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Add You - Getting to the Second Right Answer - Three Tricks to Increase Innovative Thinking
Sure, there are plenty of different marketing methods out there, but one method, which has proven itself over and over again, is direct mail marketing. Despite the latest technological advances, direct mail marketing is still a highly-effective marketing strategy. Hey, let’s face it… good old-fashioned paper mail is still a part of everyone’s life despite email, text messaging and other new forms of communication in today’s society. Most people still like to have something solid in their hands… something they can manipulate and explore… something which appeals to their senses. So, why does direct mail marketing still work? Is it really any better than other forms of advertising out there? Let’s think about this for a moment… Direct marketing of any sort, is exactly that… marketing that is ‘direct’, directing a specific message to a specific audience. Any time you can get a message directly to your prospects, it is a good thing. But which is better? Direct mail market
Example #2
Overwhelmed by work, Letitia jokes, “Maybe I ought to just check myself into a nursing home for a month!” Her friend asks, “What would that change?” Becoming thoughtful, Letitia says, “If I were sick, it would give me a legitimate reason to say “no” to extra assignments and prove to my boss that I really can’t take on any more than I already have.” This leads Letitia to realize: “the problem is that I don’t feel justified in saying “no” unless I’m just about dying.”
That’s the first right answer to the question, what is the problem? But when Letitia asks herself “why w
Computer clocks are they for fun or for profit? I guess both. If you are doing international business, then I'm sure you'd like to know what the time is now in Tokyo, I know it's easy to calculate the time difference, but I guess it's not what most people like to do. That is the reason why most market traders put the analogue clock on the wall to see what the time is.People like to have visually appealing clocks and it is confirmed by what Microsoft company is doing now. Old days there were just clocks in system tray, telling the time in format "10:41", for now in Vista you will find nice looking analog clock with looks more like wrist-watch clock that digital clocks.Also, it's expected clock to have an alarm, to warn you about some specific date or time. Alarm can be configures to produce sound, run some program or do whatever they can to let you know about some time.Clocks should not be ugly, so there are many analog clocks with custom designed skins, which are very nice looking. People like to
If you had asked the engineers “What is this?” they would have said: “a new rubber compound.” That’s the first right answer. But the toy store owner, seeing adults at a party play with the curious item, saw what creativity expert Roger von Oech calls the second right answer.
What keeps us from being more innovative? Too often we stop at the first right answer and don’t explore other possibilities. Here are three tricks to help you discover the second (and sometimes third, fourth, and fifth) right answers.
Trick #1 Slow down - Don’t assume that you know what the problem is.
You’re trying to solve a problem. You think you know what the problem is; what you want to do is discover solutions. So when you ask a friend for help and he says: “What’s the problem?” you tell him. Your answer to the question “what’s the problem?” is the first right answer. But there is nearly always a second right answer, and perhaps several more.
Example #1:
One IT person commented: I thought the problem was that I was having difficulties relating to my new boss. But when I asked the question “who is contributing to my problem?” I found it was much deeper than that. I realized that I have tremendous support from several administrators, but very little support from the staff members to whom I am supposed to teach the new technology. They tolerate me, but it really doesn’t matter to them whether I am there or not.
The strategy that the IT person used to come to this realization has been around for ages. He simply went through the standard questions reporters ask: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How, relating each to his problem. For example, for “where,” he asked “where does this problem occur most often?” Since each of these questions leads to different answers, the list automatically takes you to second, third, and fourth right answers. It was the “who” question, “who is contributing to my problem?” that led the IT person to his insight.
Example #2
Overwhelmed by work, Letitia jokes, “Maybe I ought to just check myself into a nursing home for a month!” Her friend asks, “What would that change?” Becoming thoughtful, Letitia says, “If I were sick, it would give me a legitimate reason to say “no” to extra assignments and prove to my boss that I really can’t take on any more than I already have.” This leads Letitia to realize: “the problem is that I don’t feel justified in saying “no” unless I’m just about dying.”
That’s the first right answer to the question, what is the problem? But when Letitia asks herself “why w
The number of web designers have increased in the past years mainly because more and more people have discovered the benefits of doing business online. If you look around, you will notice that the most successful web designers in the business are those who are very creative and original. The different software available in the market could never duplicate natural talent and skills. Many web designers today have chosen to be self-employed. It could be quite difficult at the beginning. But as soon as they have established themselves, customers would be pouring in.If you are considering establishing yourself as a freelancer, you should have both the talent and the equipment to be successful. Another important and basic tool you should get is a business card that reflects your positive qualities. Business cards are the most cost-effective tool you can utilize especially if you have no client base yet.An effective business card design for web designers will be something that would make an impression with pot
What keeps us from being more innovative? Too often we stop at the first right answer and don’t explore other possibilities. Here are three tricks to help you discover the second (and sometimes third, fourth, and fifth) right answers.
Trick #1 Slow down - Don’t assume that you know what the problem is.
You’re trying to solve a problem. You think you know what the problem is; what you want to do is discover solutions. So when you ask a friend for help and he says: “What’s the problem?” you tell him. Your answer to the question “what’s the problem?” is the first right answer. But there is nearly always a second right answer, and perhaps several more.
Example #1:
One IT person commented: I thought the problem was that I was having difficulties relating to my new boss. But when I asked the question “who is contributing to my problem?” I found it was much deeper than that. I realized that I have tremendous support from several administrators, but very little support from the staff members to whom I am supposed to teach the new technology. They tolerate me, but it really doesn’t matter to them whether I am there or not.
The strategy that the IT person used to come to this realization has been around for ages. He simply went through the standard questions reporters ask: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How, relating each to his problem. For example, for “where,” he asked “where does this problem occur most often?” Since each of these questions leads to different answers, the list automatically takes you to second, third, and fourth right answers. It was the “who” question, “who is contributing to my problem?” that led the IT person to his insight.
Example #2
Overwhelmed by work, Letitia jokes, “Maybe I ought to just check myself into a nursing home for a month!” Her friend asks, “What would that change?” Becoming thoughtful, Letitia says, “If I were sick, it would give me a legitimate reason to say “no” to extra assignments and prove to my boss that I really can’t take on any more than I already have.” This leads Letitia to realize: “the problem is that I don’t feel justified in saying “no” unless I’m just about dying.”
That’s the first right answer to the question, what is the problem? But when Letitia asks herself “why w
Networking is important. In fact, Networking is pivotal to one’s business growth.By definition, Networking is the reciprocal process of exchanging ideas, opportunities, experiences, information, knowledge & expertise that w ill enhance our professional & personal lives - possibly contributing exponentially in return to the effort investment.Through the system of Networking, we achieve the potential of knowing the ‘right’ people (contacts or ‘guan xi’ in China) and for the ‘right’ people who will know us.If we examine our own experiences, we may realise that most times, we prefer to do business with those whom we know, whom we trust. We can know and develop trust thru the active action of networking. This is why building a good network will prove invaluable.Another view of networking is that it allows us to gather new knowledge, new skills, new expertise from people with the intimate & specialized knowledge. As quoted from ‘The Secrets of Savy Networking’ by Susan Roane: ‘The closest thin
Example #1:
One IT person commented: I thought the problem was that I was having difficulties relating to my new boss. But when I asked the question “who is contributing to my problem?” I found it was much deeper than that. I realized that I have tremendous support from several administrators, but very little support from the staff members to whom I am supposed to teach the new technology. They tolerate me, but it really doesn’t matter to them whether I am there or not.
The strategy that the IT person used to come to this realization has been around for ages. He simply went through the standard questions reporters ask: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How, relating each to his problem. For example, for “where,” he asked “where does this problem occur most often?” Since each of these questions leads to different answers, the list automatically takes you to second, third, and fourth right answers. It was the “who” question, “who is contributing to my problem?” that led the IT person to his insight.
Example #2
Overwhelmed by work, Letitia jokes, “Maybe I ought to just check myself into a nursing home for a month!” Her friend asks, “What would that change?” Becoming thoughtful, Letitia says, “If I were sick, it would give me a legitimate reason to say “no” to extra assignments and prove to my boss that I really can’t take on any more than I already have.” This leads Letitia to realize: “the problem is that I don’t feel justified in saying “no” unless I’m just about dying.”
That’s the first right answer to the question, what is the problem? But when Letitia asks herself “why w
Learning comes from many places. And one of the most wondrous opportunities is right in front of us. At dinner, at play and at bedtime, every evening. It is there on the sports field, on vacation and during homework. Our children have clues we can use in our business and organisation, right away..Listen to ThemKids tell us a lot about themselves, if we are prepared to listen. Often, especially when they are quite young, they ask us unexpected questions, that, if we are prepared to hear what they are saying to us, can lead us to more questioning. We can sharpen our senses to what else is going on by listening to them, to give us clues as to what else might be going on. What Managers Can Learn HereUsing our senses means that we can understand people well. But how much, as managers, we can get from this depends on how we develop our more subtle senses of intuition and more particularly, our 'hearing' skills. Watch Them at PlayHave you eve
The strategy that the IT person used to come to this realization has been around for ages. He simply went through the standard questions reporters ask: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How, relating each to his problem. For example, for “where,” he asked “where does this problem occur most often?” Since each of these questions leads to different answers, the list automatically takes you to second, third, and fourth right answers. It was the “who” question, “who is contributing to my problem?” that led the IT person to his insight.
Example #2
Overwhelmed by work, Letitia jokes, “Maybe I ought to just check myself into a nursing home for a month!” Her friend asks, “What would that change?” Becoming thoughtful, Letitia says, “If I were sick, it would give me a legitimate reason to say “no” to extra assignments and prove to my boss that I really can’t take on any more than I already have.” This leads Letitia to realize: “the problem is that I don’t feel justified in saying “no” unless I’m just about dying.”
That’s the first right answer to the question, what is the problem? But when Letitia asks herself “why w
In the process of musing about our perennially awake world for my Social Psych blog, I started to think about our present work world and how its operations have changed the lives of millions of workers.I manage a 24/7 emergency crew (mental health). We handle callers from early evening until 7 AM, plus weekends and holidays. During the course of the night, we talk to hundreds of people from all walks of life. Until a few years ago (except for intermittent wartime production requirements), the people who worked through the night were limited to emergency services (police, fire, hospitals), the telephone company, a few booming manufacturing plants, and the military. Now we expect to order items, day or night, by telephone. We demand that support services for all our transactions be available 24/7.How do night workers cope? For some, night work is a blessing, freeing up daytime hours for childcare or school. For those with limited skills and reduced income potential, moonlighting at night is a chance to e
Example #2
Overwhelmed by work, Letitia jokes, “Maybe I ought to just check myself into a nursing home for a month!” Her friend asks, “What would that change?” Becoming thoughtful, Letitia says, “If I were sick, it would give me a legitimate reason to say “no” to extra assignments and prove to my boss that I really can’t take on any more than I already have.” This leads Letitia to realize: “the problem is that I don’t feel justified in saying “no” unless I’m just about dying.”
That’s the first right answer to the question, what is the problem? But when Letitia asks herself “why would you have to be dying?” she ends up saying something a little different. “The problem is that my boss hates whiners, and I don’t know how to tell him how bad things are without sounding like a whiner.”
That’s the second right answer to the question “what is the problem?” Letitia arrived at it though a spontaneous joke about what would solve her problem: putting herself in a nursing home. Ask yourself what silly idea would solve your problem – and then go deeper to question how that would help.
Both of these methods – asking the who, what, when, where, why questions and looking for silly solutions to your dilemma - help to insure that you don’t stop at the first right answer to the question, what is the problem? If you slow down and take some time to search for the second and third right answers to that question, you’ll be more likely to invest your time and energy in solving a version of the problem that gets to the root of it.
Trick #2 Rephrase your problem as a positive “How to…”
Once one of your answers to the question “What’s the problem?” has hit you as a version that gets to the heart of the matter, rephrase that answer in the form of “How might I,” “How can we,” or simply “How to.” The developers of the CPS (creative problem solving) method emphasize how important it is to describe problems in terms of “How to” accomplish something positive.
Example:
Once Letitia sees that the problem is that she doesn’t know how to tell her boss how bad things are without sounding like a whiner, she can rephrase her dilemma using the “How to” phrase:
1. “How to let Mr. Robertson know how bad things are without sounding like a whiner.”
2. “How to let Mr. Robertson know about the difficulties we face while coming across to him as someone who wants to help our whole organization address those challenges successfully.”
Can you sense the difference between these two statements? Both how to statements stimulate curiosity and brainstorming in a way that simply saying “my problem is that I’m overwhelmed at work and can’t say no to my boss” does not. The second more positive version moves those brainstorming ideas towards a positive vision of what we are trying to create. How to questions ask “what are some different ways that we could accomplish this?” and so they generate many answers beyond the first right answer.
Trick #3 Shift your lenses
In a way, the toy
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