Creative Thinking Under The Gun!
Article by Alison Lester
Have you ever been asked to prepare a briefing paper, a report, or an official memo, and suffered writer's block? Don't know where to start? Can't think how to give the document an authority you don't feel? No ideas whatsoever?
It's not uncommon for us to be intimidated by an unanticipated responsibility and a blank screen. When we have trouble producing the work, and the deadline approaches, we become even more anxious, and the problem gets worse. Necessity is certainly the mother of invention, buy anxiety murders productivity. Stress shocks us speechless. In such a competitive world, it makes sense to take steps to increase our chance of success by increasing our confidence in what we have to offer.
Learning to trust your imaginative impulses, to censor yourself less, to go with the flow, will have an impact throughout your life, not least in the job arena. It is certainly an advantage to be able to think more creatively, so it would be a shame to let fear cause you to miss the opportunity to learn how to do so.
Of course we fear rejection, humiliation and failure. It's human. However, while the possibility of rejection and disappointment is a factor in most of our endeavours, there are ways to reduce the fear. There are ways to improve our flexibility, our imagination, and thereby our confidence, so that we worry less about life's surprises and complexities. We can actually come to look forward to them, because we can have some fun tackling them.
If we take some steps to learn how to trust our impulses, through taking courses or reading (I highly recommend Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers), what is there to fear? If we have confidence, even rejection isn't the end of the line; it's a learning experience.
Improvising - doing or making something we have not prepared for owing to an unexpected situation - is a daily necessity. We constantly handle surprises -everything from a sudden storm to a death in the family. Life is not predictable - you'd think we'd be good at it - and yet we are so set in our ways. This leads to fear on several levels. First, because we know ourselves to be predictable, we also know that we don't have a huge repertoire of emotional responses. We know, for example, that if our effort at work isn't appreciated, we will be hurt. Or we will be angry ... because we always are. Secondly, because we know other people are predictable, we let our knowledge of them reduce our willingness to take risks. For example, you know that your boss is routinely negative in meetings, so you stop even trying to express your good ideas for fear that his/her negativity gun will point your way.
The second type of fear is tougher to tackle, because hierarchies are, by their nature, limiting; also because, let's face it, many managers tend to enjoy their power and much too often try to motivate their staff in negative rather than positive ways. These people are in great need of training, since they don't understand how much more productive their offices would be if the fallback position were "Thanks! Great effort! Let's work with this!" rather than "That's not at all what I had in mind." It is of course, much easier to be positive and creative when we feel safe, when we are surrounded by a supportive group of people. A supportive manager has a much better chance of getting the work he/she hopes for than an overbearing one. Unfortunately, stress causes us to forget this, and when we're under the gun we tend to criticise rather than praise.
However, the first fear - the one where we feel we know who we are and how easily we are hurt (or intimidated, or offended) - is the one we can tackle from this moment, and master.
Note that I don't say "overcome". Overcoming fear is a very difficult task, and isn't necessary. Becoming its master, however, is possible, liberating, and thrilling. Imagine having a piece of work tossed your way and your response being, "Great. I can handle this. It'll be a nice challenge," rather than, "Oh nnnnoooooo!" or "#$%^*&#." Both of these latter responses will greatly limit your creativity, because they send messages to your brain that indicate that you feel negatively about the work, and probably incapable. They say "No." "No" is the least creative word in the English language, and will undermine you. "Yes" is the most creative. "Yes" tells your brain to start its juices flowing and open up all its files to help you get the job done.
So let's assume, just for the moment, that you aren't blessed at work with a supportive team. You feel alone and exposed, and when important projects fall into your hands, your head is as blank as the screen you are staring at. Your nerves have shut you down. Try to remember that being nervous and unproductive will automatically produce the result that you fear. You will probably deliver an inferior product that doesn't represent you well, and which will be criticised. Where, then, is the downside of taking the risks involved in being more creative?
When you are experiencing a block, start by saying "Yes" ... over and over and over if necessary. Say, "Yes, I've been given a difficult project." Accept it, then move into action. "Yes, I've been given a difficult project, and it's a great opportunity for me." Do NOT stray into, "Oh no, what if I fail?" Keep the positive thoughts coming. "I was given this project because, yes, I attended all the relevant meetings, and yes, I've got my notes, and yes, yes, yes, yes." Pretty soon you will be feeling more energy, and your fingers will be crawling over to the keyboard.
Don't worry about where to start. Start anywhere. Often, the perfect openings come after the document has been written, once you see where it is going. If the beginning sounds stilted, don't worry, keep writing. Come back to it later; don't let a weak beginning give you writer's block again. Whenever you open a tap after a long period of disuse, you have to let it run a bit to get rid of the sediment in the water. Let it run. The good, clear water will come soon enough.
This article was contributed by Alison Lester. Alison is the director of A J Lester Creativity Training, and leads corporate in-house workshops in creativity and team-building with an emphasis on improvisation. She is also an improvisational comedian, and performs regularly with The Madhatters Comedy Company. She can be reached at ajlestersg@yahoo.com.sg.