Researchers have developed a far better method for training people to be creative. This method is based on narrative theory and helps people be creative in the same way children and artists are: making up stories that imagine alternative worlds, shift perspective and generate unexpected actions.

A new method to spark creativity and innovation

The narrative method recognises that we're all creative. According to professor Angus Fletcher, we are often so obsessed with the idea that some people are more creative than others that we undervalue some people's creativity. However, we should train creativity in the right way. Since the 1950s, creativity has been trained using divergent thinking - a "computational approach" that treats the brain as a logic machine. But divergent thinking has not been that successful as it relies on data about the problems of the past. It can't help prepare people for new challenges.

Everyone is creative

The narrative method uses the techniques that writers use to create stories. For example:<ul><li>Developing new worlds in your mind. If employees are asked to think about an unusual customer, then imagine a world where all customers are like that. Would that change your business?</li><li>Perspective shifting. An executive at a company might be asked to answer a problem by thinking like another team member.</li></ul> The scenarios you dream up will not actually happen, but they can open you up to imagine radically different possibilities.

The narrative method of training for creativity

The narrative method of training creativity through telling stories is how young children are creative. But creativity in children drops after four or five years of schooling when children start intensive logical semantic and memory training. Organisations that train employees to be creative no longer need to strive to hire creative people. Instead, they can employ a diverse group of people and train them to be creative.

Hire diverse, then train to be creative

A new method, based on narrative theory, helps spark creativity and innovation in people.

Stashed ideas

Anyone Can Be Trained to Be Creative - Neuroscience News

There are a ton of ways to contribute to meetings that don’t involve having knowledge on the subject. Some strategies to make valuable contributions in meetings in ways you might not have thought were valuable:<ul><li>Redefine “value.” It isn’t always about expertise.</li><li>Take on the recorder role. It shows that you are a competent and attentive listener who knows how to connect the dots between ideas being discussed.</li><li>Own the follow-ups.  </li><li>State the obvious. Your colleagues in the meeting may have different backgrounds and experiences than yourself, so things that may seem obvious to you may not be for them.</li></ul>

Key Takeaways

You don’t have to speak up in every single meeting to contribute to your team. Sometimes, active listening is necessary to give you the context you need to reflect and provide input in the future. Often, however, people equate value with “speaking up,” and if you struggle to do so, you may feel like you’re failing. This is especially common for people who are new to a team, or early in their careers, and are still building the confidence to match their enthusiasm.

People Equate Speaking Up With Value

Traditionally, there are four major roles that can be filled in a meeting and each contributes value in an integral way:The leader: This person convenes the meeting and leads the discussion on all major agenda items.The timekeeper: This person keeps the meeting on track by allocating time to each agenda item.The facilitator: This person keeps the discussion going by encouraging attendees to contribute and ensuring all items on the agenda are covered.The recorder (scribe): This person takes notes on the items discussed as the meeting progresses and on the solutions reached.

The Meeting: Four Major Roles

To successfully fill this role, you need to be able to quickly process information and record key insights from the meeting discussion in real-time. Young professionals, or employees who are new to a team, can develop this skill innately without necessarily having the same “insider” knowledge as their more seasoned team members.During the meeting, taking on this responsibility will give you the chance to show that you are a competent and attentive listener who knows how to connect the dots between ideas being discussed.

Take The Role Of The Recorder

To give your notes more context, you might ask:<ul><li>What is most important to our key customers in this market segment?</li><li>Are there any unmet needs in this market segment that we can fill?</li><li>How do our current strategies need to evolve to prepare for new market entrants?</li></ul>

Giving Context To Your Notes

<ul><li>Write a succinct summary: Key points from the meeting structured in a way that allows others to forward your message to anyone who missed the meeting or cares to know about what occurred.</li><li>Keep a key decisions registry. Create a table that lists which decisions were made in the meeting and with whose input, what the outcome of each decision was, and when that decision was made.</li><li>Record action items and next steps. Summarize actions items and clearly describe what the action item is, who owns it, and when it’s due.</li></ul>

Own The Follow-Ups

The seemingly “obvious” points are “easy-win” contributions. They can be points said at the beginning of the conversation or a topic that help set the stage for further discussion and debate. They are points that leverage facts and data to help paint the current state of affairs. These points may seem “obvious” to you because they focus on what is known.Your “obvious” point might actually be incredibly helpful in filling in gaps of knowledge across roles, teams, or departments.

State the Obvious

There are many other ways to bring value.

You Don’t Have to “Speak Up” to Contribute to Meetings

Every presentation is an opportunity to build trust with your audience. The cohesiveness of your group presentation is an indicator to your clients of what their relationship will be like working with you.
For many organizations, group presentations are a part of life. Your team may deliver a group pitch to a new client, or perhaps the capstone exercise of your leadership development program includes a series of group presentations to the head of your business unit.

An Opportunity To Build Trust

<ul>
<li>Each slide looks like it was designed by a different person.</li>
<li>Presenters talk over one another.</li>
<li>Forgetting that you are “on.” even after your turn is over.</li>
</ul>

Three Missteps found in Group Presentations

When you add a group presentation to your calendar, block off time to prepare as a group. Use this time to agree on your audience’s level of knowledge about the topic, your specific goal for the presentation, the main message, the general outline and who will present each section before each of you starts writing your individual components.
This helps you avoid the last-minute stress of trying to fit each of your slides into one cohesive unit.

Best Practices: Strategizing In Advance

Before the presentation, make time for a complete run-through, with slides. 
Specifically, practice your transitions from one person to the next: For example, " Stacey did a great job talking us through the challenges of entering this new market. Now, I’ll provide a few solutions based on our firm’s expertise."
Use a timer to ensure you are keeping to the allotted time, or set a realistic time limit based on the format of your meeting, so you ensure plenty of time to field questions.

Best Practices: Group Rehearsals

When speaking in person, position yourself so that you can reference the slides but speak directly to the audience. 
Bring your own personality to the presentation. Personal anecdotes that connect to the audience are a terrific way to build trust between the audience and each member of the group presenting.

Best Practices: Deliver With Confidence And Authenticity

What to do, and not to do, during a group presentation.

Strategies for a polished, unified final product.

3 Group Presentation Pitfalls — and How to Avoid Them

In the mid 19th century, the rush of settlers to California and Oregon created an initial incentive to build an artificial waterway across the Isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French entrepreneur who completed the Suez Canal, was awarded the canal&#39;s rights. Construction started in 1881, but several setbacks led to the bankruptcy of Lesseps&#39; company in 1889. Three years later a former chief engineer Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla acquired the assets of the company.

The need for the Panama Canal

Panama was originally part of Colombia. But by the turn of the century, the United States wanted the sole possession of the isthmian canal to move warships and commerce between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In 1902, the U.S. Congress authorised the purchase of the French canal company. This depended on a treaty with Colombia, who refused because they feared a loss of sovereignty. With the support of the U.S., the Panamanians declared independence from Colombia in 1903. This allowed the U.S. to sign a treaty with Panama, granting the U.S. possession of the Panama Canal Zone.

The U.S. gaining possession of the Panama Canal Zone

In 1906, American engineers decided to construct a lock canal and used the next three years developing construction facilities and dealing with tropical diseases in the area. Construction of the 40-mile-long canal began in 1909, one of the largest construction projects of all time. The Panama Canal was opened on August 15, 1914. But Panama pushed to revoke the initial treaty. Finally, in 1977, a treaty was signed to turn the canal back over to Panama on December 31, 1999.

Panama Canal opened

The American-built waterway across the Isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is inaugurated with the passage of the U.S. vessel Ancon,

Panama Canal open to traffic

Violent emotions sometimes go out of control.
Jealousy, fear, anger and even love can suddenly turn explosive.
Suppression of such emotions often becomes the norm, as people prefer to avoid fully experiencing them or responding to them. This redirects or channels the emotions into other areas and physical activities.
Example: Small children who are afraid of the dark often talk or sing to get their minds off the fear.

Explosive Emotions

Sometimes emotions are misread, and we start to block the experience of the particular emotion by mislabelling it. Example: Sadness can be mislabelled as anger, just because we perceive sadness as a weak emotion and anger as a strong one.We also deprive an emotion of ‘oxygen’ by not giving attention to it, and in many cases, deflect it to avoid confrontation or being rude.

Blocking Emotions

Just as thoughts can sometimes be unconscious and automatic, we also have unconscious, below surface level feelings. We sometimes realize that our connection to a place or person becomes stronger or weaker but we don’t realize it consciously, as it happens outside our awareness.When profound emotions go underground, they affect the core of our very being and have to be dealt with in order to restore emotional balance.

Unconscious Feelings

Self Improvement

Where Do Suppressed Emotions Go?

<ul>
<li>Cosmetics have been used since ancient times. Often they were used in religious ceremonies - as seen in ancient Egypt - or as cultural identification. Egypt's influence impacted the practices and uses of cosmetics throughout the rest of the ancient world.</li>
<li>The spread of Christianity with its denunciations of pride and vanity coupled with a changing ideal of modesty also impacted the standards of beauty. While cosmetics did not totally fall out of favor, their use seems to have been greatly reduced and their use largely restricted to courtesans, actresses, the wealthy, and assorted "loose" women. </li>
<li>During the Renaissance high born women including Queen Elizabeth, used them to whiten their faces into an ideal of pale perfection.</li>
</ul>
Over time, cosmetics moved a little closer to more common usage.

History of the Beauty Business

It wasn't until the late 19th and early 20th centuries, despite the strictures of Victorian morality, that cosmetics and other beauty aids became more generally accepted.
The Roaring Twenties and glamorous movie stars of the 1930s finally brought cosmetics into the mass merchandise market, where they were sold in department stores and other venues. It was about this time that some of the best-known brand names - many of which are still sold today - entered the picture, and the modern cosmetics industry was born.

Cosmetics In The 19th And 20th Centuries

<ul>
<li>The comapany Estée Lauder was founded in 1946 by husband and wife Joseph and Estée Lauder. Estée Lauder cosmetics were sold primarily at department stores.</li>
<li>Charles Revson is known as a founder of Revlon. In March of 1932 he, along with his brother Joseph and a man named Charles Lachman, started Revlon.</li>
<li>Elizabeth Arden became interested in the work of a biochemist who worked on cream for skin blemishes. She eventually developed her own products and opened the first store in 1910.</li>
<li>Avon was founded by David McConnell as the California Perfume Company in 1886. Originally the company only sold perfumes, but in 1928 the company introduced the Avon line of cosmetics and toiletries, and eventually the Avon name became so popular that in 1939, McConnell's son and successor changed the company name to Avon.</li>
</ul>

Modern Cosmetics Industry: Early Brands

A microphone is a device that converts acoustic power into electric power, sound waves to electrical voltages, then converted into sound waves that are amplified through speakers.
We associate microphones often with the music and the entertainment industry, but the device can be dated back as early as the 1600s when scientists figured out that they could amplify sound.

Microphones

The word &quot;microphone&quot; was not used during this time until the 19th century but an English physicist and inventor named Robert Hooke developed an acoustic cup and string style phone, where he was considered to be a pioneer in the field of transmitting sound across a distance.

The microphone in the 1600s

<ul>
<li>1827 - The first person to ever coin the word &quot;microphone&quot; was Sir Charles Wheatstone who was a renowned English physicist and inventor. He was among the first scientists to formally recognize that sound waves were &quot;transmitted by waves through mediums.&quot;</li>
<li>1876-8 - The first modern microphone was invented by Emile Berliner who worked alongside the famed inventor Thomas Edison. Soon after, David Edward Hughes developed the first carbon microphone.</li>
</ul>

The microphone in the 1800s

<ul>
<li>The condenser microphone was patented by EC Wente in 1916</li>
<li>The RCA company developed the first ribbon microphone used for radio broadcasting in 1920</li>
<li>Georg Neumann designed the first commercial condenser microphone in 1928</li>
<li>The first dynamic microphone was marketed by Western Electric in 1931</li>
<li>A patent was filed for the first wireless microphone by Raymond A Litke in 1957</li>
<li>The first uni-directional microphone device was a new level of design that collects sound from the top of the microphone in 1959.</li>
</ul>

The microphone in the early 1900s

<ul>
<li>James West and Gerhard Sessler patented the electroacoustic transducer, an electret microphone in 1964.</li>
<li>In the 1970s, both the dynamic and condenser mics were further enhanced for clearer sound recording and a lower sound level sensitivity.</li>
<li>In the 1980s the first clip-on microphones were developed by Sennheiser.</li>
<li>In the 1990s, Neumann introduced a condenser microphone designed for live performances which set a new standard for quality.</li>
</ul>

The microphone in the late 1900s

<ul>
<li>During the 2000s the trend was miniature mics that were applicable for portable devices. MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) made inroads for this technology.</li>
<li>In 2010, the Eigenmike was released. It&#39;s a microphone that&#39;s composed of several high-quality microphones that were arranged onto the surface of a solid sphere.</li>
</ul>

The microphone in the 21st century

Explore the history of the microphone, spanning nearly four centuries of research and advancements in sound engineering.

The Evolution of the Microphone

An individual's motivational intensity is how strongly they are compelled in approaching or avoiding certain things.
It is an important variable that affects the scope of attention because an individual can experience "pleasantness" and have low motivational states - they're not really determined to pursue anything; however, those who have "desire" have higher motivational states thus are more focused on completing a specific goal.

Motivational intensity

<ul>
<li>Creative people have messy minds, and have learned to embrace the messiness of the creative process;</li>
<li>They are people who can easily adapt to their surroundings;</li>
<li>They have the ability to mix seemingly incompatible states of being such as having open attention with a focused drive or even intense rebelliousness but still has respect for tradition; </li>
<li>The way their lives are lived with differing passion and intensity, and the depth of human experience is what makes creative people, creative.</li>
</ul>

Creative people and their characteristics

This is the degree to which people are open to experiencing the full range and depth of their feelings. It also forecasts creative imagination better than intellectual engagement or IQ.

Affective engagement

Situations that increase emotional ambivalence:
<ul>
<li>Being placed in higher-status positions; and</li>
<li>Engaging in organizational recruitment and socialization</li>
</ul>
A person stuck in an unusual environment can show increased levels of creative thinking, and the fact of the matter is that creativity is the experience of unusual and unexpected events. So if you want to increase creativity, ask yourself if your current environment brings out emotional ambivalence and motivational intensity or not.

Increasing the chances for emotional ambivalence

Emotional ambivalence is the event where we simultaneously experience positive and negative emotions.Pure happiness and pure sadness rarely occur to us but we do, however, tend to experience mixed emotions.Being able to simultaneously experience emotions that are often not experienced together may cause increased sensitivity, which is an important contributor to creativity.

Emotional ambivalence

It’s the intensity of the emotion that matters.

The Emotions That Make Us More Creative

Before you apply for a job, you probably first read a listing that includes vague statements like "We are seeking a self-starter who can work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment."
These common job listing phrases can reveal a lot about the company's priorities, the ideal job candidate, and who will fit in the organization's culture.

What common job listings can reveal

This can be code for a heavy workload. It means things are always busy, so you need to work quickly because it's time-sensitive. 
Your job may be in jeopardy if you can't keep up.

"Fast-paced environment"

This is a popular listing in startups since leaders are still working on the details. "Self-starter" could mean you'll be given little training and have to come up with your own ideas. It could be a red flag for someone relatively new to the field, but it's ideal for a leader who has similar experience and can execute ideas with little direction.
If a company asks for a self-starter, back up your application by sharing the times you initiated a process or took the lead.

“Self-starter”

These are subjective requirements, and you may need to ask for clarity. One way is to ask, “How was the person that I’m replacing expected to be flexible?”
An agile candidate means you need to be ready to drop something mid-project and do something else.

“Be flexible” or “agile”

The thinking is that you don't need to be micromanaged, so you can decide how much time off you take. But the lack of clear structure means workers inevitably end up taking less time off.
An employee may feel bad about taking a vacation. There could also be a cultural expectation that you don't take long breaks. Ask someone in the know how many days people take off.

“Unlimited paid time off”

This phrase doesn't mean you can't negotiate your pay. If you're considered at the higher range of salary, you should stand firm on your value.
To know what they mean by a competitive salary, ask what the range is during the interview process.

“Competitive salary”

"Wears many hats" means you will likely be asked to do things outside of your job duties. "And other duties as assigned" may appear elsewhere in the posting.
Candidates who appreciate the structure of a predetermined set of responsibilities should consider this a red flag. Ask a clarifying question in the interview process such as "How much time, in terms of percentage, do you envision me doing this part of the work?"

"Wears many hats”/“And other duties as assigned”

This phrase could mean that you will be put under lots of projects and deadlines that will not be realistic. Most people will leave in one or two years.
To succeed in this environment, you'll need to accept imperfection. You will produce mediocre-level stuff and should be OK with it.

“Works well under pressure”

This does not mean you have to be genuinely enthusiastic about the industry, but you need to come prepared for an interview to show your expertise in the subject.

“Be passionate”

A common interview question is "Tell me about a time you had to pivot your strategy." It can also be any question that asks you to discuss how you troubleshoot.
When you see this request, try to anticipate what problems this role will have and describe how you would handle them.

“Be a problem-solver”

These titles can mean there's a certain level of expertise and expectation that you will know what you're doing. 
But it can also be an indication that the company does not know what they want.

Superstar titles: Ninjas, rockstars, jedis, gurus, unicorns

Here's what buzzwords like "fast-paced environment," "unlimited PTO" and "works well under pressure" really mean.

How To Decode 10 Of The Most Common Phrases In Job Listings

Sea-level rise and eventual flooding is a growing possibility that has been written in many ancient books and stories.
The Noah’s Ark, the Sumerian flood, or the ancient Hindu story of Manu and Matsya depicted an Apocalyptic water crisis thousands of years ago and had a common theme: The Wrath Of God.

Apocalypse Now: Aqua Edition

The ancient stories and the many modern thought experiments envision a world drowned in water and the resulting problems that aren’t talked about at all.
The sea-level rising is a global warming threat that seems like ‘climate fiction’ to the people in charge and could be a potential disaster if not taken seriously now.

Water: An Existential Threat

Cultures worldwide are awash with tales of great floods. What can they tell us about the reality of a wetter world?

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Elena X.
@elenxx

Anyone Can Be Trained to Be Creative - Neuroscience News

You Don’t Have to “Speak Up” to Contribute to Meetings

3 Group Presentation Pitfalls — and How to Avoid Them

Panama Canal open to traffic

Where Do Suppressed Emotions Go?

Bite-sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Elena X.@elenxx

Anyone Can Be Trained to Be Creative - Neuroscience News

You Don’t Have to “Speak Up” to Contribute to Meetings

3 Group Presentation Pitfalls — and How to Avoid Them

Panama Canal open to traffic

Where Do Suppressed Emotions Go?

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Elena X.
@elenxx