Creativity is a part of Communication. Jump in and see what you’re made of!
Do your communication skills make or break you? Creativity helps in communication. And we can all use ideas to communicate better --- personally and professionally. Try the following and see where the ideas take you.
1. Identify Issues: Is there something going on that needs your attention? You know what I mean – fear of confrontation, standing up for yourself etc. Well, the only way you move through something is to identify that the issue is. You have to give it a name before you can work on it. As Dr. Phil McGraw says, You have to name it to claim it.
2. Creative Visualization: Each of us has an imagination. Use it to visualize how to handle something. Close your eyes and see the situation “as it is,” and then how “you want it.” With your imagination, you creatively visualize the end. Don’t forget, you’re the writer, producer, director of this scene. Be creative and have fun with it.
3. Be Optimistic: Are you someone who sees the glass as half empty or half full? You show optimism when you see what’s favorable.
4. Brainstorm: Is your company in need of a plan (i.e. training classes for foreign speakers, etc.)? Get a group of co-workers in a quiet room to brainstorm for a half hour. Write down the ideas and then pick out the names that the group feels are most important.
5. Be Open-Minded: Also known as trying new approaches and playing with ideas. Go with the flow and try new ideas. Sometimes, what seems “odd” or “off the wall” might be exactly what the company needs. Don’t dismiss any ideas.
6. Keep An Idea Bank: Are the ideas flowing too much? Did the brainstorming give you more than you could handle? Put the other ideas on cards and use them for later. Use the most immediate ideas and leave the others for later. It’s important to replace, add, and delete ideas as you need to.
7. Observe And Understand: You know the phrase, “walking in their shoes?” Well, when you observe and understand someone, you relate to their ideas and where they’re at.
8. Simplify: Keep things simple. Creative resolutions should be fun, not a back-breaking job!
9. Summarize It: You’ve done the work (and hopefully had fun); now summarize what needs to happen and go for it.
10. Do It: O.K. You’ve outlined your blue print for successful communication, now do it. Watch how things seem “effortless and seamless.” Watch how you go places.
Resolving issues in communication – creatively; isn’t hard when you’re organized and are committed and are willing to “go with the flow.”
Keep these points handy the next time you’re stuck and need a blueprint.
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