Inspiring Global Creativity

Creativity is about turning imagination into value. Ignite your imagination and enrich your creative thinking toolbox by applying these simple and effective creativity techniques.

Reverse brainstorming – how not to solve the problem

Tired of doing routine brainstorms on “how to get more clients” or ”how to get more sales” etc? Turn it around and brainstorm on how to make the problem even worse and after that turn the ideas around again – stating them in positive.

1. Define your problem.
2. Reverse your problem.
3. Brainstorm ideas for the reversed problem – be bold and provocative. Get as many ideas as possible.
4. Reverse those problems, turning them into ideas for your initial problem.
5. Take massive action and get results.

Example:

Interesting side-effects: by stating ways how not to solve the problem you often develop a deeper understanding of things you are actually doing wrong at the moment. Having them written down and finding ways to turn it around makes you more motivated for positive change.

Superheroes technique – borrowed brains

Don´t just use all the brains you have – also use all the brains you can borrow. Map your superheroes – people you admire – and get ready to rock´n roll!

1. Define your problem.
2. Brainstorm 10-50 superheroes – people who are better than you in some specific domain. Take a note on each superhero´s unique skill.
3. Ask yourself “How would x solve this problem?” or “What can I learn from x to solve this problem?” or “What has x done that could also work for me?” etc. Take notes on ideas that come to your mind.
4. Select the most interesting ideas and find ways in which you can adopt them to your current situation to solve this problem.
5. Take massive action and get results.

This technique is very similar to benchmarking, where the leading “superheros” can be your competitors. Turn your rivals into your superheros – use their brains and ideas to ignite your progress. Shift this paradigm and get results.

Forced connections – the art of combining

There is nothing totally new in this world. The difference between innovators and non-innovators is simply the fact that innovators make better connections that are of value.

1. Define your problem.
2. Brainstorm different keywords that come to your head (relevant and irrelevant to the topic) – sometimes the more irrelevant they seem, the better it is. You can write those keywords down to Post-it notes and attach them to the wall.
3. Start combining those words with each other and making up new connections asking yourself “what kind of ideas does this connection give me to solve my problem?”. Make wild connections by playing with the words and ideas.
4. Select the best ideas.
5. Take massive action and get results.

Did you know that:

• All the modern English literature is a pattern of 26 letters.
• All the paintings that have ever been done are made of 3 fundamental colors – blue, red, yellow.
• All the music that has ever been written consists of patterns made out of 12 notes.
• All the information you see on your computer screen is a pattern of binary code (“1″ or “0″).

Impressive? I want you to redefine the amount of resources to come out with something totally new. You just have to become a great connector of existing elements. “What if I combined these things?”

The journey – adventure for ideas

Switch your thinking by switching your environment. Go out to get some fresh stimuli.

1. Define your problem.
2. Explain the problem to your team-mates and get out from your office (go to the library for example). Ask each member to investigate around to find ideas that could solve the problem and meet in one hour. They can take things with them or make notes and photos for example.
3. Meet, take notes and share the ideas that you developed during your journey.
4. Select the best ones adapt them to your current situation.
5. Take massive action and get results.

Step out from your box, read materials you normally don´t read, talk to people you normally don´t speak. Get fresh ideas by getting fresh input.

Experiment by using elements from different creativity techniques, create combinations that suit you the best and create the ritual that helps you most effectively develop fresh ideas.

Are you using some cool creativity technique already? Let people know what it is and how it works by adding it as a comment. Let the world know what works, because there are hundreds of poeple longing for fresh ideas.

Here´s some of the essential public speaking tips that helped me at the JCI World Public Speaking Championship in Budapest and will help you in situations where you need to prepare a great speech in short notice and own the stage by speaking with passion.

Apply them now and reap the benefits of becoming an outstanding speaker.

1. Prepare your speech - get the point

• Define your audience – who they are, what the are interested in, what would inspire them?
• Define your topic and get some initial ideas with brainstorming or other creativity techniques.
• Define your outcome – what do you want to achieve through your speech? What kind of action do the listeners need to take?
• Ask yourself “Am I passionate about this subject?”. If the answer is no, then skip this performance or create your passion for it, otherwise you´re just wasting other people´s time. 
• Develop your initial ideas to concepts, find interesting quotes, alliterations and personal stories to spice up your content into a holistic experience. 

Remember: There is one radio-station that everyone wants to hear – it´s called WIIFM – What´s In It For Me? Tune your message to that frequency and inspire your audience.

2. Prepare your presentation – make it stick

•  Take your speech and make it 2 times shorter by throwing out everything that does not support your expected outcome. Use better words and expressions to pass your message to the audience. Clarify what are the specific things you want the audience to remember after the speech.
• Create a visual aid – a mindmap or illustrated story board with important keywords and visuals to help you remember. This will give you a big picture for your mind and help you remember the key things much more effectively than any regular script that is dull.
• Use your body to clarify your message – you can practise making the speech with muted voice, using only your body, hands, facial expressions and other aids to convey the message.
• Create an exciting beginning (a story for example) to attract attention and an effective ending (call to action) to be remembered by.
• If you intend to use PowerPoint, then get acquainted with this: Death by PowerPoint slideshow and Presentation Zen blog for effective visual presentations.

Remember: come prepared or learn to improvise like an actor. Better yet, do both, because over-preparing will drain the passion and spontaneity out from your speech. Focus on your message, not the script.

 3. Tuning in – get into the right state

•  If possible, then check out the room, stage and facilities in advance. Visualize yourself successfully performing in rich detail and with strong positive emotion. This will enhance your self-confidence.
• Ground your body to relax – visit the toilet and slide your hands over your face (this is something that actors do before going to stage, it releases their tension).
• Release your tensions and get enough oxygen – go outside and stretch yourself to get the life moving inside of you. Warm up your voice by speaking to someone in a passionate manner. You can also use a vine-bottle cork, stick it between your teeth and try to speak very clearly for a minute. After removing the cork you really do sound more clear.
• Do not eat nuts or chocolate just before the speech, because it will affect your throat. Instead drink optimal amount of water to keep the throat clear.
• Focus on positive aspects and success – if possible have some laugh in a fun conversation with a friend before the speech. The endorphine will give you a positive attitude. Whenever you see yourself concentrating on your fears, take your focus on breathing.

Get into the state of your ideal performer. Breathe, stand and develop the look of your ideal performer. Become the passionate performer.

4. Own the stage – keep the energy

• When going on a stage do some powertalk in your mind, saying for example “every day and every way I get better HEI!”.
• Take your position on stage, relax your shoulders, breathe deeply in and out, achieve the contact with the audience and THEN start your speech.
• Keep your eyecontact with the audience (don´t get lost in your materials or other aids), involve people by using questions and use pauses after saying the important stuff.

 When getting on the stage, ask yourself “what for did I come here?”. Then do as the answer tells you to.

So what happened on the stage? Check out the secret spy video footage:

Inspiring speech “Global Impact Through Local Action” from Harald Lepisk on Vimeo.

This is the beginning. How far are you actually willing to go? If you wish to become a true master in public speaking, then get coaching and training. You can also invite me to bring power, passion and energy into your speech. Are you ready for that?

I worked my way through youtube and other video streaming websites seeking for the best videos on creativity. Here are the results:

Tony Buzan on how to improve your creative thinking

Am I creative? How the brain works? How to think out of the box?

Edward De Bono on creative thinking

Is every novel idea creative? Provides a good framework for understanding creativity.

Tim Brown: The powerful link between creativity and play

Good involving lecture on creativity with many practical examples. Make sure you do all the excercises he asks you to  

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

Entertaining and profoundly moving speech on creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

What happens if we ignore creativity?

How can you encourage a child? Use your imagination.

Fostering your children´s creativity

Some tips on how to nurture your child´s creativity.

Why being creative pays off?

Facts of life – time is always right for creativity.

Have you seen any other good videos on creativity that are publicly available? Let everyone know by adding their links as comments.

We possess a powerful tool – the internet connection. All the secrets, knowledge and perhaps even the truth can be found in there. But the main question is:”What do you type in after starting your web-browser?”.

I´ll make it easier for you – all the best stuff about creativity can be found using these links on creativity.

Use online tools and creativity techniques to ignite your thinking

www.mycoted.com/Category:Creativity_Techniques - large database of creativity techniques.
www.creax.com – big database of creativity links.
www.virtualsalt.com/crebook2.htm - creative thinking techniques and about creativity.
www.infinn.com/innovationhouse.html - tools for creative thinking.
www.creatingminds.org/ - creativity tools, techniques and methods.
www.thinksmart.com/ - creativity tests and entrepreneurial creativity.
www.kennieting.com/mousebrains/ - very cool tool for developing advertisements.
www.gocreate.com/tools/ - loads of creativity tools.
www.thinkature.com/ - thinking visually online.
www.mindmeister.com – team mindmapping online.
100 Excellent Online Tools to Feed Your Creativity

Get inspired by great thinkers

www.ted.com – Ideas worth spreading.
www.poptech.org - leaders of thought on making the world a better place.
www.dailyroutines.typepad.com/daily_routines/ - how artists, writers and other creative people organize their daily activities.
sethgodin.typepad.com/ - Seth Godin´s marketing blog.
www.einsteinpicasso.com/7.html - Big link database on creativity and innovation compiled by Peter Fisk.
www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_creativity.html - quotes on creativity.

Use connections and search-engines

www.soople.com - searching from different mediums.
www.slideshare.net – PowerPoint slides online.
www.visualthesaurus.com - displays connections between words.
www.kartoo.com – visual search engine.
www.pdf-search-engine.com – find pdf documents.

Get inspired by pictures

www.panimages.org – search engine that is independent from search-engines.
www.worth1000.com – Pictures with a little Photoshop touch
www.adsoftheworld.com – good ads.
www.quasimondo.com/tagnautica.php – animated Flickr photo search.
www.creativity-online.com/ - digital creativity, advertisement and design.
FFFFound image bookmarking – browse through bookmarked pictures.

Investigate what is happening at idea contests and idea-banks

www.moreinspiration.com – interesting innovations for inspiring you.
www.inewidea.com – inventions and innovative products.
www.designboom.com – industrial design competitions.
www.globalideasbank.org – global ideas bank.
www.halfbakery.com – ideas to be developed further.
www.dellideastorm.com – Dell getting ideas for product development.
www.inventnow.org – for young inventors.
www.fastcompany.com/100 - 100 most creative people in business.

Peek in the blogs

www.blogsearch.google.com - search from blogs.
www.technorati.com – blog network.

Use checklists

www.7ideas.be/7-letters-van-scamper.html – 700 idea stimulators for product development.

Keep your eye on trends

www.trendwatching.com - trends in world.
www.trendhunter.com – differentiating trends.

Give the right fuel for your brain

20 Super Brain Foods

Any good links missing? Let us know by adding them as comments.

Please check back on 10th of July 2009 to get some really interesting materials on Creativity World Tour.

Are you a creativity trainer? – join the team!
Are you interested in having a creativity training in your country? – let me know.

You´ll get all the answers from here:
e-mail: harald [ät] trainings.ee
Skype: lepisk

Stay inspired!