How to persevere beyond the ‘no’ when proposing ideas for new futures

People say no to new ideas because the new ideas do not fit what is current and understandable.  What exists is easy; change requires an effort.

People say no at the drop of a hat, without thinking.  It’s a knee jerk reaction (see the exercise below the table for an example).

Creativity = new ideas, new decisions and new actions. For progress to be made you need all three. Perseverance to navigate through the objections and cautions when new ways of proceeding are offered is also required.

Below are comebacks to people who say no. Theses are guides for presenting and persevering with notions you really like and want to see come to fruition.

With thanks to the University of Houston, College of Technology Foresight from which this list was adapted.

Here’s an exercise for you and your team to become aware of how often ‘no’ is a typical response.

Take inventory of the extent to which your own “No” reflex dominates your life. Notice for 24 hours (even in your dreams) how often you say or think:

“No.”
“That’s not right.”
“I don’t like them.”
“I don’t agree with that.”
“They don’t like me.”
“That should be different from what it is.”

Then retrain yourself to say “YES” at least 51 percent of the time. Start the transformation by saying “YES” aloud 22 times right now.

How might you leverage this activity to build an innovation friendly environment?

This exercise appears in Rob Breszny’s Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia, Revised and Expanded: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

Marci Segal, MS

Freeing leaders’ thinking so they can create new futures.

Stanford Crash Course on Creativity – Creative Story Telling – Week 7

“Let me tell you a story…”  Six great words to start off any presentation.  People love stories, and that phrase primes them to pay attention to what you are about to say. Stories draw people in, they bring ideas to life and keep them memorable. According to Tina Seelig, Executive Director, Stanford Technology Ventures Program and leader of this course, “Most successful leaders are effective storytellers. They use stories to engage their colleagues, their customers, and their constituents.”

Stories are particularly helpful to use when presenting ideas people haven’t heard before.  The better the story you tell about your idea, the better the presentation, and the greater the likelihood people will be thankful for spending time with you.

Story Telling Pointers

• You have to have a hook – something that’s surprising, funny, sad, enraging – the hook compels the listener leveraging their emotion and stirs their feeling of curiosity to learn more
• Show, using images, and not tell using words
• Use videos and music – the music sets the tone for the story
• Use suspense and surprises to keep everyone engaged; like your uncle Harry during family camping trips when you were a kid. Remember how he spun tales around the glowing embers of the campfire? Using suspense and surprise let’s people use their imagination, really.

Why not try it on for size?  Why not craft a story to present your next new idea?

About Story Telling

Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Square and Twitter explains the value in writing a story from the user’s perspective. He discusses Square’s vital use of narratives to understand what customers truly experience when using the product. According to Dorsey, all of a company’s other strategies and tactics should grow naturally out of these powerful user narratives.

Seen what Seth Godin has to say about stories? Here’s his take. Got good points.

Stories to Assess

These questions are for you to use when you watch these two storytelling examples. Use them too, as a guide for crafting your tales.

1. Is there a hook? What is it?
2. How does the video make you feel?
3. Are there surprises?
4. How does the music work with the story?
5. Is there a resolution at the end of the story?
6. Is it a video you would want to share with others? or a story you want to pass along?

An Aside

Dan Roam with Marci Segal

This week I attended a lecture by Dan Roam, author of Blah, Blah, Blah and other titles, who showed simple ways to use drawing instead of words to convey new ideas. Dan said the brain is 75% oriented to visual and suggested successfully engaging others involves using drawings. He led us through an engaging hour practicing doing just that.

Check out his work for new ideas, especially if you are feeling a little stale and want to brighten up.

Hey, how’s about this

1. Craft a story to sell a new idea to someone
2. Create a portrait of the story using Dan’s approach
3. See which one works better for you and your intended audience.

Fun, eh?

Marci Segal, MS, Creativity and Change Leadership, Freeing leaders thinking so they can create new futures (who has a story or two to tell about innovation and creativity and presenting ideas in brand new ways.  HUGE successes. Got a minute?:-))

Related articles

• The Science of Storytelling: Why Telling a Story is the Most Powerful Way to Activate Our Brains
• What listening to a story does to our brains
• Building creative confidence: David Kelley at TED2012

The Law of Dissatisfaction vs. Gratitude

“The job of advertisers is to create dissatisfaction in its audience. If people are happy with how they look, they are not going to buy cosmetics or diet books; if people are happy with their old twenty-inch tube television they are not going to buy a sixty-inch LCD flat screen TV. If people are happy with who they are, where they are in life, and what they got, they just aren’t customer-potential, that is, unless you make them unhappy.” J. Bader MRPwebmedia

The antidote to dissatisfaction?

Gratitude is the antidote to dissatisfaction, writes Eco-philosopher and Buddhist Joanna Macy in Active Hope. “Gratitude is about delighting in and feeling satisfied with what you’re already experiencing” (p.46).  She says more than $400 billion is spent on advertising yearly that supports messages that you’ll be better off when you buy x product. By having an attitude of gratitude toward who we are, the people you know and the things you have, you are saving important planetary resources from being used to manufacture yet another pair of shoes.  Macy, J. and Johnstone, C. (2012). Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy.  Novato, California: New World Library.

Just imagine…

…a tsunami of gratitude occurred and no one wanted to buy anything because they are pleased with what they already have.  What kind of different future might emerge?

Related articles

• Top 5 Reasons for Employee Dissatisfaction [Infographic](saleschase.com)

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Script to sell your boss new ideas

Jordan used the quick checklist for creative ideas.  The new idea arrived.  Another call came through.

“Marci, thanks, I got it.  Now how do I sell it to my boss?  Can you remind me?”

“Jordan, your learning and retention style amazes and delights me.   I’m happy to zap over this checklist for you, here t’is.”

1. Describe the idea: What is it? What does it look like? How is it used? In what situations is it used?
2. Who is this idea for?  Who is the primary target?  Is there a secondary target?
3. What belief, problem, and/or need does this idea address?
4. What are the end-user benefits?  In what ways to people derive value from it?
5. How do you support what’s good about the idea?  Why is this one idea the one that can deliver those benefits?
6. Describe how this idea is different from others that are available.
7. Show a picture, diagram, model, structure of how it works, how it makes life easier, more efficient, more satisfying.

“Dostoyevsky once said, Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.  When presenting a new idea to your boss, your responsibility is to cut that fear.  Got it Jordan?”

“Thanks Marci.  Done.”

MINORITY RULES: SCIENTISTS DISCOVER TIPPING POINT FOR THE SPREAD OF IDEAS

physorg.com
July 25, 2011

Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society. The scientists, who are members of the Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center (SCNARC) at Rensselaer, used computational and analytical methods to discover the tipping point where a minority belief becomes the majority opinion. The finding has implications for the study and influence of societal interactions ranging from the spread of innovations to the movement of political ideals.

“When the number of committed opinion holders is below 10 percent, there is no visible progress in the spread of ideas. It would literally take the amount of time comparable to the age of the universe for this size group to reach the majority,” said SCNARC Director Boleslaw Szymanski, the Claire and Roland Schmitt Distinguished Professor at Rensselaer. “Once that number grows above 10 percent, the idea spreads like flame.”

As an example, the ongoing events in Tunisia and Egypt appear to exhibit a similar process, according to Szymanski. “In those countries, dictators who were in power for decades were suddenly overthrown in just a few weeks.”

The findings were published in the July 22, 2011, early online edition of the journal Physical Review E in an article titled “Social consensus through the influence of committed minorities.”

An important aspect of the finding is that the percent of committed opinion holders required to shift majority opinion does not change significantly regardless of the type of network in which the opinion holders are working. In other words, the percentage of committed opinion holders required to influence a society remains at approximately 10 percent, regardless of how or where that opinion starts and spreads in the society.

To reach their conclusion, the scientists developed computer models of various types of social networks. One of the networks had each person connect to every other person in the network. The second model included certain individuals who were connected to a large number of people, making them opinion hubs or leaders. The final model gave every person in the model roughly the same number of connections. The initial state of each of the models was a sea of traditional-view holders. Each of these individuals held a view, but were also, importantly, open minded to other views.

Once the networks were built, the scientists then “sprinkled” in some true believers throughout each of the networks. These people were completely set in their views and unflappable in modifying those beliefs. As those true believers began to converse with those who held the traditional belief system, the tides gradually and then very abruptly began to shift.

“In general, people do not like to have an unpopular opinion and are always seeking to try locally to come to consensus. We set up this dynamic in each of our models,” said SCNARC Research Associate and corresponding paper author Sameet Sreenivasan. To accomplish this, each of the individuals in the models “talked” to each other about their opinion. If the listener held the same opinions as the speaker, it reinforced the listener’s belief. If the opinion was different, the listener considered it and moved on to talk to another person. If that person also held this new belief, the listener then adopted that belief.

“As agents of change start to convince more and more people, the situation begins to change,” Sreenivasan said. “People begin to question their own views at first and then completely adopt the new view to spread it even further. If the true believers just influenced their neighbors, that wouldn’t change anything within the larger system, as we saw with percentages less than 10.”

The research has broad implications for understanding how opinion spreads. “There are clearly situations in which it helps to know how to efficiently spread some opinion or how to suppress a developing opinion,” said Associate Professor of Physics and co-author of the paper Gyorgy Korniss. “Some examples might be the need to quickly convince a town to move before a hurricane or spread new information on the prevention of disease in a rural village.”

The researchers are now looking for partners within the social sciences and other fields to compare their computational models to historical examples. They are also looking to study how the percentage might change when input into a model where the society is polarized. Instead of simply holding one traditional view, the society would instead hold two opposing viewpoints. An example of this polarization would be Democrat versus Republican.

Thanks to Jan Nickerson for the link.

New ideas rejected due to time-zone lag, a quick fix.

Have you ever experienced jet lag?

Jet lag occurs because your body’s cycle, it’s circadian rhythm, is thrown off course.  You experience daylight and darkness at different times than what you are used to and this disrupts your natural times for eating, sleeping, hormone regulation and body temperature variations. Your body is out of alignment with the new environment and can’t immediately adjust to the new location’s rhythm.

How do you know if you are jet-lagged?  The common symptoms are headaches, insomnia and fatigue, disorientation and irritability, grogginess, mild depression, constipation and/or diarrhea.

Have you experienced Time-zone lag?

Time-zone lag (TZL)  occurs when new ideas are rejected. New ideas hold promise for a different future. A person who says no a new idea shows a preference for continuing on a path set in the past rather than welcome creating a new one. Creating a new path requires mental and physical effort, focused attention and new decisions that disrupt established natural rhythms.  Saying no is a protective response to make sure things continue to run smoothly within established boundaries.

You know you are experiencing TZL when you hear people use idea-killing statements such as, “we’ve tried that before”, “it will cost too much money”, “you want to do what????” Symptoms include feeling rejected and discouraged, insecure, confused, irritable and angry, disappointed, frustrated, mildly depressed, lonely, worthless.

Time-zone lag interferes with innovation

Experience shows that when people feel TZL  they are less likely to be open to or contribute new ideas. A remedy is needed. Innovation and creativity are rising in popularity as business skills to get new ideas and make new decisions to chart new courses of action and achieve results.

Quick fix for Time-zone lag

Totally eliminating TZL takes time, let’s face it. Use this short-term remedy to help reduce its hold.

When presenting new ideas visit each time zone to make it easier for your idea to be accepted.

1. Talk about its past – what occurred before, earlier conditions
2. Bring it to the present – what is happening now, current conditions
3. Position it with future possibilities – what trends are emerging, future conditions
4. Energize it with a vision – what transformation potential does it hold, unique unparalleled conditions

New ideas and new decisions are required for cracking open new thinking to create the future.  Use the TZL remedy to facilitate others’ safe journeys into the next new world and to increase the likelihood of hearing a ‘yes’.

Selling New Ideas – Who are you pitching?

Checking your impressions against your customer’s (boss, client, partners) truth will help you sell new ideas to help others make new decisions that count.

Chances are in your favour when you do these three things:

• Ensure your idea matches their reality and not your impression of what it is.
• Observe your audience closely to discover how your idea will make their life easier.
• Use clear language to communicate exactly what you mean, so that when you do get a ‘yes’ you’ll be delivering against the promise.

You’ll build relationships, gain trust and demonstrate how you ‘grok‘ your audience. And, chances are, your next pitch will be more easily received.

Type and Creativity

There’s a difference in the way people approach getting new ideas and making new decisions. Creativity professionals use this information to facilitate new thinking.

Some people get ideas from inside, through reflection. Others, when interacting with the world outside of themselves.

Some people get new ideas from taking a look at the physical world, others, through insights and imagining what if, connecting things that have never been associated before.

Some people make new decisions by establishing measurable criteria, or linking them to existing frameworks; others, through connecting to others or aligning the solution to personally held values.

Carl Jung’s psychological type theory provides insight into how people find new ideas and make new decisions and how these processes may differ from person to person.  When creativity professionals have this knowledge, it’s easier for them to welcome and facilitate everyone’s contribution.

I gave a presentation at the Creative Problem Solving Institute in June 2010 week to show people how to:

• use this theory to extend their facilitation skills
• gain knowledge about how their styles inform their approach to creativity
• design creative thinking practices that engage all people, encouraging them to give their best

Feedback from the session revealed we accomplished another unintended goal: participants learned what others need to hear to be open to consider a new idea, very helpful, they said, when working with people who’s styles are different from your own.

Marci Segal, MS, Creativity and Change Leadership; Freeing leaders’ thinking so they can create new futures.

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Selling New Ideas – The Human Dimension

Have you seen the post Selling New Ideas – Getting Ready? It provides a list of questions and points to have ready in your presentation when it’s time to make the pitch.

Pitches are interactive experiences where the idea giver shows how the new suggestion will make life easier for the idea receiver. You will be dealing with people, not automatons.

People have preferences for the kind of information they like to hear and share.  They also have preferences for the ways in which they may decisions.  Without going into the deep theory of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator®  instrument here’s a brief mention of these preference themes.

• Information includes: what is, what was, what might be and what’s on the horizon for the far future?
• Decisions are made with: clarity of understanding, sequence of implementation, co-operation among people and values.

Make sure you include language that speaks to each.  Some will be easy for you, others not.  Persevere.  There’s a few benefits in putting in the sweat work.

• You’ll likely discover new ideas and make new decisions yourself as you do.
• You’ll be more likely to establish rapport with your audience when you include the eight language points.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when in the presentation itself.

Be open to suggestions for improvement.

• Chances are your idea receiver will want to add points and/or debate your proposal.  Take this as a sign of interest and stay open to these.
• If you are asked a question you don’t know the answer to don’t bluff it. Admit that you need to look into it for further information.

Consider the human dynamics at play.

• Your idea receiver’s emotional state can influence a yes or no response. If the person is hurried, harried or hungover you may wish to reschedule the conversation for another time.

Creativity involves new ideas and new decisions. It’s personal.

Innovation, on the other hand is “…a multi-stage process during which organizations transform ideas into new/improved products, service or processes, in order to advance, compete and differentiate themselves successfully in their marketplace.”

If you want your idea to fly…well, you know what to do. Speak to the language and needs of the people you are pitching to.  It’ll open the doors for wonderful new and exciting futures.

Innovation quote from Baregheh A, Rowley J and Sambrook S.(2009) Towards a multidisciplinary definition of innovation, Management decision, vol. 47, no. 8, pp. 1323–1339.

®Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Myers Briggs, and MBTI are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Trust in the United States and other countries.

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Selling New Ideas – Getting ready

It’s a myth that people aren’t open to new ideas. They are, as long as they can see the benefit of what you are proposing. Just because you see the value of the suggestion doesn’t mean others will if you don’t speak their language.

Managers want to know how your new idea makes their life easier. They want certainty, to avoid risk, to win. They need to feel secure, worthy, and that they are contributing to organization’s success.  You need to assure them that your idea does it all.

To get a ‘yes’ to your new idea you need to address what’s important to the person you are pitching to and the organization.

Here’s a checklist of questions and points to use before you approach someone with your creative suggestion. Having good answers will help you get ready to have your idea fly to create an exciting new future.

You’ve got the idea and want to hear a ‘yes’ to it. Here’s what to do.

Ask your boss, client, colleagues if they are open to considering a new idea.

• If they say no, ask when might be a better time or who else to approach, then continue through the list
• If they say yes, proceed through the list

If this idea is to have any sticking power it needs support.  When you are ready to answer the questions and address the points below you will increase the likelihood of a yes.

THE LIST

These are questions and points to cover when making a proposal in an organizational setting.

1. Demonstrate its value.

• How does the new idea improve a product, service or process that exists within the company or external to it – How does it meet people’s needs in a better way than what already exists?
• How does the idea advance the organization’s goals – Is sustainability or corporate social responsibility a goal? In what ways does your idea support these, for example?
• How does it increase competitive advantage – In what ways does it make life easier for the customer? What makes it the most attractive decision for stake holders?
• How does it differentiate the organization in the marketplace – How will it serve to attract and keep customers and talent?

2. Show how it will be implemented and by whom.

• Outline the multi-stage process by which the idea will be transformed into a new product, service or process
• List the resources needed throughout (time, people power, funding, etc.)
• Identify the people and agencies who will be involved and what it will take to get their agreement

You can safely present your when you’ve covered all these points. You can use your creativity to come up with ways to answer them too.  Just make sure to help the people receiving the new idea appreciate its value and the benefits they will derive from adopting it.

The next post shows more about the human factor in making the pitch.

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