When I look at all that is going on around me, I am motivated even more than ever to redefine myself and come through these times a better person and professional. So as I tool around the internet and talk to friends, I've learned of these webinars that are free and have great content. One such example is ReadyTalk (thanks to a recommendation from my friend and colleague, Christine). They are a webinar vendor and they host weekly webinars on many different topics (http://www.readytalk.com/web-seminar-series/). I encourage everyone to check out their offerings and take advantage.
The last webinar I attended, Innovation and Creation: Part I, was hosted by ?What If!, a consulting company that helps companies unlock growth through innovation. ?What If! focused on "six creative behaviors that will help you unleash creativity and unlock innovation...It's getting people to behave in the right way throughout the process that creates the magic."
Here are some highlights of the discussion:
According to our experts Hal Adler and Lisa Buckley, behaviors are essential to unlocking creativity. It is recommended that companies begin with "greenhousing" - the development of ideas in an environment that is conducive to brainstorming. To be successful in doing that, employ ?What If!'s concept, SUN.
Suspend Judgment
Ask questions to Understand
Nurture and grow the idea together
Use "signaling" to enforce where the group is in the development of ideas. Our experts say that the power of signaling (i.e. verbal or physical) puts you in the drivers seat. The verbal tells people how to share an idea. For example, "I have an idea and would like you to build on it" vs. "I have an idea. What do you think?" The latter invites people to judge. The physical sets parameters, so set one area for greenhousing ideas and a separate area for judging so the distinction is clear.
"Freshness" is about lateral thinking. Our experts say you should seek out new experiences and disrupt your routines to ensure your brain doesn't become stale with the same old stuff. For example, read a magazine you don't typically read, something that has nothing to do with your field. Ideas employed in other fields can be replicated in your field. The first law of creativity is the more unique the stimulus in, the more unique the stimulus out.
"Realness" is about making your ideas real. Our experts say you should appeal to all three sensory styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic). For example, act it out or put it into visual format so that it becomes alive for your audience.
"Momentum"... sorry folks. I think I got distracted on this one. Nothing in my notes but it's self explanatory.
"Bravery" is the last behavior - "not fearing the outcome." Our experts say that the greatest mistake you can make in life is continually fearing making a mistake. Now isn't that powerful! "When you are being truly creative and innovative, it means you are doing something no one else has done and that requires guts."
Note: These are not my original ideas. They are based on notes I took during the webinar which are a combination of Hal and Lisa's experience and lessons they learned from working with a multitude of clients.
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