The simplest way to become more Creative

When you are sitting in a meeting and you get a 'crazy' idea, what do you do?
You keep quiet. You don't share it with your colleagues/friends because it is a 'crazy idea'. You keep it to yourself.

And why do you do that?
Because, you are afraid of being wrong. You think if the idea is stupid people will laugh at you. You are afraid of being judged. You want to 'maintain' your good image.

So, here is the simplest tip ever given to unlock your creativity. Stop judging your ideas and start sharing them freely. When you get a 'crazy' idea next time in the boardroom or the classroom, just share it.

Sir Ken Robinson has said in this awesome talk, unless we are prepared to be wrong, we can never come up with something original. Notice what this means. If we are prepared to fail, if we are prepared for some people laughing at us, then only can we really become creative. You need to take the risk. It is worth it.

The next time you get a crazy idea, just say it. It might become the next big idea in your organisation or institution.

7 Lessons on creativity from the book 'Steal Like an Artist' by Austin Kleon

Steal Like an Artist is an interesting book about becoming more creative in whatever you do in life. Since making presentations is a creative work, this book is relevant for all of us. The assumption of the author Austin Kleon is that no one is a born creative genius. We have to keep our creativity alive through various ways. In this book he has shared many things which will make you more creative. Here are the ones I have liked:

1. Steal ideas from everywhere. By stealing he means influence & inspiration. Look around carefully and get inspired. Do not waste time in creating something totally new.

Applied to presentations: Watch presentations on TED and slideshare. Get inspired. Use tricks and tips which you learn from these presentation into your own presentation. This will improve your own work.

2. Choose a hero in your field of study. Read about your hero and his/her life. Go through all her work and see how you can add to that body of work. Practice what your hero has done. If you are a singer, sing the songs of your favorite singer (your hero). You don't need to meet the hero, hence you have the freedom to choose your hero from across the world.

Applied to presentations: Choose a hero like Steve Jobs or Garr Reynolds or anyone else whose presentations inspires you. Watch all of their videos and read books about them. Get into their heads and try to see the world as they see them. This will get your creative cells working.

3. Educate yourself. Read books which are relevant. Google stuff. You can only improve and become more creative in your field if you read more and more. Read what others are saying in your field.

Applied to presentations: Read the best books on presentations. Here is a list I have compiled on Goodreads. Only when you read more, can you become better.

4. Maintain a notebook of ideas. Every time you get a idea, note it down in a small book. Carry this notebook all the time with you. Overtime, this will become a good source of ideas for you.


Applied to presentations: If you attend a presentation and notice something good, note it. If the presenter made a mistake, note that as well. Note any ideas which comes to your mind which you can try in your next presentation. It can be about slide design or delivery or anything else.

5. Use your hands. Austin Kleon stresses that creative ideas do not come sitting on your computer. Get up. Use your entire body. This is what he calls 'going analog'. When you need creativity, take a chart paper or use a whiteboard. Involve your body and use your hands to write. Use computer for editing and finalization later on.


Applied to presentations: Start working on your presentation on paper. Do not touch the computer till your content is ready. Only when you are done, start working on the slides.

6. Boredom fuels creative thoughts. This is an interesting observation by the author. He visits the barber and waits in long queues. He irons his shirt as it is a boring task. Being along without any work and boredom sparks creativity. It gives your mind some rest and comes up with interesting stuff.

7. Creativity increases under constraints. This is counter-intuitive but I have come across this statement elsewhere as well. If you are working on something creative and give yourself all the time in the world, nothing great will happen. Put strict deadlines with respect to time and also work under resource constraints. I have worked with creative people in advertising and they work very well even when given tough deadlines.

The book is just 160 pages long and can be read within 45 minutes or less.

Ode to Joy

If you need to relax before setting out to plan your presentation, listen to 'Ode to Joy' by Beethoven. It will surely calm your mind. I love it and you will too.

Guest Post: Introduction to Creative Presentations

This is a guest post by Edmond Mahony. Edmond is an independent digital strategist and brand planner based in London, UK. One of his current projects is The Ideas Forum – Spotlight Ideas.

Introduction
I worked in a large IT company for many years. My experience of working in that company was that most presentations were left-side-thinking in approach. I imagine most other people in business in general have a similar experience of presentations (?) This article is about presentations that are about being right-side-thinking in approach.
Difference between “normal” presentations and creative presentations What’s the difference between left-side and right-side thinking? Left-side is about linear, logical thinking. Right-side is about creative, lateral-minded thinking. Left-side in presentations, involves, most typically, imparting information with a certain degree of analysis (what many might consider the typical or “normal” presentation). Right-side in presentations, might involve, for example, facts and figures, insights, and analysis, but, most typically, is about getting others to think laterally.

Creative, lateral thinking is crucial in business. Without it you can’t have a business that in some way offers a better product or service than the competition to customers. Without creative, lateral thinking you can’t start a successful business nor can you develop a business and keep it going in a competitive marketplace. Without creative, lateral thinking you can’t have a successful brand, brand story, social media strategy, customer-service approach, and so on.
Creative, lateral thinking involves being creative in:

1 the imaginative sense (most typically in, for example, in advertising, graphic design, industrial design, architecture)

2 the problem solving sense (most typically in, for example, in environmental projects, engineering projects)

3 the entrepreneurial sense (i.e. in setting up an exciting, vibrant business)

4 the leadership sense (i.e. in developing a business, in creating a positive and pro-active work environment)

Creative, lateral-thinking is crucial in business. But how often do we focus on linear, logical-thinking than creative, lateral-minded thinking (?)

The creative presentation is an effective way of injecting creative, lateral-thinking into your business. The “creative presentation” is a broad term. It’s a broad term for many reasons.

1 Business environments differ and require different creative, lateral-minded approaches.

2 A particular business environment might require different creative, lateral-minded approaches. For example, an advertising agency requires a problem-solving approach when coming up with the marketing idea behind a campaign (i.e. is there a particular audience you could focus on and what type of marketing message would work best for this particular group?). And it requires an imaginative approach when coming up with the creative concept (i.e. you have discovered who best to target in your campaign, and what your particular marketing message is – now you have to come up with an idea that captures the imagination of this particular audience i.e. colourful balls bouncing down streets in San Francisco as in the Sony Bravia ad ).

3 Everyone is different. If you copy someone else’s approach, it’s not going to be original. People will see thought it. You must be original. You must surprise your audience. You must do things that makes them sit up. If you don’t get them to sit up, then there is no way you’re going to get them to think creatively. Your focus in to get people to think creatively. Your main focus in the creative presentation is to get people to think creatively

We’re all accustomed to thinking in a linear, logical fashion. Our schools and universities are modelled, largely, on linear, logical thinking. The same with the environment we live in. The same with much of our work in work. The same, probably, with most of the presentations we experience at work. Not easy!

Difference between brainstorming and creative presentations
Brainstorming is getting a select group of people to focus on coming up with as many creative ideas as possible within a certain timeframe. The creative presentation is more relaxed. It’s about getting people to think creatively but not within a certain timeframe. You could get people to give you some feedback at the end of the presentation. But your real goal is to get them to go away and think creatively in their own time and space about some issues or a particular issue . Brainstorming is about quantity of ideas (an idea could be expressed in just one word or a few words). The creative presentation is more about getting people to develop and draw out their own particular ideas (so that they could write pages, if required, on a particular idea). Brainstorming is about intense creative-thinking. The creative presentation is more about getting others to think creatively, in an expansive fashion.

Creative Presentation Rules
Don’t follow rules when preparing for, and giving, creative presentations! Rather, follow general guidelines and then inject the rest with your own, personal, unique approach.
Importance of images in creative presentations
There are various techniques you can use in creative thinking. You can use words, music, props, and so on in a particular, creative ways. This article is only an introduction to creative thinking, and doesn’t go into the details of the various techniques. But if there is one technique to focus on, it is images. The image is a powerful tool in the creative presentation.

• Communication tool. An image is often able to communicate a complicated idea more easily than words can. An image can be used on its own or in combination with words. Scientists often use images to describe complicated ideas in their subjects.

• Emotional response. An image can be effective in drawing out an emotional response in audiences. This is particularly important in creative-thinking where imagination is important (i.e. in advertising, design, architecture, and so on).

• Lateral-thinking. Related to the last point, although different, an image is able to get audiences to think laterally in general.

• Provocative. Related to the last point, again, although a bit stronger in emphasis, images can be provocative in a creative sense. For example, you could use an image in conjunction with a word or phrase where there is some disparity or tension. A sort of tension that leads to productive ideas. Or, for example, instead of word/phrase and an image, use a pair of images where there is, again, some sort of disparity / tension.

Conclusion
The creative presentation is challenging. It’s risky. People might think your presentation is silly or whacky. You might give a good presentations but your audience just happens to be barren of creative ideas for whatever reason.

Social scientists have observed a strong correlation between enjoyment and creativity. So whatever, you do, don’t be boring. If you can’t, initially, engage with people, then you’ll never get to the stage where they will (or want to) think creatively. A good tip here is to adopt an ad lib approach. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare for your creative presentation. You should prepare for it like any other type of presentation. But you want a certain amount of spontaneous, human engagement.

And, lastly, if using slides, never allow them to become the main focus of attention. You might get away with this, to a degree, with the “normal” presentation. But not with the creative presentation where the slides are props that you refer to, casually – only.

Best from Blogosphere: Design a Fresh Template for Your Presentation

In today's post, I want to share a great tip which I read on the blog PRESENTability with DFG by Denis. There is a simple video tutorial by David Anderson which introduces a new and refreshing template design and also teaches you how to make it. Do watch the video by clicking here or see it below:

What David Anderson has introduced is not just one cool template design but a 'new format' which you can use to make anything. He has created a farm and a magazine cutout. You can make a boardroom or a railway station. The possibilities are limitless.

Some Observations:

1. Situation: You need to know when to use this technique and how. This template design should be used for informal situations and definitely not for quarterly review presentations. However, marketers and advertising professionals do have some more 'creative' liberty to use it in formal settings.

2. Space for Text: The designs shown in the video have one problem. They are low on space. In case you need to write a lot you might have a problem. But this problem can be resolved. All you have to do is to design the template in such a manner that you leave adequate space to type out the text. It's all in your hands

3. Choice of Images for Cut outs: To make these templates you need images with single color backgrounds. Be it the farmer or the mail box, the 'Set transparent color tool' (which removes the background from an image) works only on one color. So when you make such templates, use only single color background images.


Use this unique method of template design and give your presentation a fresh look and feel.



Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.Net

How to get creative ideas?

Recently I read a post 'How to be creative?' by Scott Schwertly. While I was reading it I started thinking about my own creative journey with presentations. Presentations I had made on campus (IIM Ahmedabad) during my MBA days. They were loved by most people because they were 'creative'. Something they had never seen before. Something which was fun.

But how did they become creative? How does one get creative ideas? You don't need to be an artist to get creative ideas. I am not an artist. I believe that everyone is creative. I discovered my creativity through presentations.You might discover it through something else. All that you need is to harness the latent creativity within you.

Today's post will tell you how to do that. I will share with you techniques which have helped me generate creative ideas. I am sure they will also help you do the same. Use these techniques for your presentations and see the results.

1. Creativity cannot be forced but it comes when you really want it

My experience has taught me that you cannot force creativity. You cannot sit and force yourself to think of creative ideas. Ideas are free flowing. They can come without prior appointment. Yet every time I make a presentation I am able to get creative ideas. Creativity gets better with time and experience. Once you have a few successes behind you, you start trusting your instinct.

If you have an important presentation to make after two days and you need ideas for that then I suggest you keep the door of your mind open all the time. Get immersed in it. I don't mean to say that you forget everything and think only of the presentation. But everytime you are free think about your presentation. While driving to office, while walking back home. That great idea might strike any time.

2. Passion fuels creativity

Though creative ideas can come without appointment, yet everytime you need it you can generate ideas. All you need is passion for what you are doing. You cannot get creative in fields you don't care about. Take my example. I am passionate about presentations, marketing, branding and advertising. So I get creative ideas when it comes to these fields. If you do not like your subject and are doing it as part of a duty, you cannot generate creative ideas and solutions. First get passionate about what you are doing and creativity will come in due time.
3. Trust your idea and take the risk

Creativity is very subjective. What is creative to you is weird to someone else. Everybody in this world has a viewpoint. All the time we are praising or criticizing advertisements and other works of art (creative stuff). Advertisements are made by professionals who believe in their creative idea and take the risk. What is creative is what is liked by most people to whom it matters. If you feel your idea is creative then go ahead and take the risk. Trust your instinct. Don't worry if your colleague does not like the idea. Be ready for your idea to be disliked by some people. Be ready to fail. What appeals to everyone is not creative.
4. Do not sing to everyone

One sign of a great idea is that it does not appeal to everyone at the start. If you want everyone to like your idea then that idea cannot be creative. What is liked by all is never different and radical. Creativity, by definition, produces something different. So how can a 'different' idea be liked by everyone. As long as your idea is liked by those who matter you should be fine. Do not try to appease all.
5. Find a partner in crime

This is one technique that gets the best out of me. Ideas keep coming when I am talking about the subject to someone. There are just the two of us. If your partner (could be your colleague or wife) is working on the same idea then he/she can be an active contributor. You guys can use a whiteboard and start writing down your ideas and how it helps solve your problems.

If you are working solo on your problem, choose a good listener. Your passive partner need not contribute much but should lend you his/her ears and be patient. A few words here and there and some nods should keep you going. Talk about why you are working on the project, what is the problem, what could be the solution.
6. Don't be shy - Let your imagination go wild

Never throw away any idea without going deeper into it. Follow a two stage process. In stage 1, generate ideas without being judgmental. Keep writing down everything that comes to your mind. In stage 2, evaluate each idea and see if it fulfills your needs.

Remember not to generate new ideas when you have entered stage 2. Allocate time for stage 1 and stop working on it as soon as your time elapses. This ensures your work happens on time.
7. Maintain an idea book

Many ideas strike when you are doing something else. Keep a small notebook where you can write any idea which comes to you. Keep collecting these ideas and refer back to them when you are working on something related.

These techniques have helped me become more creative. To discover ideas inside me I thought never existed. If you feel you suck at creativity then start using some or all of the above techniques. You might be looking for creative solutions to a business problem, creative ways to present your data or creative ways to make a presentation. Once you use these techniques and start getting better at creativity, your confidence will build. After initial success and recognition you will start trusting your instincts. You will know what is creative and what is mundane.

Best wishes on your creative journey.

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Images have been taken from FreeDigitalPhotos.net