Install three key habits to help with focus

How many habits could you change at one time? Two months ago, a naturopath suggested I renovate my diet radically. “You’re asking me to change every habit around buying, preparing and eating food,” I said wearily. He shrugged. There is a rule of thumb – it takes 21-30 consecutive repetitions, at...

Use characters to convey concepts

Conveying a complex concept to an audience in a simple and compelling way can be tough. One creative trick is to associate it with a specific character – it opens up very distinct, creative ways to communicate. Geico, for example, uses a gecko with a British accent in its ads (example below) to convey the...

Deliver a 5-minute pitch!

In December the folks at the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) asked me to teach participants in their Climate Spark event how to deliver a 5-minute pitch. Ten finalists in this social venture challenge – social/green entrepreneurs with a great business idea – gathered for two days to prepare for a...

Let the visuals do the talking

My favourite part of each new year is the “best of” summaries from the previous year. They are great inspirations for new ideas so bookmark them for your “trigger library” and refer to them when looking to unstick your thinking! Today I link to a purely visual blog, Most creative and...

Be specific with your ask

In a previous post, I said “state the ask in all communication” and now I have a rich example – the video below – of the lost opportunity when “the ask” (call to action) is ambiguous rather than specific. It’s a powerful video with stunning images but I wish the ending...

Adapt diagrams to express concepts

Conveying data with diagrams – pie charts, flowcharts, etc. – is routine. Be innovative: use diagrams to convey concepts! Many people are visual learners; if you want them to follow your thinking, draw them a picture! The example opposite shows the comparative value of Talk vs. Action in a more poignant...

Pose a “burning question”

The way to engage an audience is to make your topic meaningful to them via a “burning question” (BQ). It highlights the problem or “pain” you are solving and/or the the opportunity you have captured! (The BQ can also be a provocative statement that infers a burning question.) The act of writing a BQ...

Experience “supercharged” communication

We all struggle with communicating complex topics. It’s hard to simplify the story we’re telling and it’s hard to capture the attention of an audience bombarded by media every minute of the day. Watch this video, The Empathic Civilisation, and note how it tackles an elaborate topic in 10...

Use clipart but exercise restraint

Clipart is so readily available, it’s prone to abuse. We’ve all seen PowerPoint presentations with clipart that distracts because it’s too frequent or too random. If you exercise restraint, you can use clipart to enhance (vs. clutter) your message. Tips for using clipart Don’t start...

Find metaphors in dogs and potato chips

Recently I supplied the Twin Trigger Exercise to help you use metaphors to trigger ideas. Now I share two examples. The invention of Pringles Potato Chips is a favourite story because I interviewed the inventor, Bill Gordon. Fido cell phones is another favourite because the brand itself is based in a...

Use “Twin Trigger” to find metaphors

Metaphors and analogies deepen our understanding of a concept by linking it to something similar in another paradigm. For example, “Floats like a butterfly, stings like bee” conveys the grace and power of boxer Mohammed Ali by linking his movements to those of familiar insects. This act of...

Bury the lead, but only if you’re famous!

Everyone, including me, has been guilty of “burying the lead” i.e., naming the topic too late. It can happen if you start with a story and wait too long to show its relevance. Of course, this rule does not apply if you’re as famous as, say, Malcolm Gladwell! In a 2004 TED video Gladwell explains how...

Express a clear point of view

Do you ever dilute your point of view to gain acceptance from your audience? Problem is, a diluted message rarely engages people. When you’re self-editing, you lose your flow (i.e., your passion and ease) – your authenticity suffers and, along with it, your ability to persuade. Think about...

State the “ask” in all communication

When presenting, you need to do more than present the topic as a burning question. You need to be clear on your “ask”  – the specific tangible thing you need from your audience to drive your work forward e.g., “$20K to investigate a strategic partnership with Company X.” The ask is...

Distinguish creativity from innovation

In 2003, I wrote an article about innovation for the National Post in which I remarked that, like fruit, buzzwords get fuzzy over time. Nothing has changed. “Creativity” and “innovation” are used often but few people actually know what they mean or how they differ. Why bother distinguishing them?...

Provoke with photography

If a picture tells a thousand words, then a quirky picture sings or burps or laughs those words. My friends, Holly Wilmeth and Russell Monk, create photographs that provoke emotions and ideas. Both live in San Miguel de Allende – an artists’ colony in Mexico and my second home. A brilliantly quirky...

Sell your ideas with “SUCCES” (not a typo!)

Great ideas have been lost because their creators could not concisely communicate the benefits to the people with the power to approve implementation. Made to Stick (Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die), by authors Chip and Dan Heath, is about how to sell your ideas. The main tip is an acronym –...

Learn the Art of the Start

The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki is a must-have for anyone thinking of starting a business. The subtitle: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything, says it all. I liked his tips on how to position your offering. Even if you’re launching a service within a larger...

Tool: ABCaP Cheatsheet

Does your team’s communication drive action on your team’s projects? If you need help with this, download a one-page pdf summarizing ABCaP – Action-oriented communication (a Creative Expeditions process). ABCaP is geared for PPT presentations but applies to all team interactions e.g. e-mails, phone...