8 Ways To Generate New Ideas

Written by Noel Peebles


The only purpose of a business is to bring in a customer; and there are really only two ways to do it - through marketing or innovation. New ideas arerepparttar lifeblood of any business so it is important to encourage creativity and to be truly innovative. But creativity and innovation are notrepparttar 106472 same. Creativity is all about coming up with new ideas, whereas innovation involves putting new ideas into action.

New ideas can be very difficult to find. When you do find them and put them into action, they can provide a powerful marketing edge and become a license to print money.

Here are 8 ways to help generate new ideas:

1. Ask For Opinions

We get so close to what we are doing, that often we can't see another way of doing things. To overcome this problem you could hire consultants or simply seek opinions from someone who knows absolutely nothing about your business. There are times when we need to step outside our own environment, because sometimes ideas used in one trade can be adapted to another.

For example, which came firstrepparttar 106473 ball-point pen orrepparttar 106474 roll-on deodorant? They both userepparttar 106475 same ingenious principle.

2. Encourage Staff Creativity If you employ staff, encourage them to think up new ideas and get them to suggest changes. You will need to be open-minded and encourage their input. You'll need to be tolerant when their ideas don't work. And you'll probably need to reward them in some way, although you'll probably find thatrepparttar 106476 satisfaction of "seeing their ideas in action" may be reward enough.

3. Brain Storm One ofrepparttar 106477 best ways to tap into new ideas is through brainstorming. This could involve family, friends, staff, customers and even other business owners. The key with any brainstorming session is to disallow any negative comments and to only analyse or develop ideas oncerepparttar 106478 session is over. The purpose of a brainstorming session is to produce a quantity of ideas. It's quantity not quality. Refiningrepparttar 106479 ideas comes later.

10 Things to Think About When You Run Your Own Seminar or Workshop

Written by Martin Avis


Experts on all kinds of subjects, at some point in their careers, often try to run seminars or workshops. There are lots of reasons why they do it, butrepparttar main one is money. These can be very lucrative money- spinners if done correctly.

An awful lot are not done correctly. Far too many 'experts' think that all they have to do to captivate an audience is to stand atrepparttar 106471 front with an overhead projector and drone on for a few hours.

The first thing to correct about this way of thinking is thatrepparttar 106472 people who have paid good money to attend are not an audience.

Plays have audiences. Movies do. Even lecturers talk to an audience.

Seminars and workshops have participants. And if they don't get to participate, they might as well have stayed at home.

Here are my ten pointers for a successful seminar or workshop. There is a lot more to it, but get these right and you will be halfway there.

1. Write a very full outline of everything you need to cover. It is vital that you are totally prepared. Nothing looks worse than a seminar presenter who is not 100% on top ofrepparttar 106473 flow of events.

2. Do a lot of market research before you start to write your outline. Ask people what they want/need to know. You will probably be surprised. I have found many times thatrepparttar 106474 things people findrepparttar 106475 most fascinating or useful arerepparttar 106476 things that I would have skipped over or assumed they already knew. Never assume possession of knowledge simply because it is second nature to you.

3. Remember that people learn in different ways. Some people are visual, some are audible and some have to experience things. Bearing that in mind, ensure that you provide educational stimulus for each type of person - visual charts, memorable commentary and interactive exercises.

4. Don't plan a 2-day seminar around a subject that can be covered in 2 hours.

5. Don't try to cover in 2 hours a subject that needs 2 days.

6. Learn to present. This little step is so often forgotten by people who think they can teach. Presentation is so important. You not only have to be seen and heard, but you also have to persuade. Think of it as selling your ideas.

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