I got a great deal of feedback on my first post on this subject and it seems that every little bit of help agencies can get to unravel that bizarre labyrinth known as the creative mind is most welcome. So here are another few choice tidbits I’ve learned along the way. Try them – I guarantee some kind of positive reaction. I know this because in my earlier incarnation, I was ‘one of them’.
Here’s Three more secrets on how to extract even more greatness out of your prized thinkers.
1. Reward failure, not just success. I know this sounds like some cliché that can’t actually play out in the real world but think about it. If your Creatives are always ‘succeeding’ the likelihood is they’re not challenging the status quo. Everyone nods warmly when they present ideas but no one ever gets shaken up by them. This is not the mark of great creativity. Push, even force your Creatives out of their comfort zone whenever realistically possible. Challenge them to fail and fail big by doing something that’ll blow the clients mind or that sounds impossible. Even better, something never before done. And tell them it’s OK, no it’s GREAT if they fall flat on their faces because it’ll prove they’re stretching and growing. Then ask them what they learned from the experience, good or bad, and how they would keep the same level of creativity but maybe do something differently to sell it through the next time.
2. Force them to seek the opinions of their peers. We’re a sorely ego-driven lot. While it’s great when we blow our fellow Creatives away, we hate for them to see us tank. For us, feedback from peers can be the hardest for us to hear, despite the benefits. And so we tend to keep our work close to the chest until it’s been tested. Big mistake. Agencies who encourage, expect or even make peer feedback part of the process create a better collective where ideas have the potential to grow and evolve with input from others. And if it’s always asked for, it’s understood that what goes around will come around so Creatives start to develop a thoughtful respect for the process and participants and really provide helpful feedback. If another writer your Creative respects tells him / her, without malice, that their headline sucks and then spends even 5 minutes jamming on it to make it better, the work AND the Creative will equally benefit.
3. Ask Creatives to freely give away ideas. See the above. There’s nothing more detrimental to a Creative’s growth than being precious about their ideas. The ones that hoard, secret or withhold because they’re terrified that someone might ‘steal’ it or outdo them with it will never find greatness. Creatives need to truly believe that they are endless wells of brilliant ideas and that by giving away even one, the worst thing that will happen is they’ll be making the space for two more. By making this a practice, Creatives not only build confidence, but supercharge their willingness to collaborate and that’s good for everyone!
Marketers, agencies – I’m looking at both of you. This madness must end. The reams of paper, innumerable stats, background and research up the wazoo. Coma inducing. And the stilted business speak. Why not just put a stake in the creative heart? Not only have I been on the receiving end of the aforementioned briefs (usually followed by a perky ‘let’s see some really interesting work’) but I’ve worked with countless agencies and marketers on breaking them out of their brief (and briefing) malaise. Almost none of them could figure out why their briefs were truly sucking and almost all of them were looking for a magic ‘template’ to solve their problems.
Here’s the first Three Things I told them and now, lucky reader, for the low, low price of… nada – I’m telling you too.
1. You forgot who this was for. A brief is not a consumer-facing document. It is not a dissertation nor research project. It is purely a method of capturing the absolute minimum Creatives needs to know in order to accomplish the objectives. As the brilliant Jon Steel (Truth, Lies & Advertising) said; “A brief is the first ad in the campaign to inspire Creatives to do great work.” So forget corporate speak. Forget stats, and dry, sterile target audience descriptions. And put a bullet in your bullet points. Instead, use vibrant, evocative language. Be daring. Be funny. Be challenging. Be honest. Be emotional. It’s the only way to get Creatives to pull their fingers out of their ears, stop singing and start truly creating.
2. It’s become a series of boxes. Sorry to break the news but there is no magic template. Your briefs may be sucking because you believe there is. Not only do most templates use veiled language that different people interpret differently (“Umm – is the Selling Idea the same as the Communication Objective or is that kind of like the Single Takeaway?”) but it reduces the document to an exercise required to fill in the blanks as opposed to creating a holistic document that really considers the factors. My advice – do a quick reality check within your team. Ask them to write a description for each box. See where they differ. Then agree on simple language that helps the story unfold. And agree on the questions that need to be asked and answered in order to inspire Creatives.
3. Blah, blah, blah. Creatives have notoriously limited attention spans. They’re not reading your four page brief anyway so why waste your time? Edit. Ruminate. Make thoughtful choices. And get it down to one page. No exceptions. But if you feel the desperate need to write reams on mandatories and background, separate it out into another document. This will allow for focus and should they need more info, there’s another source.
416.604.0000
info@threetraining.com
Hey Bob – thanks for the, ummm, tempered approval *LOL*. Glad you liked some of my thinking. Of course this just challenges me to come... 35 days 2 hours ago
Some great reminders! Thank you for the ideas and insight! The first two are more “eh…” everyone knows stuff, but that last... 35 days 3 hours ago
Great article, Leslie! I’m often on camera for short stints and always looking to improve my delivery. Great points, I will definitely keep... 165 days 22 hours ago
“Leslie is absolutely one of the game-changers. Her expertise and understanding of the creative process is top notch, but the even greater value is in passion and creativity she will ignite in your people and the impact it will have on your organization.” - Mark Ferrier, President, TraffikGroup
"The 2-day session that Leslie delivered to the Pepsico marketing department was one of the best training sessions I've been part of. The content was mind-opening, practical, and useful, and Leslie's ability to engage the crowd was second-to-none. Feedback from the other attendees was off the charts. I would work with Leslie again in a heartbeat.” - Logan Chambers, Marketing Manager – Quaker Bars, Pepsico
“Leslie has reinvigorated one of our existing workshops and transformed it from a good mid-level experience to, as one participant stated, a “mastery level course”. Moreover, her dynamic and enthusiastic teaching style has made her one of our top rated instructors.” - Mark Liebert, Senior Director, Association of National Advertisers (ANA) School of Marketing
“I don't know how Leslie does it, but I've seen the results. Our people are more confident, better presenters and better at selling the work. I have to admit, like all Creatives, I was skeptical about a presentation training course that would be right for Creatives. But Leslie really gets it.” - Judy John, CEO, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett
"Leslie Ehm is amazing, seriously impactful and a huge asset to anyone who comes into contact with her. We are happy to call her a partner." - John Minty, CFO, Venables Bell & Partners
"Leslie Ehm is the marketing industry's best kept secret. Her enthusiastic, yet powerful approach and unique ability to motivate professionals to understand that the client/agency dynamic is most successful when viewed as a partnership is invaluable to anyone who wants to take their business to the next level. Her highly effective and inspiring workshop will have your entire team ready, and willing, to move mountains." - Nancy Modrcin, Mattel Canada
"It made all the difference for a successful learning event to have Leslie Ehm’s massive enthusiasm combined with her keen and personally relevant insight into our industry." - Karen Tilley, SVP, Dir. Account Management, Leo Burnett
"The only way to describe Leslie is "dynamite!" She gets participants to truly look into their core, push themselves, take risks, and do it all in front of a crowd. And then she leaves them with the sense that "I can do anything!”. People like Leslie are a rare breed." - Trina Boos, founder, Ad Lounge, and President, Boost Agents
"Leslie Ehm doesn’t just ‘get it’ – she’s actually done it. And she brings all of her experience, passion and smart teaching to every workshop. My team didn’t want the sessions to end!" - Ron Tite, Creative Director, Sharpe Blackmore
"Leslie Ehm has been a fantastic addition to our learning and development programming. She has a natural gift of being able to take an accurate pulse of your organization, where it is and where you are trying to take it. Beyond delivering very thoughtful off-the-shelf programs that really get to the heart of key issues, Leslie is consistently insightful and innovative in providing suggestions and solutions for how she can partner on customized programming and follow-up that really can change the game." - Ellen Nearman, Director, Talent, Organic Inc.
"We thought we were pretty good at both the creative process and presenting our ideas. That was until we invited Leslie Ehm into our agency. Her training and approach is being embraced throughout the agency, resulting in even better work. I highly recommend her." - Tony Chapman, CEO, Capital C
"Idea Noise was fantastic and thought provoking." - Joe Rand, Director of Marketing, Disney Cruise Lines
"Stand & Deliver was one of those experiences that make an indelible impact. The skill with which Leslie Ehm addressed each person and created individualized development strategies was impressive. The transformation was evident in the room and in the way we now think and interact as a team." - Larry MacEachern, Sr. VP, Managing Partner, Color
“I was stunned by the amount of learning, value and the effectiveness of Leslie’s training. She is such a pro, personally invested into every conversation: advising, teaching, providing input, making sure it all sinks in. It's intense, powerful, eye-opening and you can expect to apply it to your job the next day.” - Gene Jigota, Owner & Principal Consultant, TSBC Consulting Inc.
"I walked away with a tangible and effective system for idea generation. It's gold - a formula that can transform anyone into an 'idea alchemist'." - Lindsey Leese, Director, Second City
“We used Three Training for a client training program and Leslie Ehm was fantastic. She is knowledgeable, engaging and creative in her approach. Leslie is right - good things do come in Three." - Tom Hendrikson, Chief Breakthrough Officer, Sixsense Inc.
"There is a lot of training out there, but not much that focuses specifically on creative challenges. Leslie Ehm gets it. She speaks from years of experience and can offer valuable relevant feedback. She has helped reignite the team’s creative spark and I look forward to re-engaging her in the future." - Joel Trojanowski, Creative Director, Armstrong Partnership
"Leslie is an inspiring instructor - she puts her head and heart into really understanding what will make the biggest difference with students and then she puts everything she's got into crafting a learning experience that delivers beyond expectations. As program director at ICA I've worked with a lot of instructional consultants, and Leslie is a top professional from start to finish." - Suzanne Filiatrault Director of Professional Development, Institute of Communication Agencies
"Leslie Ehm creates and customizes a training regimen that speaks to every individual involved, and from several different perspectives. In a matter of seconds, she is able to formulate the lay of the land, immediately analyze and identify with the group she is training and deliver exactly the program necessary." - Linda Cunningham, VP, Green Apple Children’s Centre Inc.
"When my creative team was stuck for the next big yummy idea, we went to Leslie and Three Training for ideation facilitation and came away with tons of delicious ones. My only issue is that she still won’t give me a family discount!" - Erica Ehm, CEO, publisher YummyMummyClub.ca
"All too often the feedback after a training session is muted and minimal, but in this case it was energized and uniformly positive! More importantly, our staff have begun using the techniques with great success…I can confidently say that our agency could not have put our training dollars to better use and that we will be working with Leslie Ehm again in the near future." - Jeff Plotnikoff, Director, Human Resources, Armstrong Partnership