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Author Archives: Betsy Tremblay
Be Nice to Girls, Be Nice to Everyone
So apparently I’m about to graduate from college? Where did that come from and when did I become an adult? I remember walking around campus as a freshman thinking that I was never going to graduate and that there were SO many courses I had to take… Continue Reading
Shopping Addictions Turning Cyber
Shopping for clothes online is hard. What size to order? What does the fabric feel like? How short is that really going to be? All questions that usually start with me filling up my virtual shopping cart end with me going through and deleting everythin… Continue Reading
A Professional Leg Up
I have a new obsession with a professional network. It might have something to do with the fact that I’m graduating in about 16 days (yikes!) or that I’m a major nerd for anything marketing/pr related, but I like it—it’s called LevoLeague. Essentially, Levo League is a network for young female professionals aspiring towards big things in the business world.
The website is easy for me to follow, gives me the advice I’m looking for before I even know I’m looking for it, and connects me with people I didn’t even know existed—David Meerman Scott would say that’s good inbound marketing. The site is actually almost like a mixture of a blog and a professional network, making it more personal and relatable. There are guest posts from people like Sheryl Sandberg from facebook and Warren Buffet. I’m gonna go out on a whim and say every college senior would love to get some tips from these two people.
Levo League breaks the barrier between young professionals looking to climb the latter and men/women who are already successful in all fields of business. Members can ask mentors professional advice, learn what to wear to the office, participate in a live videoconference, or even browse the job listings. The site also provides the ability to follow different mentors and connect with other aspiring professionals.
I was recently introduced to my new professional girl crush on Levo League—Lauren Crampsie, CMO at Ogilvy & Mather. She gave advice as a guest mentor on a live video chat session—allowing people to tweet and ask Lauren questions in real time. I didn’t watch the chat live, but was able to go back and watch the whole thing. Talk about inspiring! Lauren Crampsie climbed up the corporate latter very quickly, so what she had to say was relevant and and further fueled my passions. I definitely recommend checking it out: Office Hours with Lauren Crampsie
If you’re looking for a great place for career advice, get a Levo League account. Even if you only learn one piece of advice for your future career, that’s more advice than you had before.
10 Reasons Why The Voice is Better Than American Idol
1. I don’t have to listen to this guy:2. I can instantly download the songs (and I might actually want to)3. Do I even need to say it? 4. Who doesn’t love a little competition between famous musicians? 5. Shakira gets THIS excited about her t… Continue Reading
One Size Fits All Rarely Works
It’s no secret that the world of PR and marketing is changing and that there is a huge shift occurring infront of our eyes. I’d say it’s the perfect time to be graduating with a marketing degree– there are so many exciting things happening!I… Continue Reading
Beauty is in The Eye of The Beholder
Remember when I talked about the whole Dove Beauty & Axe controversy last November? Well, I’m here to say that although Axe is still airing commercials like this:Dove has come up with a new Real Beauty campaign that is better than ever before:The m… Continue Reading
Is Lululemon a Lemon or Will the Brand Prevail?
Lululemon is arguably the most popular line of athletic apparel for women. They have built the ultimate brand and it’s captured the heart of women all over the US and beyond.All I have to say is with a price tag of $98 for a pair of yoga pants the… Continue Reading
Marketing for a Good Mission
Many nonprofit organizations make the same mistake: Thinking their good cause and mission will speak for itself and donations will come pouring in with little effort put into marketing and communications. But like i’ve said before:A world of choices me… Continue Reading
Turning The Lights Off On Criticism
To Ideate Alone or Together
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| {Cartoon Stock} |
I have previously posted about brainstorming in the shower and how many great ideas are generated during that 15(ish) minute period of steamy goodness. It’s a time to reflect and let go & when we let go, ideas flow.
While having time to produce ideas alone is important, there are also good things to be said about collaborating in a group brainstorming session. The ability to bounce ideas off of each other, gain inspiration from peers, and the excitement of working in a group are a few positives of brainstorming together,
But….
There is one BIG negative of brainstorming sessions: criticism. Jonah Lehrer wrote an article in The New Yorker titled, “Groupthink, the brainstorming myth” where he dubs censoring judgement and encouraging the free-flowing connection of ideas as the “cardinal rule” of brainstorming. We are afraid to say the wrong thing or have a bad idea, so we won’t say anything at all. Lehrer quotes Alex Osborn’s metaphor for creativity that explains the delicacy behind the creative process,
“Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom while discouragement often nips it in the bud,” he wrote. “Forget quality; aim now to get a quantity of answers. When you’re through, your sheet of paper may be so full of ridiculous nonsense that you’ll be disgusted. Never mind. You’re loosening up your unfettered imagination—making your mind deliver.”
Lehrer goes on to say that Osborn is wrong and brainstorming simply does not work. He then discusses a study at Yale University in the late 50’s that concluded that people who worked alone came up with almost twice as many ideas as the people working in a group. Shocking, right?
More people = Less ideas
Less people = More ideas
Something doesn’t add up. If it did we wouldn’t be trying to make these brainstorming sessions work, but society has made creativity and ideation a group process, not an individual one.
So what can we do to make brainstorming work?
“7 Unique Brainstorming Techniques,” an great article from Inc., provides insight on what some of the most creative people do to get the ideas flowing. Suggestions included getting out of the office setting, including key influencers and decision makers in brainstorming sessions, and even taking a break from brainstorming all together. Lucas Beiwald, co-founder of CrowdFlower, prefers to email employees separately for their ideas because he doesn’t have a strong liking to brainstorming sessions. He says,
“I think it is hard to keep them focused, and I tend to think there is a kind of groupthink that emerges… I think it is hard for people to think creatively in a meeting.”
That may be true, but it doesn’t really help us figure out how to make group brainstorming work effectively. I find it hard to believe that 2 or 3 or 4 or even 10 heads aren’t better than 1. The proper environment is the key factor.
A Dark Room For Ideas
This morning, a post linking to Ketchum‘s blog caught my eye on Facebook. The blog post, titled “Brainstorming in the Dark,” had me intrigued and I think turning the lights off in the meeting room might just be the perfect solution to make brainstorming sessions work more effectively. Here’s why:
1. We are more focused. In the dark our minds can stay more focused without any visuals to distract our flowing thoughts. More focus means more ideas.
2. Less stimuli. The darkness means our brains don’t have to process as much stimuli, therefore freeing up our minds and allowing for better problem solving skills, which in turn generates more ideas.
3. Darkness is the criticism blocker. The best brainstorming session is one with the least judgement, but we are always going to feel judged to an extent. Facial expressions say A LOT. In dark room people’s reactions are not visible, giving the brainstormers more confidence to say what comes to mind .
Ketchum did a mini study on the idea and this video says it all:
Would you be willing to turn off the lights to generate more ideas? It might be worth a try & who knows, it might be fun!
Don’t Just Buy an Item, Change a Life
An Award-Winning InsightThis past week award winning brand strategist, marketer, PR exec and writer, Holly Stewart came to my IMC class to discuss her work with non-profits and to shed some light on what works and what doesn’t in terms of strategies fo… Continue Reading