31 March, 2007
Speaking Creative – how it improves results through clearer, better focused better communication.
Three typical situationsSpeaking creative means using a language with a specific group of people - creative types - to communicate with them more effectively in order to achieve a better result. There are three typical situations where this skill can be particularly productive: translating, mediating and communicating. There are subtle but vitally important differences between these situations.
Translating.
In this context is a two way process. Firstly, explaining what the client organisation’s objective is (often it is not possible to articulate this precisely) to the skilled creatives employed to achieve those objectives. Secondly translating back to the client their understanding of the objective and most importantly, gauging whether the creatives have the relevant skills to deliver, now that the objective is better understood.
Mediating.
Tthis takes place further into the process. A range of possible solutions may have been offered, but the original objective has changed, and there is some realigning to be done on both sides. There are those situations where it is necessary to arbitrate because the original objective cannot be achieved as intended for practical reasons but a solution still has to be found. Mediating can be used at a specific point or continually throughout the project.
Communicating.
Using a creative speaker to communicate with creative types as customers rather than suppliers can also bring substantial returns. It presents some interesting challenges, as they do not share the same aspirations or respond to the same incentives as other groups but they are an important target group for many industries.
As consumers themselves they are discerning and critical; important because as early adopters of new products they make useful leading indicators of trends. In the workplace they are just as valuable as either direct purchasers or specifiers of a wide range of products.
Speaking creative is a vital part of the creative process and the benefits can be substantial when provided by an impartial, independent and unbiased third party. 
31 March, 2007
It is all about what you say and how you say it.
It is widely believed that the way a message is delivered is of less importance than the content in a de-personalised business situation but is simply not the case.
We are all more sensitive than we are prepared to admit and often it is not so much what people say but the way they say it that offends. Even where care is taken, unintended offence can occur whether by tone of voice or disregard for social etiquette.
Generally there is no lasting damage. There are however situations where even if one takes the greatest care, a lack of awareness can cause lasting harm and usually creative people are involved.
Is it true that creative people are more sensitive?
They would like to think so and there is evidence to support this. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has studied the creative mind for decades and has compiled a list of common personality traits based on his research with 91 eminent people. Passion for a field of work drives creative people and such weighty investment leaves them vulnerable to over-sensitivity and an inability to accept criticism.
Nevertheless as we know those in the most senior positions can be a little prickly themselves . It is really a question of language and the actual words used. Although not exclusive to the creative community or confined within it, a large proportion are synaesthetes and may feel the shape of words as they are spoken.
It is more complex than just using cuddly phrases although that is surprisingly helpful. For example ‘razor,’ ‘sharp,’ ‘rattle,’ ‘crash,’ ‘hiss,’ ‘stomp,’ ‘thud’ and ‘creak’ may ‘grate’ on the synaesthete’s mind.
Does this stop managers being upfront with their creative staff?
On balance, no. Sensitivity can work both ways and creative people can also be unintentionally hurtful. They don’t value the same things as most business people and show little respect for title, position or the ambition of others. This can cause clashes within an organisation particularly with senior executives.
It is worth remembering that it has often been the artistic community that has most vocally opposed oppressive political regimes. Think of the synaesthete abstract artist Kandinsky who so disapproved of the Tsarists in control of his home country that he helped the fledgling Soviet government, also the smoky Left Bank Parisian cafes where Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir discussed the Resistance, socialism and existentionalism. Picasso, who’s mural ‘Guernica’ was a clear statement against the atrocities perpetrated by Franco and later the writers, artists and musicians who fought for black rights in the U.S.
Where is help really needed?
It is difficult enough for an organisation to make its objectives clear to their creative suppliers working either in-house or externally and there are two obstacles that stand in the way. Firstly the organisation may itself not know how to verbally express complex business objectives and secondly the message will be passed down through the organisation chain to those who have to execute the work. A short cut from the business visionaries to the creatives is required.
Consider the problems with language on the global stage, cross-cultural interpretations can significantly alter the meaning of words. The HSBC television advertisements which stress the importance of local knowledge highlight the issues that can arise. There are specialist companies dedicated to advising businesses on what product names and symbols have confusing if not offensive connotations in other parts of the world.
It is well known that some car names have had to be altered to suit a new market for example the Toyota Fiera was controversial in Puerto Rico where the name means ‘ugly old woman.’ The sadly apocryphal Vauxhall Nova story in which the company was supposedly confounded by poor sales in Spain until someone realised ‘no va’ meant ‘no go’ wonderfully represents the importance of clarity of meaning.
The repercussions can be severe.
In May 2005 The Wall Street Journal revealed that a reporter from an obscure Chinese news service wrought panic on financial markets when a garbled translation of a story about the appreciation of the Yuan sent traders buying up Asian currency. When Reuters cast doubt on the report traders began frantically trying to buy back the dollar. The original report was actually a speculative look at what effect an appreciation may have. This is exactly the sort of misunderstanding that arises when business minds and creative minds fail to speak the same language.
Can the gap be bridged?
An interpreter, someone who both speaks creative (i.e. understands, relates to and can communicate with creative people) while understanding commercial realities is needed. This is unlikely to be found within the organisation because anyone who understands the business objectives and is also involved in setting them is probably too close to the subject to speak in the broad terms called for. If they are creatively highly skilled it is probable they will not have the propensity to understand the intricacies of business matters and vice versa.
English is now considered the universal language of business and yet sloppy usage is costing UK companies money. Korean Airlines awarded a big contract for flight simulators to a French supplier because they found the French negotiator’s English more comprehensible. (Daily Telegraph January 20th 2005) In the same way language constraints can hinder the dynamics of the employer-creatives relationship without someone able to ‘speak creative.’
How can speaking creative help you get a better result?
Using an interpreter who can translate the needs of the organisation into language creatives can respond to is crucial but it doesn’t end there. Often things change along the way and creatives don’t always get it right and may need re-direction. If the situation is not handled correctly the relationship can quickly deteriorate resulting in a creative solution that does not fulfil the organisation’s requirements.
31 March, 2007
A creative speaker acts as an intermediary and provides a clear channel of communication, avoiding costly misunderstandings.
Why is communication so difficult?
When two tribes, each speaking a different language, meet, other differences are also very apparent. One is well organised, often smartly dressed, comfortable working within a defined structure, keen to gain consensus and has clear goals; the other is undisciplined, prone to unconventional dress, acutely sensitive, over confident and with less clearly defined goals.
Pivotal to the language barrier is the importance given to how things sound over the precise detail of the content. The baby(ese) ‘oochie, coochie, coo’ is a good example of how we can naturally change our voice and use a different language when the circumstances demand it, so why not speak creative(ese) when dealing with a tribe of rainmakers?
What speaking creative means.
It is really a question of the actual words used; this is of crucial importance. A large proportion of the creative community are synaesthetes and may feel the shape of words as they are spoken.
It is more complex than just using cuddly phrases, although that is surprisingly helpful. For example ‘sharp,’ ‘cut,’ ‘trash’ and ‘hiss,’ may ‘grate’ on the synaesthete’s mind whereas ‘consider’, ‘agree’, ‘smooth’ and ‘alternative’ can convince them that you speak their language. This is not the same as using euphemisms; creative people, no less than anyone else, need to know where they stand.
It is also a matter of translating the business needs and objectives and matching those to the talents and capabilities of the creatives while steering the project through those inevitable rapids and whirlpools.
Are creative people too sensitive?
Still often referred to as ‘luvvies’, they would like to think so, and there is evidence to support this. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a professor at the Druker & Masatoshi Ito School of Management, has studied the creative mind for decades and has compiled a list of common personality traits based on his research with 91 eminent people. His view is that passion for a field of work drives creative people and such weighty investment leaves them vulnerable to over-sensitivity and an inability to accept criticism.
Why don’t clients simply just say what they want?
Assuming for a moment that the client has an idea of what the solution might be, he may also want to know what the creative experts think and to have his own thoughts either validated or disputed. Should he choose to tell the supplier in too much detail about his notions, the client is likely to be presented with a half baked version of his idea as the solution, due in part to the nature of the relationship.
The relationship.
Depending to some degree where the creative supplier and the client sit on their respective food chains, this is a master / servant relationship. But one with a difference; there are few business relationships where the master is so reliant upon the servant. Failure to deliver on a major deadline is a high profile way to damage a career. Businesses are used to delays in completion of facilities or IT systems but one does not see many empty exhibition stands, blank ad slots or billboards.
The agency has many clients but the client has only one career. This is what makes a perfect understanding between the two so important for the client.
Why don’t clients always get what they want?
Mistranslation of the brief, misunderstandings, inappropriate skills employed for the task, poor relationships and misaligned budgeting, can all contribute to a an unsatisfactory result. Using someone who can speak creative and provide a clear channel of communication can in the vast majority of cases overcome these difficulties and lead to a superior result, with accolades all round.
The most important thing I have learnt as a practitioner is that the creative process can be much more effective and productive if it is well managed. I asked myself if this experience could be put to use to help others, and the answer has been most emphatically yes.
My experience tells me that in the right environment, managed sensitively, creatives can achieve amazing things but managed poorly they can be a disaster.
Those commissioning work also need help to interact in the right way with their creative partners.
Speaking Creative
Speaking Creative – how it improves results through clearer, better focused better communication.
It is all about what you say and how you say it.
A creative speaker acts as an intermediary andprovides a clear channel of communication, avoiding costly misunderstandings.
Click on the titles to find out more or on 
to see a short slide show.
Creative Thinking
Creative thinking – providing synaesthetic solutions to complex challenges.
‘A problem is the difference between what we have and what we want.’ - Edward de Bono
A good problem solver will quickly understand your business and provide impartial and refreshingly different solutions.
Click on the titles to find out more or on to see a short slide show.
Measuring & Auditing
Service auditing - measuring the quality, efficiency and
value of creative suppliers.
Measure results if you want value for money.
Creative People and Services - Value for Money?
Click on the titles to find out more or on to see a short slide show.
Mentoring & Motivating
Improving the return on creative resource investment.
It takes more than financial incentives.
Motivating and encouraging creativity.
Click on the titles to find out more or on to see a short slide show.
Each Case History is a précis of projects undertaken by Town Group and marketing managers will find the scenarios familiar. If you have a particular situation which requires some outside help, or would like to know more about a particular project then please contact me for further information.