techniques (described in Chapter 5) are used by individuals or small groups of people, and are generally better than storming techniques at generating new ideas. However, brain-storming has considerable value outside the arena of creativity through:
● enabling someone to overcome any personal anxieties about being creative by providing a means to involve other people, who can share the problem;
● team-building and staff development, because it provides the opportunity for members of a public relations team and different grades of staff to work together;
● acceptance of an idea by participation;
● formally putting creativity on other people’s timetables: if a group of people is ‘ordinarily’ asked to come up with ideas, only one or two tend to make a serious contribution; the others either never get around to it or only put in a half-hearted effort;
● putting creativity on the medium-term agenda. Creativity is one of those issues that does not get on the phone and say:
‘You’re not being creative and have not scheduled sufficient time to be creative; nor have you carried out a creative review over the last six months.’ As a formal technique, brainstorming helps register the need for more creativity sessions. ‘When was the last time we had a brainstorm on this one?’ is a call from the conscience that, sadly, can sometimes come too late.
A NEW WAY AHEAD: STRUCTURED
Step 1: A senior manager analyses the brief
Any creative element must be – and can only be – effective in a framework of defined objectives. Only by setting goals and providing a structure within which communication can take place
Green Light thinking: brainstorming
Figure 6.1 A guide to Structured Brainstorming
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3
Step 6 Step 7 Steps 8 and 9
Steps 4 and 5
A senior manager Criteria are established An initial plan is devised
Green Light thinking – Brainstorm includes … and a Cheerleader brainstorming session a Scribe …
A day later collect Red Light thinking – Establish the plan and any further ideas evaluating and judging ideas gain acceptance
can you identify where added value from the creative process is needed. A framework also provides a measure to gauge the value – and, indeed, the commercial worth – of any subsequent creativity.
A senior member of staff analyses the brief and may also use Green Light thinking to focus on the information stage of the creative process: What sources of information are available? Are there any unusual places to look for potential sources of ideas? The senior member then works through the structured elements of a typical public relations programme:
● Situation: the task is described and put into context. The key outcome is stated as clearly as possible.
● Problems: what problems are raised by the brief that need solving? Use Green Light thinking to identify any further issues or problems to be solved, or look at making the problem more specific.
● Objectives: what you want to achieve. Again, use Green Light thinking to identify any new issues, adding further objectives as necessary.
● Audiences: the different groups you need to reach. You can be creative either by extending the number of target groups, or by being more specific and targeted.
● Messages: what you need to say. Look not just at the obvious statements in the brief, but examine how you can come up with new themes, messages and points of view.
● Channels: the different communication routes to your audiences.
● Opportunities: specific events or topical issues that could be used to advantage (and Chapter 13 describes ‘surfing’, namely adding value by linking with a topical event or issue). Here is a checklist that can be used to judge your activity against poten-tial opportunities that may lend themselves to surfing. The checklist should also help you identify opportunities for linking, and for providing new creative ideas and added value:
– seasonality – winter/spring/summer/autumn;
– events – theme weeks/days, sport (forthcoming tourna-ments, or sports people in the news), politics (issues of current concern), exhibitions (forthcoming shows, trade events) or commemorative anniversaries;
– topicality – films, television, arts or fashion;
– VIPs – visits, endorsements or links with an organization;
– the local area – cultural strengths/weaknesses.
Creativity in public relations
● Threats: what could emerge to undermine your efforts, such as competitive activity, environmental developments, and also the consequences of inactivity – for instance, what would happen if you did not run your campaign?
● Resources: don’t just assume your resources are confined to the budget allowed for in the brief, because creative thought can generate added funds, resources or assistance. Is there any third party or generic trade activity that can be piggybacked on to, or any sponsorship to provide more income? (You can win major industry awards with campaigns for which there was no budget, and organize celebrity photocalls without paying a penny for the celebrity, through using creative thinking on the available resources.)
● Programme: distil all the ideas into a coherent campaign, with deadlines.
● Evaluation: think up benchmarks and measures, working creatively.
● Illustration: what ideas will help to sell the programme?
Step 2: Criteria are established
Use Red Light thinking to establish criteria for evaluating ideas.
See Chapter 8 for an expansion of this theme.
Step 3: An initial plan is devised
An initial plan is drafted as a proposal for action. If you need more ideas, circulate the draft to colleagues before the brainstorming session. They should read the draft as soon as possible, so as to capitalize on their incubation of ideas.
Steps 4 and 5: Green Light thinking – brainstorming session
Only at this stage should a brainstorming session be prepared for.
You need one or two flipcharts, a variety of coloured pens, and a set of red and green cards. Hold the session in a room that accom-modates everyone in comfort, offers privacy, is free from distrac-tions, and away from interruptions such as telephones (especially mobile phones).
Green Light thinking: brainstorming
Timing is important. First thing in the morning should be avoided, when people may have the day’s other commitments on their minds, as should after lunch, when body clocks are at a low ebb.
Group rapport is a fundamental prerequisite of successful brain-storming. If there is sufficient time, get people into a relaxed state of mind. Hold a warm-up game to tackle a hypothetical situation.
For example: ‘If you’re stuck on a desert island, what uses can you make of a belt?’ Even well-established teams with strong rapport find this stimulating.
The brainstorming session should have a clear structure.
Appoint people to take the role of Cheerleader and Scribe. Make the rules explicit.
Have a Cheerleader to encourage and exhort the group, and to stay alert to any ‘wallflowers’ in order to make sure they partici-pate fully. The Cheerleader should check the body language and watch out for non-verbal communication, encouraging everyone to be open, relaxed and non-threatening.
The Cheerleader is there to encourage the team to build upon ideas, so holds the red and green cards, encouraging par-ticipants with a few totally outrageous ideas. This demonstrates how everyone should suspend judgement and show there is no bar to creative thought. Use Green Light thinking; suspend judge-ment or evaluation. The Cheerleader shows a red card to anyone who is using Red Light judgements or negative thinking. Seek as many ideas as possible. Aim for frequency and quantity, not quality.
The Scribe notes down all suggestions made.
The suggested structure provides for a series of two-minute sessions, each focused on one aspect of the elements in the draft public relations programme. Start with a problems session, move on to objectives, audiences and so on, finishing at the illustration stage. Everyone should try to build upon each other’s ideas. Stop after two minutes. Give the Scribe an extra 30 seconds to catch up and note down all the ideas. The number of ideas is recorded and noted. Then you start the next section.
If there are enough people – say eight or more – split the group into two or more teams to capitalize on people’s inherent competi-tive spirit. The teams should either be in adjoining rooms or in different corners of the same room, so that they can work indepen-dently of each other. Compare team scores before the next session
Creativity in public relations
starts. (For those who believe that people cannot get competitive in these situations, I have even seen teams whisper their ideas to their Scribe to lull the other team into a false sense of insecurity!)
At the outset, you should set a strict time limit and stick to it. The whole meeting can be completed in around 25 minutes. Do not spend much more time than this in any brainstorming session;
it will be a waste of time, as people’s brains get tired and distracted.
While people should be relaxed in brainstorming, they should not get too comfortable. You should make everyone stand up to do the brainstorm. This not only discourages people from sitting back and letting their minds wander off the subject, but also focuses them on the task in hand.
On our training courses, delegates have used the rhythm of their body to stimulate creative thoughts. One method, which can be called ‘Doing the Bill’, involves placing one foot in front of the other and gently rocking backwards and forward, seeking with every forward lean to come up with an idea. Alternatively, ‘Doing the Fiona’ consists of jumping up and down on the spot to generate new thoughts. This, however, is a bit wearing on the legs – and on the carpet.
Step 6: A day later collect any further ideas
Next day, the coordinator follows up with each participant and asks everyone to note down in no more than 30 seconds – in order not to take up too much time – any other ideas that have emerged since the structured brainstorm. This capitalizes on the incubation stage, because what invariably happens is that the brainstorming stimulates new thoughts and ideas after the session. Unless this follow-up is carried out, these extra ideas are lost.
Step 7: Red Light thinking – evaluating and judging ideas
Place the criteria (established in Step 2) alongside the ideas noted.
Rather than subjectively evaluating individual ideas, the criteria help to introduce an objective appraisal. (See Chapter 8 on Red Light thinking.)
Green Light thinking: brainstorming
Step 8: Establish the plan
Now establish a programme using some of the ideas. You may even redefine the problem. Include deadlines and measures of success. Give a copy of the programme to everyone who took part in the original brainstorm, in order to provide feedback on their input.
Step 9: Gain acceptance
The illustration stage of the creative process is brought into play as it is vital to gain acceptance from those affected by the proposed solution.