4 Guidelines for Having Creative Conversations
It is a marketer’s job to articulate the benefits of his or her company’s products and services through storytelling, and creativity is an essential part of the process. Injecting creativity into your marketing communications makes your story more compelling and differentiates your business from its competition.
It would be nice if there were a light switch for bright ideas, but creativity cannot be turned on at will, and inspiration is not a commodity. However, engaging in creative conversations with your team can lead to the development of narratives that resonate with your target audience. Here are some guidelines for having conversations that stimulate creativity in your marketing endeavors:
No bad ideas and no wrong answers.
The most important part of having a creative conversation is to convey the fact that everyone’s input is always valuable. Great ideas can spring from not-so-great ones, and everyone has a different perspective to contribute. This means that it is crucial to let your team know they can share their thoughts without judgment or fear of being put down.
If it is not written down, it does not exist.
It is often necessary to refer back to the content of creative conversations after they have taken place. However, memory erodes over time, and great ideas can be miscommunicated or subtly altered if they are not correctly recorded. Therefore, it is crucial to have a note taker to ensure that everything can be recalled later on.
Be wary of groupthink.
We have all been a part of a conversation that was dominated by an individual with whom everybody “agreed.” This type of situation stifles creativity and makes it more likely that bad ideas are implemented, while honest collaboration can reveal possibilities that no individual could have come up with on their own. Make sure everyone gets a chance to speak their mind without letting any one person, opinion, or idea take over.
Go to a creative space.
Going to a place outside of the office can reframe the conversation as something other than business as usual. Oftentimes, the conversations a team has away from work are the ones that stick. Anything that breaks up the everyday routine can lead to creative success. Working outside the office can be as simple as all working from a coffee shop one afternoon or going all-in with a company retreat. Regardless of the path taken, the team and business will benefit in the end.
Having creative conversations requires a willingness to step away from the ordinary in order to produce truly unique results. This is beneficial for marketers because creativity can make the difference between winning and losing business. Following these guidelines will help you tell a story that’s not just another rehash of the same old marketing message.