I’m the latest poet to appear on Poetcasting, an innovative site featuring recordings of contemporary poets reading their work. Visit Poetcasting to hear me read four of my poems.

Thanks to Alex Pryce for featuring me and for creating such a great resource. She has assembled a great collection of poets and I’m proud to take my place among them.

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Did I mention I’m working on a new project for you? It’s all very hush hush for now, but I can tell you it will be in partnership with one or two other people you may have heard of.

If you like Wishful Thinking I think you’ll enjoy this…

Things have been a bit quiet around here recently. Sorry about that. The good news is I’ve been working on something special for you, which will soon be ready for launch.

Watch this space…

Roger’s classic A Whack on the Side of the Head is always the first book on creative thinking I recommend to clients. So when he e-mailed me a few weeks ago to let me know he had prepared a revised 25th Anniversary Edition of A Whack on the Side of the Head, I couldn’t resist asking him for an interview. Roger kindly agreed - you can read his answers to my questions below.

Regarding the book itself - if you haven’t yet read Whack, this is definitely one you should have on your creative bookshelf. It’s a thoroughly good read - funny, challenging, useful, unsettling and inspiring. If you already own a copy, then you’ll be pleased to know the new edition is still recognisably the same book, with all the old favourites still in place - but with new ideas, techniques and ‘Whacks’ added for good measure. My experience of reading the new edition was an enjoyable combination of familiarity and surprise. I was also delighted to see that I make a cameo appearance in the book - in a footnote on p.115 (I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you what it’s about).

1. A Whack on the Side of the Head is a classic. Why is that?

Roger von Oech: Whack is about the ten “Mental Locks” that prevent most people from being more creative. These locks include such beliefs as: “There’s one right answer,” “To err is wrong,” “Don’t be foolish,” Avoid Ambiguity,” and “That’s not my area.” These ideas make sense for a lot of what we do, but when we’re trying to be creative they can get in the way. Most people have an intuitive understanding of these ideas, and so it’s easy for them to think about them.

Whack has a lot of unusual and off-beat stories and anecdotes. It’s got weird drawings that capture our imagination. Also, Whack is an accessible and interactive book. People seem to like that. There are a number of exercises in it. I think that we improve our ability to be creative by using our creativity, not by being lectured at. Whack is also fun. I guess people respond to all of these things.

2. Why change a classic book?

I’ve always considered Whack to be a living book, that is, one I could update and revise over time. This 25th Anniversary Edition is actually the fourth edition I’ve done since it first came out in 1983. The last previous edition, however, was in 1998, and there were a number of insights, exercises, and stories I wanted to add and I’ve gone ahead and done so. I hope that it reaches a new generation of creative people!

In addition, my last book was Expect the Unexpected, which came out in 2001. This was a true labor of love and dealt with the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus whom I consider to be the “world’s first creativity teacher.” This book was well-reviewed but unfortunately it was published a few days before September 11, 2001 and thus, got lost in the strangeness of the post 9/11 period. (What a cosmic irony considering this book’s title!) As a consequence, I’ve taken some of my favorite Heraclitus insights and incorporated them in the new Whack. I’m very happy with the results.

3. How are you different from twenty-five years ago?


At age 60 (me today), I’d like to believe that I have a little more perspective than I did when I was 35. In the intervening years, I’ve (helped) raise a family, had a successful business, and have had a few more life experiences. I think all of that enters into my tone. But, I’ve tried to keep it fun. For example, I’ve added a “Breaktime” chapter between chapters five and six. This allows the reader to “Pause for A Bit,” which is always a good thing.

4. Whack was one of the catalysts of a creative revolution in business. These days the Creative Economy and Creative Industries are all the rage, and the most admired companies are often those that excel at creativity and innovation. Was this what you had in mind?

I think that the “most admired companies” of just about any age have excelled at creativity and innovation. What’s changed though is that today there’s an expectation that a higher percentage of a company’s employees should be creative than was the case twenty-five or thirty years ago. It’s gone from maybe 3% up to 25%. This is a very good thing.

When I started doing “creativity consulting” in 1977, there were probably only four or five other people I was aware of who were doing it. It was a difficult sell to companies. Now, there are thousands (if not more) creative consultants, and business certainly seems receptive to the idea of innovation. I’d like to think that my seminars, workshops, books, and other products have played a small role in this changing creative landscape.

5. A while ago you wrote a funny post in the voice of your books, who complained that you were neglecting them in favour of blogging. How’s your relationship with your books these days? Did your experience of blogging change the way you approached re-writing Whack?

I have a “love-hate” relationship with blogging and some of the other social media (such as Twitter). I felt that blogging was a big help during the 8 months I was re-doing the new “Whack.” I could test out my ideas by writing posts about them. This helped me think them through. It also allowed me to meet new people from around the world (you, for example!).

On the other hand, social media take time. For example, I have a good blogger friend who is well respected in the design and marketing communities because of his social media involvement. But the downside is that he has read only one novel in the past year.

Perhaps I’m old school, but I believe that “reading paper” — as opposed to “reading screen” — is still a worthwhile activity.

6. In an interview for the launch of the new edition of Whack you say that you’ve ‘come to appreciate more the value and importance of constraints and limits in stimulating the creative process’. What prompted this appreciation?

Probably working with companies with limited budgets — as opposed to those who could just throw lots of money and resources at a problem. I think it’s better to have a policy to “out-think” the competition than to “outspend” them.

I’ve also had this experience with my own entrepreneurial activities. This has been true whether I’ve been producing conferences or creating new products that are manufactured in China. When I have a tight constraint, it forces to think more deeply about the problem and look for alternatives.

7. Can you give me a specific example in one of your products?
The “Creative Whack Pack” card deck is a good one (the same applies to the “Innovative Whack Pack” as well). Each card in the deck contains a creativity strategy, an illustration, a story that exemplifies that strategy, and finally a question for the reader to apply the strategy to a problem.

When I’m writing a book, I can take multiple paragraphs to develop and expound on a particular point. But when I was writing copy for a card’s story, and there was only room for eight or nine lines (that’s the constraint), I had to boil my thoughts down to just the basic points. The constraint forced me cut through the story’s clutter to get to the essentials. As a result, I came to understand the basic idea in a fresh way. Of course, if you cut too much, you lose the point of the story, so you have to be aware of that extreme as well. But I’ve found that adding a constraint makes me think.

8. Whack has been rightly praised as an inspiring book. I also find it quite disturbing – there’s something deeply unsettling about the way it undermines all our assumptions and replaces them with ambiguity and paradox. A bit like meeting the Sphinx. George Willet’s illustrations capture that spirit perfectly – charming, playful and slightly macabre. Do you recognise this disturbing quality in Whack, or is it just me?

I agree with you. The creative process can be incredibly messy. It’s a place where there’s no “one right answer,” and paradox and ambiguity prevail. I think one has to appreciate this when he or she enters into their own creative place. Once you’ve done it, it’s a lot easier to get your bearings.

9. Do you think the challenges facing creative people have changed significantly over the past 25 years, or are they fundamentally the same?

I guess the glib answer would be, “Oh, these are the most challenging of times.” But I think it’s always challenging. Creative people of every era have had to deal with their own personal demons, and also deal with negative people, and constraints of all types (time, money, resources). And no matter who you are, you still have to be able to sell your ideas to other people. So, a lot of stuff hasn’t changed. The main limits are usually in our own heads. And that’s why a “good whack” can be beneficial to your thinking!

10. If you had to reduce the advice in the book to a single ‘Whack’ which one would you pick - and why?

I guess if I had a motto or a mantra, it would be: “Look for the Second Right Answer.” This has been my guiding principle for over thirty years.

I find that looking for the second right answer is an incredibly easy way to open my mind. For example, When I’m looking for information, this mantra tells me to go beyond the right answers that have worked in the past and look for others. When I’m trying to be creative, it playfully advises me to put my ideas in unusual contexts to give them new meanings.

When I’m evaluating concepts, it implores me not to get stuck in the negative, and not to fall in love with one particular approach. And, when I’m implementing ideas, it reminds me that if one idea doesn’t work, a different one just might, and to act accordingly.

Thanks for your interest, and best wishes to your readers.

Thank you Roger!

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If you enjoyed the interview, there’s plenty more inspiration on Roger’s blog and of course in the 25th Anniversary A Whack on the Side of the Head.

UK readers - get your copy here.

Photo by LittleMissSilly

I’m on a panel next Thursday 1st May, at All Together Now - Social Media and the Future of Community Sport, a joint Sport England and Channel 4 event at the Channel 4 building.

This is what it’s about:

Over the course of the past three years the emergence of blogging, social networking services and platforms which showcase and share user generated content have transformed the possibilities of how we connect, converse and collaborate with one another.

’In the 20th Century, we were defined by what we owned, in the 21st Century we will be defined by what share and give away’ Charles Leadbeater, author of We Think

The potential for organisations and brands to harness these technologies and tools to engage with users, customers and their communities in radically new ways is becoming clear.

How can all those organisations working to promote active participation in sports and the brands that wish to sponsor their activates and campaigns work together to make the most of the unrivalled viral power and network effects of the web in the run up to 2012?

Other speakers will include Thomas Godfrey, Commercial Director of Sport England, Jon Gisby, Director of Technology and New Media at Channel 4, Rebecca Caroe, Gi Fernando of Technlightenment, Antony Mayfield and Ed Mitchell.

I’ll be there as an ambassador for social media, to share my experience of blogging, social networking, Twitter, etc. and give the representatives of sports organisations some idea of the possibilities and pitfalls of engaging with people via the web.

After receiving the invitation I was struck by two thoughts: 1. How much time I spend on football messageboards when I should probably be doing something else, and following on from that, 2. that sport may be the ultimate social object [WARNING: cartoon with rude word] i.e. conversation starter and social catalyst. If I meet a stranger and they let slip they’re interested in football, I know we’ll have plenty to talk about and there will be no awkward silences (well not unless they turn out to be a Rangers fan).

So it looks to me as though sports organisations have an open goal in front of them - they have something that most people love to talk about and nearly anyone has an opinion on. But will they slot the ball calmly home or sky it over the bar? Or will they be fatally distracted by the animated advertising board behind the goal?

There are still a few free tickets left, so if you’re interested in any combination of social media, sport and marketing, then register for the event, ask me some easy questions during the debate, and come and say hello afterwards.

If you can’t make it on the day but you’ve got any thoughts on how sports or other organisations should engage with people via social marketing, please leave a comment below. I don’t think I’ll be able to link to you from the stage but I’ll certainly Twitter my thanks if I use any ideas from the comments.

Thanks to Steve Moore of Policy Unplugged for inviting me to join the panel and giving me an excuse to post a photo of Celtic.

EDIT: I’ve posted my presentation slides to Slideshare. You can probably tell I was trying to keep things as simple as possible.

Photo by -bast-

Fellow coach Ed Batista has published a three-question interview with me. I always think you can tell good coaches by the questions they ask, and Ed’s questions prompted me to reflect on my work and explain some things I hadn’t consciously thought about before - thanks Ed!

As well as enquiring about my work and use of technology, Ed held me to account by asking how my New Year’s Resolution is going - if you want to find out whether I’ve kept it, you’d better head over to Ed’s blog.

PS - If you were following my Twitter feed you’d have heard about this interview last week, as well as the Jill Bolte-Tayor video and free tickets for Charles Leadbeater’s talk about creativity and the internet. On the other hand, you’d also have heard about me watching football on TV and using the wrong end of my Wacom pen, so I guess it all evens out.

This is the most inspiring talk I’ve seen for ages. It’s about something much more important than creativity, although I’m sure it will resonate for anyone who takes a creative approach to life, in whatever field you work.

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment.

If you think that sounds intriguing, wait till you watch the whole thing. Don’t try to skim it - it’s about 20 minutes long and it’s worth making time to sit and watch it when you’re not thinking about anything else. I’m glad I did.

Watch the video on the TED site. Thanks to Garr Reynolds at Presentation Zen for enthusing about the talk so much that I made time for it.

Dr Taylor has written a book about her experience, which you can order via her website - if I were you I’d watch the video before you read about the book, it’s much better to hear the story via the live talk.

What is Twitter?

If you’ve never heard of Twitter, this is the basic idea. You sign up for account at Twitter.com Whereupon you’re faced with the question What are you doing? and a box where you can type your answer in not more than 140 characters. When you’re done, hit the update button and your ‘Tweet’ (yes, they really call them that) is published on the Twitter site.

Each time you add a Tweet, it appears on the same page, which also has an RSS feed so people can sign up to ‘follow’ you. As an example, here’s my Twitter feed.

You can also ‘follow’ other people and have their Tweets delivered to you. Here’s the feed of people I’m following.

Why 140 characters? Because that’s the maximum number of characters in a standard text message on a mobile phone (or SMS message on a cellphone as I believe they are known over the pond). So not only can you follow people on the Twitter site, you can also send and receive Tweets on your mobile phone - i.e. you can be connected to Twitter anywhere with mobile phone reception.

Why on earth would you want to do any of that?

Good question. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to do it, so I didn’t, for ages. Even when people I respect were enthusing about it. Over a year ago I remember Russell teasing me about being behind the times, but as far as Twitter was concerned, I was happy to be a Luddite. It sounded like a combination of all the bad things about digital communication rolled into one, with none of the plus points.

Over the past year I’ve become increasingly mystified by the number of apparently sane and intelligent friends and acquaintances urging me to join them on Twitter. To the point where, like Facebook last year, I got the distinct impression that if I didn’t join in, I was missing out on something.

So I gave it a go, and discovered I was wrong about Twitter. It’s amazing. Much more exciting than we thought Facebook was going to be. And even harder to explain to people who haven’t tried it. But I’ll have a go.

To explain why I was wrong, I’ll list each of my objections to the idea of Twitter and in each case give my actual experience of Twitter as a counter-example.

1. What’s the point?

This was the first hurdle. Why would anyone want to know what I’m doing right now? To be frank, my life isn’t exactly an action adventure. I can’t imagine anyone being interested in the mundane details of what I have for breakfast or which supermarket I shop in. Maybe if I were David Bowie or Seamus Heaney, but even then the novelty would probably wear off pretty soon. After months of trying to persuade people that blogs can be more than narcissistic online diaries, why would I want to start writing one in bite-sized chunks?

I was wrong about this in two ways. Firstly, the ‘What are you doing?’ question is a bit of a red herring. Lots of people don’t answer it. Instead they post thoughts, questions, links and replies to other Twitter users. That’s right - people reply to each other’s Tweets. Then they reply to the replies - put the Tweets together, join the dots and you discover that you’re having a conversation. Now you may be familiar with the idea of blogging as a conversation (which it is) but this is much quicker, quirkier and more spontaneous. While there can be hours, days or months between some exchanges via blog comments and trackbacks, the Twitter conversation is practically live, with replies coming within minutes or even a couple of seconds of the original Tweet.

The second reason I was wrong about this is related to the first. Because Twitter is a live conversation, the content of what you say doesn’t have to be earth-shatteringly interesting every time. Next time you’re hanging out with a group of friends, take a minute or two to just sit and listen to the conversation. Chances are a lot of the remarks would sound pretty mundane out of context - but they serve to keep the conversation going.

Grant McCracken has thought about this a lot harder than I have, and describes it as ‘phatic communication’:

This is communication with little hard, informational content, but lots of emotional and social content. Phatic communications doesn’t get much said, but it has social effects so powerful, it gets lots done.

In the world according to Grant, even the humble cat blog can become philosophically and socially acceptable:

When I use Twitter or Facebook to say that I am entertaining my cat, no one, I’m pretty, sure gives a good God damn that I am entertaining my cat. But they are reminded that they have someone called Grant McCracken exists in their network.

Grant picked up the notion of phatic communication from Mark Earls, champion of the idea that human beings are herd animals. Maybe Tweets are the digital equivalent of all the snorts and grunts and trumpetings and flicking of tails by which herds of animals maintain contact and cohesion as they wander the dusty savannah. Digital savannah, anyone? EDIT: since writing this post Mark kindly sent me this excellent article about Twitter, which he wrote for Market Leader last year. It includes this observation:

Twitter is curiously comforting, like being part of a flock of birds on neighbouring roosts, twittering away.

I’d like to say ‘great minds think alike’, but in the Herd universe thinking is overrated and most behaviour is based on imitation. i.e. I probably copied the metaphor from Mark.

2. It will be one more thing to keep up with, like e-mail and blogs

This was a big one for me. Anyone who’s read my e-book on time management will know how challenging I’ve found it to keep up with the deluge of e-mail that comes with running an increasingly web-based business. So the idea of adding yet another stream of digital communication to my e-mail and blog feeds was about as appealing as a hole in the head. How on earth did people manage to keep up?

But the thing is, you don’t need to keep up with Twitter, any more than you need to keep up with everything that’s said by your friends when you’re not there. Unlike e-mail, there is absolutely no pressure to respond. Unlike subscribing to someone’s blog, there is no expectation that you will keep up with everything they write on Twitter. Because it’s a live conversation, you can join and leave it whenever you want. It’s impossible to ‘get behind’ and have to deal with a backlog.

3. The last thing I need is another source of interruptions

Again, I’ve blogged before about the havoc caused by interruptions to focused work, and the need to switch off things like e-mail and phones at certain stages of the creative process. So why would I want to open up another gateway to interruptions and broken concentration?

The answer to this is related to the previous point - because you don’t need to keep up with Twitter, you can switch it on and off whenever you like, with no fear of missing something important or letting a backlog pile up. Anyone who can switch off their e-mail to focus on a piece of writing or artwork, or let a phone call go through to the answerphone and call back later should have no problem switching off Twitter.

I tend to switch on Twitter when I’m ready for a break from concentrated work, or I’ve been working on my own all day and fancy a bit of instant human interaction. For an independent consultant used to working alone, this can be wonderfully refreshing, like having office background noise and banter on tap. Several consultant and freelancer friends have said the same thing to me - even while we’re scattered all over the place doing our thing, we can still feel connected. On quite a few occasions a chance meeting on Twitter has turned into a phone call, private message exchange or meeting up for a coffee and a chat.

When I’ve had enough or socialising, or when it’s time to get back on with the job, I simply shut down Twhirl (my Twitter application of choice).

4. Every time I switch on my mobile phone I’ll be deluged with text messages

I had an image of myself coming to the end of a day of meetings, switching on my phone and being deluged with the hundreds of text messages that had been sent since I last logged on. I’m glad to say that doesn’t happen. Because Twitter isn’t about keeping up and having to follow every single message, when you switch on your phone you only get the Tweets sent from that moment onwards. So unless you’re following thousands of Twitterers (not advisable) the trickle of text messages should be easily manageable.

5. I don’t want to be connected all the time

I had an image of Twitter as being something that most people used via their mobile phones, as a way of being always connected wherever they were. Which made me feel slightly queasy, the way I do if I spend too long at the computer. I don’t know about you, but I feel much better for having plenty of time out of the reach of electronic communications.

While a few people do Twitter all the time, I’ve discovered that many only use it at their computer. Even phone users don’t typically have it on by default - like me, they tend to switch on phone alerts when they’re out and about and feel the need of a little human contact, or when they discover something interesting and want to share it with other people. Otherwise, it’s pretty easy to escape Twitter.

6. It will be yet another internet addiction

Well after playing with Twitter for a few weeks, I don’t think this is true for me. While there is definitely an addictive quality to Twitter, I find it pretty easy to leave it alone. It’s not as if I’m on there all the time, I just like a little now and then. Just to be sociable. Honest. You should try it yourself, then you’ll see what I’m talking about….

Well I guess that’s that kind of thing all addicts say at first. But so far I’ve managed to keep my life on track, get plenty of writing and other work done, and I’m probably spending more time meeting up with people in ‘real life’ because of Twitter. So I don’t think it’s doing me too much harm. Plus it’s free, so I’ve not had to resort to stealing televisions or robbing banks to feed the habit.

It’s a bit like this…

I’ve been thinking about how to explain Twitter to people who haven’t tried it, and the best I can come up with is this analogy. Imagine you’re at a party in a big house and you’ve been having a great time, then suddenly you stumble upon a room at the back you hadn’t noticed before - and find lots of people you met briefly or saw from a distance earlier in the party, but here they’re all sat round in a much more intimate, relaxed group, goofing off and joking around. From time to time the conversation throws up interesting insights or tidbits, but there’s no pressure to be brilliant, or to say anything at all if you don’t feel like it. Your companions are much more approachable than they seemed in other rooms of the party house, and you glimpse a different side to them than you saw before.

So what has Twitter got to do with creativity?

I’m in luck here, as creative powerhouse Tim Siedell has already answered this question on Bad Banana Blog:

Oftentimes, when I’m percolating on an idea or two, I’ll jump into my Twitter stream and just see what happens. While my subconscious continues to chug along, I scan various tweets, click through to links, see what other people are doing and thinking about, and then WHAM! A word, a phrase, a thought spins my brain into a totally new direction. Over the past year, I can think of quite a few ideas directly generated or made better through this use of Twitter. I’m talking client work, not just creative play. As a person who must create on deadline, one of my jobs is to keep my radar up for any source of inspiration. Right now, Twitter is one of my favorite tools for doing so.

Tim’s experience fits the classic approach to generating ideas by combining different perspectives on a problem or topic - which is easy to do in a conversational forum like Twitter. He seems to be using Twitter as a creative randomizer.

Others are using Twitter for creative research. Like Brian Clark who last week invited his Twitter followers to Define what creativity means to you. This morning several of his respondents were lucky enough to be featured in a post on Copyblogger.

In Creative Constraints: Going to Jail to Get Free, Merlin Mann suggests that the 140 character limit on Twitter posts can enable creativity. As a fan of the famously constricted 17-syllable Japanese haiku, I couldn’t agree more. To prove the point, A.E. Baxter is writing Twitter Fiction, which you can follow here on Twitter.

But not everyone sees Twitter as a boon to creativity. Back in December 2006, Kathy Sierra’s post on The Asymptotic Twitter Curve pretty well summed up my reasons for not trying Twitter - used excessively, all those interruptions will destroy your creative flow. Although I believe the interruption-factor is manageable, it’s worth reading Kathy’s post as she describes some genuine pitfalls of digital communications for creative people.

Follow me…

I’ve given you my current take on Twitter, but I’m still getting used to it and certainly haven’t figured it out yet. Some people take a more strategic approach, particularly bloggers looking to build their audience, and while I’m certainly not averse to that happening I don’t feel quite comfortable with it as the main motivation for Twittering. One of the things I like about Twitter is the opportunity for spontaneous, informal, fun conversation, a bit of ‘time off’ from my other writing, so I wouldn’t want to lose those qualities.

So if you follow me on Twitter you’ll get a different version of me - one who doesn’t talk about creativity all the time for a start. If you’re lucky, you’ll also be among the first to hear about links and news of interest to creative professionals - like the free tickets to NESTA’s Innovation Edge conference I Twittered about last week. (If you’re interested in getting links like this, I’m also posting them on my Wishful Linking blog.)

When I started Twittering a few weeks ago, I alerted e-mail subscribers and members of the Wishful Thinking Facebook group to my experiment. I got some interesting feedback, including Rosanne who was candid enough to tell me my Twitter feed was pretty boring, ‘conversations and topics I was not a part of’. That told me that the best way to experience Twitter isn’t to read the feed via a webpage, but to get a Twitter account and join in the conversation yourself. If you decide to follow someone, you can also choose to filter out their replies directed at specific users, so that you only pick up the Tweets they write with the whole world in mind.

Twitter resources

I first came across this excellent video introduction to Twitter on Tim Siedell’s blog:

Twhirl is the software I used for most of my Twittering. Twitterific is also pretty good.

Other people’s takes on Twitter:

Maki - 17 Ways You Can Use Twitter: A Guide for Beginners, Marketers and Business Owners
Nathania Johnson - Three Ways to Maximize Your Twitter Time for Networking, Marketing and Fun

Caroline Middlebrook - The Big Juicy Twitter Guide

Mike Sansome - Why I Use Twitter- Increase Infosumption without a Headache

Darren Rowse - 9 Benefits of Twitter for Bloggers, How to Use Twitter - Tips for Bloggers and 35 Twitter Tips from 35 Twitter Users.

Chris Brogan - How I Use Twitter to Promote My Blog

David Armano - Twitter + Your “Far Outer Circle”

Hugh MacLeod - My increasingly Twitter’d world

Kevin Dugan - Top 10 Twitter Hacks

How about you?

Have you tried Twitter?

If not - why not?

If so - what do you think of it?

Any tips on using Twitter for creativity?

The overall title of the new book is Why Don’t They Get It? I’ll be writing my 400 words on the theme of The New Brand of Creative. I’m mulling it over right now - if you have any thoughts you’d like to share on that subject, I’d be grateful if you would leave a comment below.

Due to the word limit I doubt there will be room in the book to acknowledge commenters who stimulate my thinking about this topic, but if we get a good discussion going I’ll be happy to highlight the best contributions in a later post on this blog.

Authors of the Age of Conversation 2

Adam Crowe, Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob Carlton, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Bradley Spitzer, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Clay Parker Jones, Chris Brown, Colin McKay, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Cord Silverstein, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Goldstein, Dan Schawbel, Dana VanDen Heuvel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Darryl Patterson, Dave Davison, Dave Origano, David Armano, David Bausola, David Berkowitz, David Brazeal, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Emily Reed, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, G. Kofi Annan, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Graham Hill, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, J.C. Hutchins, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeremy Middleton, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, Joe Talbott, John Herrington, John Jantsch, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Flowers, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kris Hoet, Krishna De, Kristin Gorski, Laura Fitton, Laurence Helene Borei, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Barnes-Johnston, Louise Mangan, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Marcus Brown, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Mark McSpadden, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Hawkins, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Monica Wright, Nathan Gilliatt, Nathan Snell, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul Marobella, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Beeker Northam, Rob Mortimer, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Cribbett, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tiffany Kenyon, Tim Brunelle, Tim Buesing, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Longhurst, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem

Today’s the day to get your copy of The Age of Conversation.

What?

The Age of Conversation is a book co-authored by over 100 of the world’s leading marketers, writers, thinkers and creative innovators. Each of them wrote 400 words on the theme of ‘conversation’. If the names David Armano, Roger von Oech, Tony D. Clark and Mark Earls ring any bells, you’ll have an idea of the standard of writing you can expect.

Why?

Not only is the book a cracking read, but all the profits go to help children’s charity Variety achieve its mission of improving the lives of children around the world.

Why today?

Because Today (Sat 29th March) is the day that Drew McLellan and Chris Wilson are orchestrating a campaign to drive sales and push The Age of Conversation up the Amazon bestseller charts. They’re doing this via blogs and social media services such as Twitter, Facebook, Digg and Stumbleupon.

What else can I do to help?

Very nice of you to ask. After you buy your copy of the book, go to Chris Wilson’s post and Digg it. Then have a read through his list of easy ways to help and do whichever ones you can.

What’s a bum rush?

I’ve no idea, but it’s for charity so let’s do it!

If you are responsible for getting the best out of a team of creative professionals, my new e-book on Creative Management for Creative Teams is for you. Feel free to download and share it (here are the terms of the Creative Commons licence).

The e-book is a compilation and revision of my blog series on business coaching.

Introduction to the E-book - Why Coaching?

As a creative director, business owner or manager of a creative team, the chances are you already coach your people to an extent - and you may be better at it than you realise. But there’s also a fair chance that you have received little support in developing your people management skills.

In the creative industries, so much attention is lavished on creative ‘talent’ and the products of creativity that vital aspects of the creative process are often overlooked. Such as the massive influence (positive and negative) managers and creative directors have on the creativity of their teams. While many individual managers are doing an excellent job of managing and developing their teams, there is little wider recognition of people management in the creative sector.

It’s hard to develop a skill that goes unrecognised. And you don’t need me to tell you that managing temperamental creatives can be one of the most challenging jobs going.

So how do you meet the challenge? I’m willing to bet that you find most books on management a bit of a turn-off. You’ve probably left or avoided the corporate world because it’s not an environment you feel comfortable with. I know how you feel. As a poet who moved from consulting for large organisations to specialising n the creative sector, I can clearly remember the day I walked into an ad agency and instantly felt at home. Call me superficial, but given the choice between cubicles and suits, or a colourful studio with electric guitars and table football on standby, I know which I prefer.

But creativity needs more than bean-bags and Playstations. And if creativity is your business, you know there’s a lot more to it than ‘thinking outside the box’. For one thing, you probably have to think inside a few boxes - such as the budget and brief, and your client or audience’s tolerance levels. So while you need to encourage blue-sky thinking and risk-taking, you also need to make things happen on time, on budget and to keep the end users happy.

Give people too much creative freedom and they may have a blast working on the project - only to end up frustrated when the client or audience ‘don’t get it’. But if you play it too safe, your creatives will feel constrained and everyone will be underwhelmed by the final result.

Not an easy balancing act to pull off. Even before you factor in a few creative egos. Plus the fact that creative people are not satisfied with just doing the job - they want to be challenged and inspired on every project, every day. They want opportunities to learn and hone their skills. And if they don’t get them in your team, sooner or later they’ll start to look elsewhere.

A lot of it comes down to what you say and do with people day-in-day out. How well you listen. What questions you ask. How you deliver tricky feedback. How well you find the right fit between people’s talents and motivations and the task in hand. How easily you pick up the subtle signals that alert to you to problems before they blow up in your face. In short, how well you facilitate the idiosyncratic creative process of everyone on your team.

Now ‘business coaching’ may not sound like the most inspiring activity in the world, but it does offer you an effective approach to managing and developing creative people. It’s not a miracle solution, or a step-by-step model, but it provides practical answers to the following questions:

• How can you allow people creative freedom while keeping a grip on deadlines and deliverables?
• How can you develop people’s skills while keeping them productive?
• How can you stimulate creative thinking in others?
• How can you avoid the temptation to micro-manage people?
• Why don’t people do what they’re supposed to do?
• How can you keep people motivated while giving them bad news?
• How can you be yourself while adapting to others’ needs?
• When is it better to keep your mouth shut?

This e-book introduces the core principles and skills of business coaching. It considers the role of the manager and how coaching complements other management styles. It describes the most common model for structuring coaching sessions. It also challenges you to think about coaching as an informal process, in which every workplace conversation becomes a coaching opportunity.

The e-book also touches on ways a coaching consultant can help you and your colleagues develop your effectiveness as a management team - but I don’t assume you need a consultant to get started. After all, you’ve probably done a lot of great coaching already, without necessarily putting that label on it. Hopefully the e-book will raise your awareness of your existing skills and encourage you to do more of ‘what works’ in future.

Some of the material in the e-book is similar to that found in other books on business coaching (a few of which I recommend in Chapter 13). What is different is my emphasis on the specific challenges facing leaders of creative teams, and how coaching can develop the individual and collective creative talent of a business.

I hope this e-book gives you some food for thought about the challenges you face in managing talented creative professionals - and some ideas that will make your job a little easier and more rewarding.

Download the e-book - Creative Management for Creative Teams