections or by shaking it up with reverse assumptions.For example, selecting an imaginary “Board of Advisors” is one jump-start tactic that may help infuse a new perspective into a brainstorm, whether seated at your desk or with a roomful of colleagues. By asking a set of questions from the advisors’ perspectives, you’ll get a sense of how they’d approach the challenge – and triggers to spur you on.
Who’s on your Board?
Walt Disney is one individual that inspires me quite a bit - especially in the areas of creativity and responsible risk-taking. I actually just finished reading “How to Be Like Walt” by Pat Williams. It’s an excellent book about leadership…and about how to leave an unforgettable legacy. I highly recommend it.
Thanks for sharing Stephanie. I’ll definitely have to check out the Pat Williams book - sounds interesting. Roy Disney, Walt’s bro, acually went to my alma mater in CA, so I’d be curious to see if the family is mentioned much in the book.