Creativity in Public Relations

Topics 

                      CREATIVITY IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
  

      Developing "creative" solutions to problems is a critical
part of the planning process in public relations.  Creativity in
the field involves developing new themes for programs or stories,
identifying new audiences or creating new media opportunities.

      What qualifies as a "creative idea?"  There are no easy
answers.  Creativity is much like pornography, about which Justice
Stewart Potter said, "I can't define it, but I know it when I see
it."

                  Steps In the Creative Process

      Psychiatrist Silvano Arieti defined the creative process as
"a magic synthesis from which, the new, unexpected and desirable
emerge."

      Various authors have attempted to dissect the creative
process.  Wallas (l926) identified four stages:  preparation (fact-
gathering), incubation (contemplation), illumination (emergence of
the idea) , and verification (determining whether it is useful).  

      Osborn (l953) described seven stages:  orientation
(pinpointing the problem),  preparation (gathering data),  analysis
(isolating the relevant material),  ideation (piling up
alternatives),  incubation (sorting out alternatives--taking time
out to think),  synthesis (putting the ideas together), and
evaluation (making final judgments).

          
                            The Fusion Approach

      Creativity often involves fusing together two ideas:  A+B=AB. 
Sometimes, that equation can result in a new solution:  A+B=C.

      Glasman states that the creative process is making remote
associations and bringing together known and unassociated ideas in
combinations that are original (novel) and useful.  Thus, "creative
solutions" often involve commonplace elements. 
       
      In public relations, we frequently must integrate
recommendations into the way the client does business, into
existing situations (such as as plans to participate in a special
event) or into the way that the media operate (including accepted
formats for stories). 

      In these cases, creativity involves incorporating new ideas
into proven formulas or routines.  The essence of creativity is
thus to go beyond the ordinary and conventional.       

                           Creativity Is Learned

      Glasman notes that a common myth is that only certain people
are "creative."  Research involving identical twins shows that
creativity is not inherited; it is a skill that is cultivated. 
Success depends on learning creativity skills, and reviving many of
the child-like ways of look at the world we have lost as adults.

      Adults use many devices to think routinely.  Among inhibitors
to creative thinking are:  self-criticism; anxiety; need for
approval; eliminating possible association; avoiding the unknown;
listening to make evaluations instead of listening for ideas;
following tradition excessively; avoiding risks; obeying rules;
need for predictability; and the needs to be right or to appear
responsible.

      Glasman cites the following ideas that stifle creativity on
the job and suggests alternative approaches: 

.  Quick fixes: Don't commit to the first adequate idea.

.  Assumed boundaries:  Ask how would people in other cultures,   
    jobs or professions see and solve the problem?

.  Cultural conditioning: Find out about our world and all people.

.  Quick negative criticism: Use non-evaluating listening.

.  Resisting creativity skills: Take creativity training.

.  Sequelching bizarre ideas and "impossible" intermediates:  Use 
     off-beat suggestions as "starters" to trigger useful ideas.

.  Accepting the stifler:  Don't listen to nay-sayers.

.  The gauntlet:  Don't accept rushed judgments of others.

.  Turning the problem pyramid upside down:  Spend more time
     dealing with defining the problem, then list all possible
     solutions.

.  Accepting time constraints:  Allot enough time to the process,
    especially the incubation phase.

.  Concentrating on long-term rewards:  Keep the immediate        
    enjoyment of being creative in focus.  Being creative is fun!

 
                        Generating Ideas

      Creative ideas just don't happen; you have to work on them. 
Editor Robert Leon Baker suggested the following techniques for
publications editors concerned about cultivating creativity on the
job.  Many of these points apply to public relations:

.  Prepare -- Exposure yourself to a large variety of inputs.
.  Methodize time --  Capture lost moments and make the most
    of them as "thinking time."
.  Think positively -- Immerse yourself in your work, be          
    receptive to new ideas, and don't dwell on negatives.
.  Tap triggers -- Find those elements that allow you to come
    up with new ideas -- gimmicks, gadgets, locations where       
    you can do your best thinking.
.  Axe habit --  Avoid the deadly grip of conformity. 
.  Seek solitude -- Withdraw from fatal distractions. 
.  Concentrate --  Creativity is 10 percent inspiration, 90
    percent perspiration. 
.  Daydream -- Don't be afraid to use escape or to project        
    yourself into the situation you are trying to solve.

Other suggestions:
      
.  Write down everything that comes into your mind. 
.  Don't throw away or reject ideas; review them later for        
    new approaches or "angles" you hadn't considered before.
.  Discuss ideas with colleagues.
.  Don't try to over-scintillate.  Being too "clever" can         
    often distort the solution to a problem.


                         Sources of Creative Ideas

      Creativity in public relations requires being a keen observer
and constantly looking for clues or idea-starters.   Interesting
ideas might apply to a current client program or can be tucked away
in an "ideas file" for some later date.     

      Where can you cull ideas from?  

.  Be a voracious media consumer.  Understand a broad number of
issues and trends, especially what's "newsworthy," "interesting"
"trendy" or "important."  

.  Become "culturally literate."  Know literature, the arts,
science, entertainment, sports -- so you can develop analogies,
employ metaphors and seize potential tie-ins. 

.  Analyze case studies.  By studying the work of colleagues, you
can develop insights about how public relations works, even though
the problem you study appears unrelated to your client.  Reading
professional journals and attending professional meetings are ideal
ways to learn about the experiences of others and to develop a
cadre of professional contacts whose expertise you can tap later. 

.  Be a student of human nature.   Observe people.  When you have
opportunities, initiate conversations.  And, be a good listener.  
Many great ideas dangle on the tips of the tongues of others.    



                               Brainstorming

      Much of public relations work is a solitary endeavor--
writing, editing, dealing with media.  However, there are limits in
relying on the creativity of only one individual in programming. 
Indeed,  developing a program always involves a minimum of two
people--the practitioner and the client.   Frequently, developing
a program involves many more individuals.

      A potentially useful group problem-solving technique is
called brainstorming.   The goal is to generate as many ideas as
possible related to a client's problem or opportunity -- and to
build upon these ideas.  

      The rules for successful brainstorming are simple:

.  Criticism is ruled out;  all ideas are accepted and 
    recorded.  
.  Free-wheeling is welcomed -- the wilder the idea the   
    better.
.  Quantity of ideas is emphasized as much as quality.
.  "Piggy-backing" of ideas is encouraged as a critical
    component of the process.

Among suggestions to facilitate brainstorming are the following:
      
.  Involve no fewer than five and no more than seven people
    to guarantee "critical mass" and to allow everyone to
    participate.
.  Always hold meetings in a neutral place, such as a     
    conference room, or off-site location.
.  Use a round table whenever possible -- all people should       
    have positions of equal prominence.
.  Use visuals -- flip charts, blackboards, and places to
    hang or mount exhibits -- for easy reference later.  
.  Tape record sessions,  if desired.
.  A designated leader, preferably not the person with the
    primary responsibility for the problem, should lead the       
    discussion, pose questions, and ask for reactions.  
.  A facilitator, other than the leader, should handle            
    mechanics, such as notetaking and writing on the flip         
    chart.
.  Always notify people in advance so they can think about        
    the issue prior to the meeting and schedule the meeting when  
    people are fresh and undistracted. 


Half-developed versus half-baked ideas: All newly formed ideas are
both.  What you call it depends on whether it is your idea or not,
or whether you like it. -- E. Glasman
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Copyright 1996. Kirk Hallahan. All rights reserved.