Creating communications excellence

My son is a creative genius. I know that because NASA told me so. Well, sort of. He’s four years old and a study by NASA in the late 1960s, which aimed to understand the nature of creative genius so it could unlock the secret to hiring innovative minds, discovered that 98% of three- to five-year-olds are creative geniuses. This is in contrast to a woeful 2% of adults. The study’s author, George Land, identified two forms of thinking: divergent, linked to imagination, original ideas and new possibilities; and convergent, associated with evaluation and focus, often leading to tried and tested solutions to problems.

With his still-developing brain, my son cannot contain his divergent thinking. It spills out of him when he’s trying to create a lego ‘rocket blaster space boat’, or when he thinks the best way to build a plane is to carve it out of the moon because then it ‘will always float in the sky’.

However, the two types of thinking are not mutually exclusive. They work together. Divergent without convergent thinking isn’t actionable, but convergent without divergent thinking is limiting. The healthcare sector is powered by harnessing both. Scientists are highly analytical and value facts and logic. Yet, the best scientific discoveries are also driven by creativity.

The same applies when developing healthcare communications campaigns. Being predictable won’t cut through the noise. Off-the-shelf solutions won’t inspire advocacy. But even the most creative thinking needs to ultimately translate into a communications programme that is focused, achievable and measurable.

So let’s start by thinking like a child. Let’s be curious and ask questions. Let’s not be afraid of judgement or ridicule. Let’s experiment and explore. Then let’s plan like an adult to make our free thinking actionable and compliant.

It can feel ‘safe’ to stick solely with convergent thinking and many people struggle to activate their divergent mind, incorrectly believing they aren’t ‘naturally’ creative.  However, you don’t have to ‘learn to be creative’. As George Land put it: “What we have concluded is that non-creative behaviour is learned.”

Rebecca Fergusson is Managing Director of Anthem, a Resonant Group company alongside Bedrock and Origins