The Art of Innovation is filled with so much smart, fresh thinking, it is truly a must-read for anyone interested in innovation and creative problem solving.

From Amazon: ”IDEO, the world’s leading design firm, is the brain trust that’s behind some of the more brilliant innovations of the past 20 years–from the Apple mouse, the Polaroid i-Zone instant camera, and the Palm V to the “fat” toothbrush for kids and a self-sealing water bottle for dirt bikers. Not surprisingly, companies all over the world have long wondered what they could learn from IDEO, to come up with better ideas for their own products, services, and operations. In this terrific book from IDEO general manager Tom Kelley (brother of founder David Kelley), IDEO finally delivers.”

Click here to order The Art of Innovation from Amazon.

We wrote this post for the Creativist Society blog, where it first appeared.

Perception. Reality

This pairing of two simple words, contrasting what we see with what what really is, were originally used together publicly in a successful advertising campaign in the 1980s, for Rolling Stonemagazine. The message of the ad campaign was that, while the perception was that Rolling Stone readers were hippies and drug users, in fact, they were upscale, affluent yuppies.

Perception. Reality.

That wasn’t just Rolling Stone. It was the 80s.

“You look mahvelous,” Billy Crystal would say, impersonating the suave and perennially-well-groomed Latin movie star, Fernando Lamas. “And it’s better to look mahvelous than to feelmahvelous.”

Oh how the world has changed. Back then succeeding in business or in life was at least as much about perception—whether you looked marvelous—as it was about the reality of your life and actions. Individuals and corporations alike were continually crafting and refining the ideal image they wished to present to the world.

Today, thanks to the Internet and social networking, the first sign of disingenuousness on the part of anyone or anything is instantaneously broadcast to millions. You’re outted before the evening news even begins.

The separation between perception and reality is rapidly disappearing. Corporations are seeing their images decimated in a heartbeat when illegal or unethical business practices are revealed. Celebrities once held in the highest esteem are now depicted as the abusive, childish narcissists they are. Individuals must be concerned about what is revealed about them on Facebook, or risk their careers.

We live in a world of total transparency, a world in which our actions are our image. How we feel (and what we do) is how we look.

And that’s a good thing. Because today, it is simply no longer enough to have a strong, manufactured image. Honesty, integrity and walking your talk are necessary. These are the qualities that allow each of us to present a strong image to the world, one that communicates the real value we deliver and our willingness to do so.

Live a life of transparency, personally and professionally. Make the effort to be the best you can be every day. Make your perception, reality.

Remember, the world is watching.

I used to work at this ad agency where the manager of the creative team, who considered himself the most talented guy in the place, was overly involved in the company’s day-to-day idea generation process. He  insisted on participating in every important brainstorm session the agency held; and being the top guy in the department, he got his way.

Don’t misunderstand—he did come up with his share of ideas, both good and bad.

But perhaps his most meaningful and influential contribution to the brainstorms was the inspiring way in which he would often open a session.

“You know how they say there are no bad ideas?” the boss would begin. “That’s not true; there are bad ideas,” the guy who held in his hands the fate of everyone’s career would continue. “Really bad ideas. Ideas so bad, they should never be spoken out loud.”

You can pretty much imagine where the sessions went from there.

The more junior people in the room, or those whose bellies were just the least bit yellow, would keep their mouths dutifully shut—except to offer an enthusiastic, “Great idea!” when the boss would serve up his creative contributions.

Those of us with a bit more experience (or foolhardiness) would carefully toss our ideas into the ring, more often than not only to have them instantly shot down by our leader. “No, no. That’s no good. Anybody else got anything?”

At the end of these sessions, we would almost always walk away with an idea. His idea.

Funny or sad, but definitely true, this true story exemplifies perfectly the single most devastating thing you can bring with you into a brainstorm—ego.

We often say, half-jokingly, “Kick out the boss” if you want to have a successful brainstorming session. While not always practical in real life, the idea behind the statement is nonetheless sound. Anyone who dominates a brainstorm, either due to seniority or just plain old arrogance and obnoxiousness, will most surely be its ruin.

The real magic and power of a well-executed brainstorm is the superior strength of the group mind—individuals, somehow working together in concert, towards a common goal. Bringing together diverse points-of-views, talents, experiences, etc. expands thinking, increases contribution and allows a well functioning team to build upon each other’s thoughts. The result: a greater breadth and depth of ideas that are far more inspired and developed than those any single individual could produce in the same time frame.

For all the brainstorming-naysayers among you, yes, there have been numerous studies that suggest individual ideation is more effective and producing ideas than group brainstorming. And no wonder. The vast majority of brainstorms are poorly planned, and facilitated by individuals who have had no formal training in the process. They are, in one way or another, like the dysfunctional examples I described at the top of this article: doomed from the start.

But when well prepared and expertly guided, a brainstorm is like a well-rehearsed symphony orchestra—each individual player sharing his or her talent and skill, working together to weave an intricate tapestry that only gets bigger and more beautiful as each new idea is introduced and expanded upon.

So if you are the one in control and just want to push your ideas forward (as ill-conceived and unenlightened as that management style may be), forget brainstorming. Save everyone the time, energy and humiliation, and just dictate the direction you demand.

But if you want to transform your organization into a super-human, innovative-thinking machine, do the right thing. Kick out the boss.

Or at least the boss’s ego.

THE SUPERSKILL® TIPS FOR MORE PERSUASIVE PRESENTATIONS

Many people fail to appreciate the importance of clear, persuasive communication and presentation skills as part of the innovation process. But without these skills, your ideas will remain yours alone. Here is just one useful tip that can help you become a more masterful presenter.

When you are attempting to persuade someone to support your idea, whether in a casual conversation, heated debate or formal presentation, take a moment to consider who it is you’re speaking with – and most important, remember the WIFFM concept (What’s In It For Me – “me” being the person you’re trying to convince) as opposed to the HHMBI approach (Hey, Here’s My Big Idea!).

Example:
You have a big idea for a new product or service that is radically different from that which your company currently offers. If your supervisor is conservative about risk, you’re objective should not be to tell him how radical and paradigm-shifting your idea is, but rather, how your idea will effectively differentiate your company in the marketplace, offset minimal risk with substantial ROI, and make your team (and its supervisor) look great in the eyes of management.

The first approach will significantly increase the odds of your supervisor’s resistance. The second will make him far more inclined to support your idea. Why? Because you’ve considered WIIFM.

Here are 3 simple steps you can follow to help ensure your message is meaningful and valuable to your audience…

1. Assess where the person you want to support your idea is coming from. Use your knowledge of the person and intuition to sense what their needs or goals might be.
2. Consider how your idea can meet/satisfy their needs, or help achieve their goals.
3. Present your idea simply and in a compelling manner, framing it in such a way that allows your audience understand (a common reference point)—WIIFM.

Remember, not everyone shares your agenda or your enthusiasm. They have their own goals. It is your job, as the champion of your idea, to help others see the value from their perspective.

How to Get Your Group Thinking On Its Feet

Group Graffiti is a physical, highly interactive idea generation technique that gets participants out of their seats and thinking on their feet. As its name implies, Group Graffiti is a writing and/or drawing exercise done with large sheets of paper taped to a wall. A problem statement is posted above and participants (armed with large, thick markers) are instructed to stroll back and forth along the wall spontaneously “tagging” it with ideas. Participants are also encouraged to build on the ideas of others.

Wild, audacious thinking is encouraged. The goal is to fill the wall with as many ideas and drawings as possible before the time deadline expires.

How to facilitate Group Graffiti:

1. Post 6-12 large, self-sticking sheets from a Post-it® Easel Pad (or a section of brown butcher paper) on a long, smooth, uncluttered wall surface. Also provide large markers to all participants.
2. Post the problem statement prominently on the wall.
3. Set a timer for 15-20 minutes. Instruct your participants to go to wall with their markers, and walk around randomly writing down or sketching ideas on the wall.
4. Encourage your group to spontaneously build on and evolve each other’s ideas — or jot down new ones. Anything goes in Group Graffiti.
5. When time has expired. Lead your group through the selection process by asking them to help identify the best ideas (based on your selection criteria) from the wall and read them out loud.
6. Once the best ideas have been selected, ask your group to look for ways to improve or build on the them to make the even better.

Wisdom of the Crowd Option
Creative ideas can come from anyone at any time, even from people not directly involved in your problem/solution process. To harvest the wisdom of the crowd, try posting large sheets of paper with the problem statement written boldly at the top in a public space or hallway. Just watch as individuals walking stop and add their ideas.

Monopoly – Revolution Edition
Out-of-the-Box Thinking Comes to Boardwalk & Park Place

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of its classic board game, Hasbro has unveiled a radically new updated design it calls, “Monopoly: Revolution Edition.” This new format is an interesting example of literally thinking “outside-the-box.”

The re-conceptualized board game design is slick and round instead of traditional and square. It uses debit cards and an ATM instead of the familiar pastel colored paper money and a banker. The classic metal tokens (boot, car, dog, iron etc.) have also been replaced by clear plastic pieces. The Revolution version is also multimedia; it plays clips of popular songs (like Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” and Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”) after specific actions.
Monopoly: Revolution Edition is no doubt designed to appeal to the Gen-X and Gen-Y/Millennial tech-savvy generations. The game has also been adjusted for inflation…prizes are far more impressive. Just like the retention bonuses on Wall Street, players can collect $2 million dollars for passing “Go” instead of a mere $200.

Old-school fans can take some comfort in the fact that Monopoly: Revolution retains the classic Atlantic City-based street system. Yes, Boardwalk and Park Place still retain their status as beloved landmarks.

This article originally appeared in our SmartStorming “Innovation Insights” newsletter. To subscribe, click here, or simply use the registration form in the right hand column.

One of the simplest, most valuable skills a brainstorm facilitator can develop is the ability to “read the direction” in which their group’s thoughts are flowing. Just like the ebbing and flowing tides of an ocean or river, collaborative thinking flows in one of two distinct directions: 1) it can diverge outward, in a broad, multidirectional, expansive exploration of ideas; or 2) it can converge inward, narrowing focus in an effort to judge, select and eliminate ideas.

Divergent and Convergent Thinking
Divergent thinking opens the imagination to all possibilities, while convergent thinking analyzes and chooses from among those possibilities. In a sense, divergent and convergent thinking are the Yin and Yang of creative problem solving. Neither is superior to the other – simply more appropriate for the task at hand. And both processes are essential to the ultimate success of any group idea generation session. So it’s important to understand their relative benefits, to identify when and under what circumstances each type of thinking is taking place, and to learn how to guide the group back to the most appropriate and effective method of thinking.

The Benefits of Divergent Thinking
Divergent thinking allows a group to generate as many fresh, new ideas as possible in a short timeframe. During this process all judgment is suspended, the group is encouraged to go for quantity of ideas, not quality, spontaneously build on one another’s ideas, and push the boundaries of the imagination…even wild, crazy, audacious ideas are welcome. In fact, the motto for divergent thinking is, “Everything is possible!” All ideas are equally embraced and recorded. In divergent thinking there really is no such thing as a bad idea. The goal is to simply achieve the largest creative yield of ideas and new connections possible. Look at divergent thinking as “big picture,” unencumbered by any practical or logistical constrains, limitations, or judgments.

The Benefits of Convergent Thinking
If divergent thinking is casting the widest net possible to capture new ideas, then convergent thinking can be thought of as harvesting of the very best of catch. Just as a funnel decreases the scope of a substance, so that it fits through a narrow opening, convergent thinking narrows down a large number of ideas through the process of analyzing, judging, eliminating and selecting. Convergent thinking is ideally suited for thoroughly evaluating the merits of an idea, or seeing how well it holds up to scrutiny based on pre-established criteria. We use convergent thinking to gain clarity, consider practical constraints, draw conclusions, determine the bottom-line, and select the best ideas.

When Thinking Processes Collide
As we mentioned earlier, each of the two thinking processes has an essential role to play in an effective brainstorm. However, if they take place simultaneously, or at the inappropriate time, they will quickly become an obstacle to success. Like matter and antimatter, one will neutralize the benefits of the other and create potentially “explosive” situations.

For example, imagine your group is in the middle of a spirited “blue sky” exploration of new, inventive ways to promote your product or service in light of new competition (divergent thinking). Suddenly a participant begins to judge or shoot down fledgling ideas they feel aren’t worthy of consideration (convergent thinking). What happens? The spontaneous outflow of idea sharing comes to a grinding halt. People clam up, become defensive and withhold their thoughts in fear of being judged or ridiculed. It takes a vigilant and skilled facilitator to spot convergent thinking when it seeps into the divergent ideation process. To get the session back on track, the facilitator must quickly stop the judgment and shift the group back in the direction of productive, divergent thinking.

Conversely if your group is in the selection process of narrowing down an abundance of ideas, convergent thinking is just the method you need. By assessing and judging ideas according to an established list of objective criteria, you can quickly separate the wheat from the chaff. However, if divergent thinking enters your evaluation process, your group will start free-associating ways to save an impractical idea… or worse, spontaneously begin a whole new round of unnecessary idea-generation. When this occurs, the objective selection process gets hijacked; sessions run overtime, and usually end without closure.

The Best of Both Worlds
An awareness and understanding of both these types of collaborative thinking can have a profound impact on the ultimate effectiveness of your idea generation sessions. Learn to identify them quickly. Develop skills for guiding or redirecting your group’s attention in the most productive direction. Then watch, not just as the ideas flow – but as the very best rise to the top.

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“Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain into yours without surgery.” – Mark Amidon

How many life changing ideas do you figure have been thought up over the centuries, yet no one ever heard about them?

How many times every day do you imagine a brilliant concept is presented to a decision-maker, only to be shot down and buried forever?

How many creative geniuses do you think are really able to effectively communicate and present their ideas to others? Not everyone is a Steve Jobs. In fact, very few of us are. Which is one of the key reasons why Steve Jobs is, well, Steve Jobs.

Creativity and innovative thinking don’t really require clear, effective communication. Big brained scientists with minimal social skills think up mind-blowing ideas in the privacy of their labs every day. But true innovation requires that those remarkable, game-changing ideas make it through the gauntlet of judgment and criticism, all the way through to completion, where they can deliver real, lasting value. That simply cannot happen if no one knows about them and enthusiastically supports them. And that requires effective communication and presentation skills.

As Howard H. Aiken is quoted as saying, “Don’t worry about people stealing an idea. If it’s original, you will have to ram it down their throats.” And while ramming it down their throats might not always be required, a little persuasion almost always will be.

Communication is the often forgotten, essential component of innovation. True, it’s not as sexy as all those other components we love reading about, things like creative ideation, strategic implementation, enhanced value, disruptive technology, elegant design and a dozen or so other overused buzz words. But in the end, if your big idea is not clearly and persuasively presented to your collaborators and decision makers, it will simply wither on the vine.

We’ve all seen it happen, especially in a group brainstorm session. Someone at the table has an idea, a good idea, one they love and that has real merit. Unfortunately, they don’t have the confidence and expertise to articulate it persuasively. A louder voice and bigger ego in the room shoots it down, and there it lies. Sometimes a supportive comrade will pick up the idea and champion it to the group. But if a skilled communicator doesn’t take up the challenge, it’s dead.

The good news is that communication and presentation skills can be learned and mastered by anybody. As with any other discipline, there are simple, proven methods and techniques that can help you speak with authority and influence the opinions and decisions of others. So if you are going to be an effective innovator, or even a contributor to the innovation process, you had better start boning up on your communication skills.

Here are a few tips to help you sell your next big idea…

1. Know What You’re Trying to Achieve – Before you open your mouth, think for a moment about what you want your words to actually accomplish. Are you trying to convince someone that your idea is the best there is, or simply one of several worthy of further consideration? Are you attempting to get final approval for your idea or simply create the opportunity to present it up the chain of command? Is your idea fully fleshed out or just an embryonic concept? Such things can have a profound impact on what you say and how you say it. So take a moment or two to think about what you wish to achieve before you speak, and you will have a much better chance of choosing the best words to help you attain your goal.
2. Know Who You’re Talking To – One of the great revelations most people have when mastering communication and presentation skills is that their audience often doesn’t really care all that much about what they have to say. In fact, the people you present your idea to only care about one thing… what’s in it for them. To sell your idea, you need to understand ahead of time what the other person’s agenda is, what their goals and objectives are in a given situation, and then frame your communication in the best way possible to let them know you understand, and that your idea can help them achieve their goals. Will your idea make them (or their team) look good? Could it result in a bonus or praise from management? Is it so risky that they might be hesitant to support it? Remember this number one secret of great communicators – know your audience well, and tell them what they need to hear. That is persuasive communication.
3. Know What You’re Going to Say – Seems obvious, right? But how many times have you opened your mouth and realized, almost immediately, that you were saying precisely the wrong thing at precisely the wrong time? If you’ve taken a few moments to focus on the first two steps, this third one becomes a lot easier. What do you have to say to this person in order to get them to respond the way you would like them to, right now? That’s precisely what you want to say at precisely this moment.
4. Know How You’re Going to Say It – As the saying goes, you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. Of course, you can kill a lot more with a flyswatter. Too meek or too bold an approach will not do the trick when presenting an idea for approval. How you deliver your message can be just as important as the message itself. Consider the situation. Is the mood upbeat and congenial or tense and combative? Are ideas being shot down faster than they can be spoken, or is everyone being overly supportive and not really giving anything real, critical evaluation? Are you on a tight deadline or do you have time to spare? Take the temperature in the room before you start selling. Make sure your manner and tone are confident, but appropriate.

Is it really possible to do all of this in the middle of a brainstorm, or even a business presentation? Of course. Masterful communicators and presenters do it every day. It just takes a little awareness, attention and practice. Don’t wait until your job depends on it. Start using these four simple communication tips today. In no time you will be able to consider all of these things in just a few seconds.

Many people think that being a confident, persuasive communicator is something you’re just born with. Nothing could be further from the truth. Communication is a skill. Learn it, master it, become a more valuable part of the innovation cycle – and start seeing more your ideas become a reality.