Creativity is THE future business skill so learn these tricks

Creativity will be a necessary asset for anyone working in 2020, according to a 2016 World Economic Forum report. That’s a great opportunity for women, writes Emma Bannister, who shares some tips on how to use your imagination.

‘Are you creative?’ I recently attended a conference where the speaker asked us this very question. A few hands went up around the room, but not many. The speaker then went on to explain the definition of ‘creativity’ – namely, that it does not translate to how ‘artistic’ you are, as many people wrongly assume.

Being creative is about having an imagination – and each and every one of us, has one of these. Unfortunately, it’s just been drummed out of us an early age that creativity, curiosity, experimentation and expression of ideas are all things that are not associated with work, a job, a business or a career.

Creativity is actually about problem solving, thinking laterally, about generating and brainstorming new ideas and coming up with different ways of presenting those ideas.

That’s why in the 2016 World Economic Forum report, The Future of Jobs, chief human resources and strategy officers from leading global organisations revealed that the skill of creativity, in particular, will be a necessary asset for anyone working in 2020.

It is thought that as we begin to rely more on machines to make decisions and automate tasks, then humans will need to find innovative answers to complex business problems and supply what machines cannot: creativity.

There are far too many unnatural, text-heavy and overcomplicated messages being communicated today, especially in the PowerPoint heavy world of presentations.

That’s why you need to get creative.

You need to brainstorm ideas on how to best communicate your main messages in a compelling story that will have your audience on the very edge of their seat (or screen). How could you use a mix of words and images, infographics and diagrams, to create emotion, to connect with your audience and sell them your main points in a way that hasn’t been done before? There’s a really simple four-step process that I use to kick start my own inner creative when I’m coming up with ideas for a new presentation, and it’s worthwhile exploring this exercise for any business activity requiring creativity.

Four steps to a creative presentation

Brainstorm

Write down all your thoughts and explore multiple ideas for your presentation. What is you main message? What are the key points you need to make? How best could you present these? This is about quantity not quality – a brain dump. Silence your inner voice and set your mind free.

Think visual

Sketch your ideas onto paper. This is about visualising your key messages, main points, data and info that will make sense to you and to others. Draw diagrams and mind maps to connect the dots and your thinking. Remember, this is not about ‘being artistic’; it is about being open to explore.

Sense make

Turn chaos into calm. Get rid of everything that isn’t essential to your main points. This is your ‘aha’ moment where you start to make sense of everything you have brainstormed or sketched out. Begin to cut out the unnecessary clutter.

Action

Pull out one clear message that sums up your presentation. This might be one sentence that communicates your purpose, or a visual that is easily understood and connects with your audience. This is what you will use at the beginning and end of your presentation and at key points while you present.

Start simple

Remember, you don’t need to be a winner of the Archibald Prize to be a creative genius.

Look around for ideas from other (good) presentations and visuals. And don’t just stop there – inspiration comes from everyday stuff and situations like books, magazines, and when you’re walking the dog.