How to get more creative by observing experiences
DISCOVERERS OBSERVE BY TAKING IN THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE
The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands, but in seeing with new eyes’ Marcel Proust
New eyes in the broadest, most curious sense … questioning, experiencing, experimenting and observing in lots of different ways. What are you missing in how you currently observe?
Experiences are hot topics and trending. The business world is constantly looking to improve the customer experience, just as companies look at the employee experience or online, we have a user experience. You make judgements on brands based on your experiences with them. It is rarely about one experience but rather touchpoints when you connect and moments of truth that matter to you – that become one whole experience.
A Discoverer – is someone who has creative curiosity and a beginners mindset; who is keen to learn; who wants to expand their talents, skills and expertise and who wants to build a toolkit to help them succeed.
To be a creative Discoverer you need to develop the ability to press the refresh button in your mind and take in the whole experience as well as each part – that may be as yourself or the customer or even as the problem you are seeking to solve! You are using your imagination, getting curious, constantly asking ‘what if?’ and having a beginners mindset.
YOU NEED THE RIGHT MINDSET TO SET YOURSELF UP TO WIN
We always start with mindset because it is the fuel to start the fire. The mindset of a Discoverer is one where you are grabbing opportunities and solving problems by challenging the status quo, having a beginners ‘what if?’ outlook and are constantly exploring new possibilities.
Using all your senses to experience as you observe
Observing could be just with sight but that represents a crazy missed opportunity to use your other senses too: sound, touch, smell and even taste. For a change consider, see this Discovery Skill as Kinaesthetic Observing – where you are using all your senses.
When you walk into a room, take in a view or eat some delicious food you use all your senses – you have an experience – learn to observe in the same way. I once worked with a colleague who went blind in his forties. He explained how his other senses became so much more pronounced and helped him cope with his loss of sight. All our senses guide us in the world including our sixth sense intuition – use them all.
Have some fun. If you watch a child with some new object often the first thing they do is put it in their mouth! I am not suggesting you start doing the same 🙂 – but consider how you can use all of your senses to better observe/ experience the world around you to generate fresh thinking and new ideas.
Then add in your ability to empathise, as simply a felt observation – you imagine yourself in a situation – what you see, what you hear, what you smell, what you taste, what you touch and how you feel – the whole experience. Then cultivate your ability to put yourself into someone else’s shoes and the experience they are having.
ADVENTURE 1 – Magic Moments: Think of an event with family or friends that is coming up (birthday, anniversary, day out, date night, holiday, gathering). The task is to plan and deliver a ‘Magic Moment Experience’ for an individual or group.
Observe them and then look at the experience from their perspective. What do you want them to do? How do you want them to feel? What do you want them to see? What do you want them to hear? What do you want them to say? What is the overall experience you are seeking to achieve? Describe it in detail and empathise.
What will you need to create, do and arrange to bring this experience to life? Who will you need to be to make this happen? Do it and learn from it! Take this learning into your work role next time you are planning a team meeting or important presentation for a customer.
ADVENTURE 2 – Customer Experience: Whatever job you do, whoever is your customer – you are creating an experience for them – a poor, ok, good, great, amazing, memorable or life changing one – your choice!
Every day you deliver an experience to those you interact with. How would you grade yourself with the key relationships in your Work^Life? Choose someone important to you. Then look at someone you are important to.
Start by creating the experience you believe they each would want to receive, design your role in that experience, master the skills and be the person you need to be to deliver it. Do it, experiment and then ask for feedback to enhance it further. Learn. Repeat. Master these skills to improve your relationships and your work.