The creative contract.
How many times has it happened to you that in a creativity session with your team or your client, people have dispersed, the ideas they wrote are not completely understood or are focused on what they thought, or some don’t let others talk or nothing was understood at all? What a mess!
For the next time, we propose to do a “creative contract” with them. Let’s not fool ourselves, people like to play, but an important part of the games are the rules. Therefore, we propose a series of “rules” that you must first verbalize and sign by your participants, to help us to reach highly productive sessions.
These are the “rules” that we propose
1. “I just know that I don’t know anything”
Tolerates uncertainty between moments of convergence and divergence.
The transfer from one thought to another is what worse leads people. That is why it would help attendees to visualize the present moment where we are and also to understand the virtues of each stage.
2. “One by one”
If we talk at the same time we miss things.
You must try to talk one at a time because if not, some small groups will be created and then they will miss what others are talking about, even when it is interesting for them. Therefore, try to make clear that one speaks at a time and everyone respects each turn to talk. Interrupting does not help!
03. “Say phrases, not single words”
Make short sentences of what you want to explain, a single word can be misunderstood.
When we are putting our ideas or want to verbalize something, we tend to be concise because that way is faster. The problem when you use single words is that nobody understands anything, only you. Get used to write your ideas in sentences. With a subject, a verb … those things
04. “Think with your hand”
The words are blown away or lost if you don’t write what you say.
This is a very important key: everything you don’t write does not exist. Therefore, for these explosive sessions, try to think with your hand, write everything you are thinking without analyzing because then, there will be time to order or discard the thoughts. Otherwise, we assure you that you will not remember them.
05. “Don’t say killing phrases”
Phrases such as: “That is nonsense”, “We have already done it”, “It is very expensive” … They block creativity.
These phrases are poison and many times they are not said to do wrong, but they naturally come out. Be the first in giving the example. In moments of divergence, of creativity, where people are contributing, do not stop them; if not, the team will be neutralized and it would be difficult to put the mind back in divergent mode.
06. “Yes, and also”
Get inspired and build with the ideas of others. Remember, one for all and all for one.
Try to build on what your teammates say, do not stop them, let ideas flow. It is better to contribute to others as if it were a jazz concert. There is no greater creative power than a good team in harmony.
07. “DO NOT fall in love with your idea”
Build with your team to move forward, don’t be a burden.
The greatest danger in an ideation process is not to stay blank, but to hold on to your idea and force the team to stop divergence. Remember, that in the phase of generating ideas, we need quantity, get your idea and try to create 10 more.
08. “Learn from mistakes”
Failure is the cheapest and deepest way to learn. Take out the child inside.
Print in your memory that the greatest learning is the one in which we fail and have taken a lesson. This is knowledge of the good and is the most agile way anyone has when facing uncertainty environments.
We recommend that before each session you explain these “rules”, so each team endorses these sentences. Put this “creative contract” close to them, so if someone “breaks the rules” at any time, you can teach them again. It is important to do this dynamic before every session, so it will help you when you see that things are being twisted or stuck.
Published at 27/08/2019
How has our way of working evolved? Before March 2020,...
The Thinkers team keeps growing! We are proud to...
The necessary tips to enhance work sessions. I want you...
Design Thinking
It is a method for generating innovative ideas that focuses its effectiveness on understanding and providing solutions to the real needs of users. It comes from the way product designers work. Hence its name, which literally translates as "Design Thinking", although we prefer to translate it as "The way designers think". It is, in short, a change of perspective from designing FOR people to designing WITH people.
Lean Startup
It is a working method that aims to increase the chances of success when a project comes out of the paper and begins to be realized, eliminating everything useless and inadequate. The idea is to adapt the product to what the market demands and not to our own vision, which is the best way to launch something new. To do this, we must focus on the customer's needs, relying on their feedback to modify the product until the final version is developed.
Agile UX
It is a set of methodologies for developing projects that require speed and flexibility to adapt to changing industry or market conditions, leveraging those changes to provide a competitive advantage. The main characteristic of the principles and values underlying agile methodologies is to be able to deliver quickly and continuously. In other words, the project is "sliced" into small chunks to be completed and delivered in a few weeks. In this way, if a change is needed, it is made only in the part involved and in a short period of time.
