Creative thinking lies at the heart of any great business. Creative sales and marketing campaigns generate twice the return of non-creative campaigns. It's time to put creative thinking at the heart of your business. Every process can benefit from a clearly structured creative thinking approach. Simon Brooke, creative thinker and director at Happy Creative has created this presentation to show just how creative we all are, and some key tools and techniques we can use to help the creative process within our businesses. Traditional Brainstorming techniques do not bring out the very best creative thinking and only serve one type of creative thinker. As a business, Happy Creative has introduced a new approach to their brainstorming task with their Happy Storms generating business winning results. In this presentation Simon shows you just how you can utilise these same processes and techniques to improve your bottom line. To learn more about creative thinking visit Simon and Happy Creative at www.happy-creative.co.uk. Happy Creative are creative thinkers and specialists in strategic marketing and branding, based in the UK Happy work across several sectors including B2B, Energy, Pharma, Construction, Publishing, Sports and Leisure,Arts, Charity and the NHS and Public Sector.

1. Getting Big Profits Creatively
...aka how to put creative thinking at the
heart of your business

2. Creativity
is in our
nature

3. ...don’t believe you are creative??
It really is in all of us...

4. An ordinary spoon, no magic involved...
Take this spoon...

5. Now in 1 minute think of as many uses
for a spoon as you can...

6. Then congratulations you are creative
Did you get more than...

7. Still don’t believe me?
Well then whatever you do, do not think
of a pink elephant with yellow spots
Seriously do not think of a pink
elephant with yellow spots

8. Ok what did you just imagine?...
...a pink elephant with yellow spots??
Then read on...

9. We are hard wired for creative thought

10. Utilising creative thought
effectively in your
business leads to
BIG ideas and BIG profits
Firing creativity within your business
is the key to success

11. A creative campaign
produces twice the
results of a
non-creative campaign
(IPA and Thinkbox report)
Have you heard?

12. How the creative brain works

13. You are living in a creative world.
Surrounded everyday by creative
thought and solutions, just take a
moment to look around you...

14. Everyday in your business you are
being creative and are surrounded by
creative thinkers
...some of them just don’t think they are

15. Creating a creative mindset
1. Believe that you are creative – natural state
2. Understanding the types of creative thinking
brains:
– Convergent – Steady approach, evolution thinking
(over time)
– Divergent – Stream of ideas, natural questioner

16. Traditional Brainstorm...
• Divergent thinkers dominate
• Convergent thinkers remain silent or
seemingly don’t “get it”
• Formal setting
• Often badly facilitated
• Part of the working day, lack of preparation
of the creative brain

17. Guess what...
Stress and anxiety
lead to creative blocks
As do...
• Frustration
• Exhaustion
• Negativity
• Worry

18. Overcoming creative block
2 ways to overcome creative blocks...
• A change is as good as a rest
– Change your location
– Get some fresh air, go for a walk
– Do something else completely
• A rest is as good as a change
– Nap
– Meditate
– Close your eyes

19. 3 Stage approach for a successful
creative process
1. Opening Up
– Open creative thoughts
– Creative Games
2. Closing Down
– Focus on the goal / outcome
– Specific Problem
3. Fresh Perspective
– Reverse some of the key ideas
– Create “what else?” questions

20. Opening Up
• Get into the creative mindset
– Pause / walk / close eyes
– Create a “creative area”
• Start the creative thinking process
– Play a creative game
– Solve a fictitious problem (not related to anything you’ll be
talking about)
• Laugh / Energetic
– Generate laughter
– Create excitement

21. Closing Down
• Present the specific problem / required
outcome
• Use your structured creative processes to
work through the idea

22. Fresh Perspective
• Disrupt the thinking on generated ideas
• As “what if?” and “what else?” on the ideas
• Change seats / position / move your ideas
board

23. The 4 P’s essential to
creativity in business

24. People
• Team
• Roles from across your
company
• Friends / Family
• Ideas from any person
The 4 P’s essential to
creativity in business

25. • Create play time
• Group challenges
• Quick-fire thinking games
• Fun and enjoyable
Play
The 4 P’s essential to
creativity in business

26. Pleasure
• Introduce fun and laughter
• Focus on fun, energy
and team
• Encourage crazy ideas
• Laugh together
The 4 P’s essential to
creativity in business

27. The 4 P’s essential to
creativity in business
Process
• Creative Process
• Based on 3 Stage approach

28. Happiness – The Key, The Secret
Happiness / Pleasure is the key to creative thinking
1. Positive Mindset
2. Firing Pleasure Receptor in the brain

29. The Creative Virtuous Circle
Happy
Creative
Empowered

30. Turning Creativity in Profits
Embed the 4 P’s of creative thinking into all
problem solving tasks
Create “creative thinking” teams working to
the 3 key stage process
Emphasise the most creative solution by
asking “what else”
Add 5% more creativity to
every activity especially your
sales and marketing

31. You and everyone of your workforce,
partners, friends and network are
creative people...
Utilise your creative
brains and turn a good
solution into a great solution

32. www.happy-creative.co.uk
The home of
creative thinkers