No Wrong Answers – having fun with creativity

When we set up Sapio Research, one of our desires was to introduce new techniques to keep us fresh and resourceful.  As Abraham Maslow said in 1966, “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.” So we thought it would be useful to share some tips and idea with friends in an informal venue with drinks to hand.

We have to confess the format was a little experiential, but having attended a No Wrong Answers Quiz run by Aran Rees of Sabre Tooth Pander in an AQR event we were sure those brave enough to join us would leave the evening enlightened in some shape or form.  Fortunately, that turned out to be the case as they left the evening with new friends, ideas for team building activities, fresh brainstorming techniques and feeling better equipped to engage with their audience (that’s their words not mine!)

So how did we manage all that in just a few hours? As our focus was getting in touch with your creative side (a frightening thought for the statos amongst us), the event was based around ‘playing’ and giving permission to get it wrong and say some crazy things. This of course was oiled by the odd glass of wine or two.

Much of the evening was based on well documented psychological techniques such as ‘Emergent Properties’ within the Movie Mash Up game, ‘The Step Ladder’ for Parse the Parcel and ‘Charette Procedure’ for Post Cards from Nowhere Part 2. We know this because they are techniques Guy and I use when we run our innovation and brain storming sessions, often used in the more sophisticated forms of qualitative research.

I won’t spoil it for future players by giving away too many trade secrets (I lied, here is an expose on the games played), but I’m assured that no two events produce the same ideas and discussions.

Aran did an excellent job of reflecting on the processes we were going through and helping us to identify the importance of different perceptives, approaches and team work.  However, you’d have never realised you were in a ‘training session’.

The little friendly competition produced some great results and team names, with the following awards handed out:

• The Rouge Five Stage Troupers – Out Of The Box Thinking
• Tom the Naked Parkour Magician of Death – Truly Testing The Name Of The Game
• Mind Reading Flying Circus – Child Like Thinking
• Incomprehensible Ventriloquists – Stunned Silence – Words Escape Me (and that was nothing to do with their name!)

The most difficult task of all was actually describing what the event was.  Here are a couple of thoughts given by our guests.

“How do you describe it? Ohh that’s a tough one – I would say it’s almost like an ‘unleashing your inner creative – group session’”

“I have spoken about the event to a couple of people today, enthusiastically. I told them it was less of a quiz, more of a series of thought experiments to encourage different thinking when it came to creativity.”
”

“A networking opportunity within the framework of a creative workshop. The (most obvious) link to Sapio came through considerations about reaching target audiences etc. when planning our marketing campaign for our mashed up movie”

“It was also a cracking chance to meet everyone, and setting in which to do it – don’t see Guy often, Jane even less and it was the first time meeting you Jess. Considering how much we rely on you guys, that’s kinda daft! So we really appreciated the opportunity”

“As a way to open up creative thinking in anyone, no matter their job title and area of responsibility”

And probably my favourite quote of the evening….

“If I’d read the invite properly I’d have never of come, creativity and quizzes aren’t my thing. I thought it was just going to be a Christmas social with a few beers. But I’ve actually had a fantastic time. It was down to the people on my table, I’d never met them, but they were great fun.”

If you’d like to know more about the techniques used and how Sapio can help spice your brain storming or insight dissemination abilities drop us a line team@sapioresearch.com