The Brainzooming Group

Typically when you’re asked questions, others are looking for answers. At times, answers aren’t the best answers, though.

I updated a recent blog post on how a mid-career professional can create a social media presence with a post-presentation video explaining the 11 steps covered at the live session. The video’s addition changed the nature of the post, and I tweeted it with an updated title.  Sharon Corasaro (@GrowingGold on Twitter) answered the tweet with several great tweets about the post, followed by a detailed comment on the post itself.

Based on Sharon’s receptivity to the topic, I asked if she’d like a longer article on the 11 steps we’d been kicking around as a potential ebook from The Brainzooming Group.  She said she would, and I asked for her thoughts on the content’s value since we had varying perspectives about it.

Sharon’s email response, rather than being the simple “liked it / didn’t like it / and here’s why” answer I expected, was an incredibly thorough set of questions. She asked questions about the piece’s intent, what we hoped to accomplish with it as an ebook, and what the plan was for distributing it to the target audience.

I asked for answers, and Sharon gave me questions.

But you know what?

The questions provided exactly the answers I needed.

In replying to her email and thinking about the questions, a completely new idea for how the content could be used emerged. I hadn’t considered this strategy before, but it could well be a much higher impact way to distribute the content and benefit an important audience for us.

I wanted fast answers, and Sharon offered incredibly thought-provoking strategic questions.

There’s a big lesson there: the next time somebody’s looking to you to answer a question or solve a problem for them, the most beneficial thing you can do may very well be to answer with a question instead. – Mike Brown

The Brainzooming Group helps make smart organizations more successful by rapidly expanding their strategic options and creating innovative plans they can efficiently implement. Email us at brainzooming@gmail.com or call 816-509-5320 to learn how we’ve helped brands get to great answers using just the right questions.

Mike Brown

Founder of The Brainzooming Group, and a huge fan of strategy, creativity, and innovation. Mike is a frequent speaker on innovation, strategic thinking, and social media.

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Creating social media and collaborative blogging strategies for organizations has become a significant focus for The Brainzooming Group. In these projects, we’ve been working in very close collaboration with Nate Riggs from Social Business Strategies out of Columbus, OH. Through his work, Nate has been instrumental in developing social media and collaborative blogging strategy for manufacturing, services, and educational organizations.

I’ve known Nate since 2007 when we first met at the Transportation Marketing Communications Association conference. We became reacquainted at the 2009 conference where Nate spoke on SEO strategy and implementation. When The Brainzooming Group began taking on a steady stream of social media-related engagements, Nate was the first call I made to incorporate his expertise as an important strategic contributor to our efforts.

Since Nate Riggs has been getting a lot more mentions here and on my Twitter account, you may be curious about him and want to find out more. If so, there are two recent opportunities to do so rather conveniently

• In advance of the Social Fresh Conference in Tampa this week, Nate wrote a post on his blog called, appropriately enough, “Who Is Nate Riggs?” The post is an intriguing way to “introduce” yourself to conference attendees at an event where you’re not speaking – not that he needs any help in meeting new people! I can personally attest that online or offline, Nate is fantastic at connecting with people in meaningful ways. As an introvert, I stand in awe of his ability every time we’re with a group of people.
• The other opportunity is a case study from the Content Marketing Institute website covering Incept, a conversational marketing firm Nate has worked with closely to create and implement a content marketing strategy tied to collaborative blogging and active social media engagement. The motivation for this strategic move by Incept was to enhance its core focus on donor recruitment for blood centers by extending its conversational marketing capabilities. Incept has been able to do this through enhancing its social media skill set to serve other businesses needing to start and extend client conversations in new ways. The case study is a compact and insightful exploration of the work Nate and Incept have done together.

In 2011, look for more from the ongoing collaboration between Nate Riggs and The Brainzooming Group! – Mike Brown

The Brainzooming Group helps make smart organizations more successful by rapidly expanding their strategic options and creating innovative plans they can efficiently implement. Email us at brainzooming@gmail.com or call 816-509-5320 to learn how we’ve developed  integrated social media strategy for other brands and can do the same for yours.

Mike Brown

Founder of The Brainzooming Group, and a huge fan of strategy, creativity, and innovation. Mike is a frequent speaker on innovation, strategic thinking, and social media.

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I’ve been direct messaging a lot recently with Theresa Antell as she makes her initial exploration of Twitter and the peculiarities of trying to create engagement. She was nice enough to provide some advice and a bit of a “pep tweet” for me the other day when I was bemoaning a frustrated acquaintance who’d emailed me complaining about a blog post.

In the midst of our DM discussion, Theresa mentioned she’d put together some thoughts on what it’s like for new Twitter users. As she described her experience, I assured her that even experienced users get frustrated by the absence of listening, engagement, and real dialogue on Twitter. Theresa’s insights on engagement are a great reminder for all of us…on Twitter, or in real life as well:

As a relatively new member of the Twitter family, I tread lightly with my opinion as so not offend the Twitter Veterans.

But I must say that I think my Twitter doesn’t fit.

I don’t know what I expected, really. So I can’t say what part of it doesn’t feel like it fits. I did all the things I was “supposed” to do as a new Twitter-er.

I searched my interests, I followed, I read, I learned, I helped, I retweeted, I recommended, I replied, I shared…all the standard pleasantries one would, and should, expect a new Twitter user to do.

But the ENGAGEMENT part of Twitter is, for me, less than stellar. When someone asks for help with something – whether it be a simple retweet, an answer to a question, a sample of something they can’t find online, a recommendation of a local hotel, etc. I help. It’s just what I feel is the right thing to do.

But when I asked for help. <Cue the crickets>

Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

I experimented a few times with asking for help from some designers I follow about how THEY project manage. No replies.

I asked some others about how I can get the “buy in” from the more “seasoned” employees at work with regard to using Social Media. Nothing.

I asked anyone to explain what Twitter Chat was. Nada.

I asked some Excel “experts” for help with a spreadsheet I was working with. Crickets.

I have since deleted most of my requests for assistance since it was (in a weird way) embarrassing to have them “out there” as unanswered lonely “tweets to nowhere.”

Twitter is great if you like being talked TO. But if you (like I mistakenly did) expect to talk WITH someone or have any kind of engagement, then it isn’t the right forum perhaps. (Of course there are some exceptions – like you, Mike. And another user – Nate, that I follow.)

Like I said, I don’t know what I really expected from it, or if my expectations were even reasonable, but I guess I thought of Twitter more as a forum to discuss and share: “A Community of Experts” if you will – all willing to discuss ideas and keep the information flowing.

And while there is some really great information launched at you (well, me) I find it impossible to engage in a discussion or Q&A with anyone about it.

It’s sad for me, because I really liked that part about Social Media.

You know… the SOCIAL part of it.

So, while I think my Twitter doesn’t fit the way I thought it was intended to, just like my favorite pair of jeans from college – I guess I’ll keep it around for the heck of it and try it on for size every now and again. - Theresa Antell

Mike Brown

Founder of The Brainzooming Group, and a huge fan of strategy, creativity, and innovation. Mike is a frequent speaker on innovation, strategic thinking, and social media.

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On Saturday, Jonah Lehrer published an article in the Wall Street Journal called “Bother Me, I’m Thinking.” The article’s premise, based on a couple of university research studies, suggests a caffeine-fueled, laser focus, is not the proper road to creativity. Instead, the piece claims people who are inattentive and easily distracted are more creative. There’s some truth in the article, but it brought to mind three dirty little secrets about what creativity is, how to release your creativity, and solid research:

1. Everybody’s creative.

Yes, you’re creative, even if you think you aren’t. Want proof? What’s something you REALLY LOVE to do? Maybe something that would never be considered a creative pursuit….like fishing, cleaning the house, or exercising. In those areas, I bet you have all kinds of hacks, personal strategies, and ways of going about it that nobody else does, right? See, you’re creative! What is the definition of creativity? Creativity is simply going outside the bounds of what or how everybody else does things. It doesn’t have to be painting, music, or writing. With this definition of creativity, it can apply to everything.

2. What you should do to release your creativity depends on you and your situation.

The WSJ article addresses a couple of recent university studies pointing to the creative advantages of daydreaming, attention-deficit disorder, and getting distracted by objects – shiny or not. The central point was difficulty in focusing on specific details allows an individual to wade through a much wider range of creative stimuli. Absolutely true, and part of the reason I’m always writing about the importance of diversity. But you know what? There are people (and times) where focus and time along are essential as well. The dirty little secret is the creativity exercises and techniques to release your creativity are HIGHLY dependent on how you’re trying to be creative RIGHT NOW. Don’t get locked into just a few creativity exercises. Have a bunch of creativity exercises you can use until you find the one working for you this instant.

3. Just because it’s called “research” doesn’t mean it tells you anything of value.

The university research efforts in the article were based on studying 60 and 86 undergraduate students, respectively.  60 and 86 undergraduate students? In the business world, we wouldn’t have reported with much confidence how pickup and delivery drivers in a 5 state area were doing at their jobs based on fewer than 100 randomly selected customer interviews. There is so much “research” coming out of universities which purports to help us understand the world. In reality, these projects barely help us understand students at that university. These provide, at best, interesting observations. They don’t predict what will happen in the world.

Today’s Creativity Wrap-up

You are creative and whatever creativity exercises work for you to release your creativity are great, so don’t let any researcher tell you differently! – Mike Brown

For an additional creative boost, download the free Brainzooming ebook, “Taking the NO Out of InNOvation” to enhance your creative perspective! For an organizational boost, contact The Brainzooming Group to help your team be more successful by rapidly expanding strategic options and creating innovative plans to efficiently implement. Email us at brainzooming@gmail.com or call us at 816-509-5320 to learn how we can deliver these benefits for you.

Mike Brown

Founder of The Brainzooming Group, and a huge fan of strategy, creativity, and innovation. Mike is a frequent speaker on innovation, strategic thinking, and social media.

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A request to share Twitter Tips was tweeted by Chris Lucas of Gold Coast Social Media Marketing. Chris’ request seemed like a great “Top Ten Time Waster,” so sitting on the couch, I got my brainzooming by tweeting Twitter Tips ideas. Some of the Twitter Tips wound up in this week’s who to follow and who not to follow article. Among the other Twitter tips, there are, ideally, several to benefit to both new and avid users when it comes to apps, engagement, and experimenting:

1.  Not all apps (Twitter.com, Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, Tweetchat.com, etc.) handle every tweeting situation well. Get familiar with several apps so you have some flexibility.

2.  If you’re getting in the Twitter pool, show up regularly. If you’re looking for engagement, don’t dive in, make a huge splash, and then disappear for weeks.

3. Experiment all the time. It’s only 140 characters, and it goes by really fast, so try things out frequently.

4.  Here’s a secret: a lot of so-called Twitter experts are full of themselves. Or full of s#!*. Or both. Proceed with caution.

5.  Pay attention to how tweeters who are really active use it, but decide for yourself whether their tactics make sense for you.

6. Follow the tweeters who people you find interesting interact with regularly. It’s better than blindly clicking on #FollowFriday recommendations.

7.  Set up searches for terms and ideas important to you. People using these terms provide great opportunities for new interactions & relationships.

8.  Pay close attention to @Mentions. These are also openings to extend conversations with interesting people.

9.   Don’t suck up to Twitter rock stars. Invest the energy you’d expend with them helping people less experienced than you are.

10. If you’re not getting engagement with others maybe it’s because:

• ALL you do is make pronouncements.
• You don’t try to listen when people reply to you.
• There are no @ replies to others in your last 20 tweets.

What tips would you add? - Mike Brown

The Brainzooming Group helps make smart organizations more successful by rapidly expanding their strategic options and creating innovative plans they can efficiently implement. Email us at brainzooming@gmail.com or call us at 816-509-5320 to see how we can help you define a strategy firmly tied to business yet recognizing the impact of social networking on your market opportunities.

Mike Brown

Founder of The Brainzooming Group, and a huge fan of strategy, creativity, and innovation. Mike is a frequent speaker on innovation, strategic thinking, and social media.

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It’s that time of year when it’s cold (both in temperature and creatively), and it seems there are fewer people around to be seen and talked to in person. Do you notice the same thing during January? Surprisingly for an introvert, this drives me crazy! At times, having fewer people around can lead to more reflection and introspection. But it can also create frustration, either personally or from simply watching what’s getting tweeted every day. One way of dealing with all the grayness of January is to ask questions, so here are eleven questions. They’re mainly rhetorical questions, but if you feel compelled to answer some of them, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

• Have you ever tried to fix a typo and each time you try, it just keeps getting worse?
• Do you also find that you rarely learn while talking, but learn a lot from hearing others’ perspectives?
• There is such pressure to “do, do, do.” But if you’re always mentally full, how are you going to find room to grow, create new ideas, & change?
• If you pick somebody else’s brain, will it ever heal?
• When a new idea is presented, do you start with what won’t work, or do you begin with what might work and build from there?
• When someone’s tried to help you, don’t you think finding SOMETHING to be enthused about and acknowledge will make them try even harder next time?
• You can find yourself to be “too smart” about your situation to see new opportunities. What are you doing to continually refresh your perspective?
• Michael Stipe of R.E.M. reportedly went through a period where he wouldn’t use the word “I” in a song’s lyrics. Could you keep writing if you didn’t use the word “I”?
• If the only constant in your life is excuses, that’s a problem. When are you going to start fixing it?
• Have you noticed that a great idea is easily considered a “gimmick” by someone who didn’t come up with it?
• Are you aware that saying “thank you” is no more or less necessary online than offline? – Mike Brown

For an innovative boost, download the free Brainzooming ebook, “Taking the NO Out of InNOvation” to enhance your creative perspective! For an organizational boost, contact The Brainzooming Group to help your team be more successful by rapidly expanding strategic options and creating innovative plans to efficiently implement. Email us at brainzooming@gmail.com or call us at 816-509-5320 to learn how we can deliver these benefits for you.

Mike Brown

Founder of The Brainzooming Group, and a huge fan of strategy, creativity, and innovation. Mike is a frequent speaker on innovation, strategic thinking, and social media.

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Chuck Frey, through his Innovation Tools website, asked readers to submit brief descriptions of their most important innovation lessons from 2010. Chuck’s request generated more than 40 responses covering innovation lessons from a variety of innovation.

My innovation lesson focused on how social networks have become important vehicles for me to meet and cultivate relationships with the varied talents necessary for driving innovation. So many years in one corporation led to assembling a very tight personal creative team over time.

After leaving, it was necessary to dramatically change the composition of the talented, in-person team that had kept me sharp and creating innovative strategies in a B2B environment.

Most of my corporate creative team members weren’t aggressive social media users. As a result, I wound up meeting an array of new global talents who have formed a very different type of extended creative team.

From these connections, I’ve developed relationships with new business partners, teachers, clients, potential clients, readers, friends, experts, confidants, and collaborators. Essential roles within my creative team to help sustain my personal creative well-being are now accounted for in very new ways. Absent social networking’s capability to establish and sustain relationships along different dimensions, I shudder to think where my personal innovation perspective would be!

A related recognition of this phenomenon came from Chris Reaburn (@Reaburn on Twitter). Chris made the jump from my corporately-based creative team to the Brainzooming one, taking on an even more significant role now. Over the holidays, Chris tweeted (and subsequently blogged about) a list of 100 people on Twitter that had enriched his life during 2010. He used the Twitter hashtag #100PeopleImGratefulFor. What a great idea and recognition that there are many people we may never meet in real life who can have profound creative and other influences in our lives! – Mike Brown

For a personal creativity boost, download the free Brainzooming ebook, “Taking the NO Out of InNOvation” as a gift for your creative perspective! For an organizational creativity boost, contact The Brainzooming Group to help your team be more successful by rapidly expanding strategic options and creating innovative plans to efficiently implement. Email us at brainzooming@gmail.com or call us at 816-509-5320 to learn how we can deliver these benefits for you.

Mike Brown

Founder of The Brainzooming Group, and a huge fan of strategy, creativity, and innovation. Mike is a frequent speaker on innovation, strategic thinking, and social media.

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