Think Differently or Else

Think Differently or Else:

A Special Interactive Presentation for SIU

A Special Presentation to
Texas Association of Special Investigation Units
Texas-South Chapter - Houston, Texas
June 8, 2011
by
Joe Fournet
copyright 2011 Ideas & MORE, all rights reserved

1
Monday, June 13, 2011 1

Handouts & Take Aways

Helpful Stuff - - websites & books
Top Tips
Highlights

2

Some Creativity Stuff

What is creativity
Power of ideas
Capturing creativity when you don’t have an
iPad
Presenting the iKit
Warp Speed Thinking
Drill down technique

3

S’more Stuff and Some Fun . . .

What to do with those ideas you generate?
Idea Wall
Idea Tub

How to enhance one’s creativity
Failure is an option
“SuckLess” mentality
Dead cat

Things to ponder & Wrap up
4

Warning!

You are now entering

The
Creativity Zone


Creativity

C r ea tivity seems all about
th ought and concepts .

So, what is it really?

6

What is creativity?

Cr eat i v i t y i s t h e spa rk - the spark
that ignites what you say and how
y ou s ay i t .
Or . . .
what you do and how you do it.

7

What does creativity mean to you?

OK, who wants to be ﬁrst?

8

Creativity . . .

should be synonymous
with a popular 4-letter word
that begins with
F...U...

9

Creativity . . .

Relax!

We’re talking
“FUN!”
10

Creativity Insights

Creativity is a state of mind --
when the mind has fun, creativity is boundless

Creativity occurs when people perceive
there are no limits.

11

Creativity Insights

Creativity can be deﬁned as the ability to see, feel, touch, think and
imagine what one has not seen, felt, touched, thought or imagined
before.

Creativity – the sudden cessation of stupidity.

My favorite deﬁnition:
“Intelligence having fun.”

12

You’re creative if . . .

You have the ability to challenge your own
imagination and stimulate thoughts to lead you to
a new level of solution.
We’re all creative because . . .

Each one of us represents a different perspective, a
different creative slant.

13

Power of Ideas
Simplest idea, creatively and smartly executed, can differentiate the forgettable from the
memorable.
Ideas + Creativity = Logic + Magic.
You should only care about two things:

How to make the idea work and be relevant.

Ideas need to be the foundation for delivering creative solutions to business
problems.

Said another way, ideas are the foundation of any persuasive communication that
matters - internally or externally.

14

Ideas & Persuasive Communication

Ideas must be clear with basic value explained in 20 seconds;
borrow an 8-year old--if she gets it, u’r ok.

Be creative business thinkers as well as storytellers in relating to
audiences.

Be straightforward but personable

Become the expert and act like it; only do so with a sense of humor


15

Don’t Let Execution Derail You

Even when strategy is clear, message can still be diluted if the
creative is too cute, too complex or just plain dumb.
The computer and software are just tools to enhance the idea and
message, not to compete with, replace, or screw it up.
Technology notwithstanding, be able to jot down your thoughts on
paper or the infamous cocktail napkin.
Beware of e-mail! What you put in writing may come back to haunt
you. The more sensitive the material, the longer you wait to send.

16

Be Careful

Never fall in love with your idea!

There’s always a better one
around the corner.

17

Creativity’s Way of Thinking

Don’t ever underestimate the power of your
mind or imagination.
In order to innovate or create, think
beyond the conventional.
To hell with the status quo (attitude)
Think Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (think in opposite direction)

Don’t be afraid to ask: “Why, why not, or what if?” . . .
. . . When you apply critical thinking, see the “big picture,” and
condense complex information into clear message

18

Capturing Creativity

How do you
do that
when you
don’t have an iPad?
(or even if you do)

19

Presenting the iKit

Ye Olde Creativity Survival Kit:
Makes you feel creative, think creatively

Warp Speed Thinking
Drill Down
Idea Tub

20

Warp Speed Thinking

Generating ideas at breakneck speed by
capturing one idea (single word or two or phrase)
per Post-it Note in answering speciﬁc question to
solve a problem or address a challenge.
How do I make a better presentation to _____ ?
No time to analyze or judge or be fearful!
Strive for 50 ideas in 5 minutes - Ready, Set

21

Warp Speed Thinking Reaction

So, whadyathink?

22

Drill Down Technique #1

Trying to hit THE idea from a standard approach
After eliminating duplicates . . .
Select half from your Post-its
(you only have 2-3 minutes)
Select half again until you’re down to 5.
Select 2, then 1.
Is it the best one? Supposedly. But wait . . .

23

Drill Down #2

24

Drill Down #2

Trying to hit THE idea from a different perspective

24

Drill Down #2

Select 5 best ideas from Post-its (2-3 minutes)

24

Drill Down #2


Surprise!

24

Drill Down #2


Surprise!


24

More Drill Down #2

After you have selected and discarded all Post-its until you’re
down to one,
consider this . . .
Is it the best one? It’s deﬁnitely one you would not have paid
any attention to were it not for this exercise.
It may be the hidden gem.
Consider doing BOTH techniques with different groups

25

Ask A Better Question

Helps you push beyond the known
Ask right kind of question to trigger curiosity
When faced with a dilemma, you tend to look
for an answer you know - ask a better
question to get more results - just pose a
question for which you don’t know the
answer = you’ll feel stretched, that’s good.

26

Idea Wall & Idea Tub

Idea Wall - anywhere your Post-it Note ideas can
gather together in one place

Idea Tub - physical place, thing or electronic ﬁle
where all ideas ever submitted are collected and
organized in a manner that’s easily accessible
Remember: Bad ideas are forgotten; good ones
need storage

27

Getting Out the Message

In order to internally communicate:
Services SIU offers, what fraud indicators
adjusters should look for, how claims can
contact SIU, process for sending fraud referrals
to SIU
Consider - Handouts, E-briefs, Lunch-n-
Learns, what have you NOT done before

28

Failure is an option

You can’t have success unless you’re prepared to have failure
Build failure into your culture as part of the process; don’t
ridicule it, but honor and embrace it.
Adopt Pixar Studio’s “SuckLess mentality”.
When presented with something that doesn’t quite measure up, be
lighthearted.
Say something like “Gee, that really sucks. However, if your tried this
or that, it might suck less.”


29

What To Do With A Dead Cat

Do not bring a DEAD CAT without a shovel!
Never present a problem without bringing the shovel:
At least two possible solutions.
You save time if one of these is adopted, and you get to share your creative thinking
while learning what’s important to your boss.

Remember, you may not know all there is to know.


30

Oddball Observation #1

When it comes to applying yourself and
being focused:
“It’s okay to be orderly in your normal life,
but be violent and original in your work.”


31


“You’re going to screw up!”

“So it comes with being daring that you’re going to screw up. But
I’d rather apologize than to be so timid as to not try and do
anything smart or brave.”

-- Lee Clow
Worldwide Creative Director
TBWA/ChiatDay

32


The key to accomplishing anything great
is being too stupid to realize
it can’t be done.


33

Thank You, TASIU!!

Please send your donations to:
Joe Fournet
Ideas & MORE
www.ideasnmore.net
j4net@ideasnmore.net
281-980-1802

34

Think Differently or Else

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Similar to Think Differently or Else

Recently uploaded

Think Differently or Else