Take Your Good Idea One Step Further

Whether you're an executive, manager, professional, or entrepreneur, you need to think ahead. When you do it in a formal sense, it's called it planning, when you do it informally it's something like speculating.

Whether you're planning or speculating, the exercise represents just the tip of the iceberg. For the plans or scenarios to amount to something, they have to be implemented. In turn, that usually involves other people.

Which takes us to the subject of communication: How do you convert those ideas in your head into instructions or position papers or even real plans?

I recommend writing, as in the sense of spending at least a few minutes to put the ideas to paper. Several benefits come out of the writing process:

First, you'll force yourself to clarify what you're doing and what you want others to do. As long as an idea remains in our heads, it's not made accountable, so to speak. That is, we don't subject our ideas to rigorous scrutiny when they're just thoughts.

But, when we write out an idea, the strengths and weaknesses show up rather quickly; we force ourselves to look at the idea more critically. When I wrote the publishing plan for Abbott's Communication Letter, for example, the writing process uncovered many key issues.

But, writing it down assumes even greater importance when we need to communicate with others. Since most thoughts for the future are inherently complex or uncertain, a written version of your plan enables you to explain much more.

As you've probably noticed, you can't really deal with much complexity verbally, unless you're making a speech or presentation. In face-to-face communication, for example, a train of thought often gets derailed by questions or interjections by the other person.

A written plan also communicates to others a broader scope than a verbal plan. After all, when you're writing, you can bring in the past, cover the present, and look into the future. Or, you can illustrate your points with more detail than you can in a verbal report.

So, let's subject this article to the writing test, to see if hangs together.

First, the article opened with the idea of looking or thinking ahead, and I assumed -- note, I assumed -- this thinking implied future action.

Second, you'll see the idea to take action, or to get others to take action on our behalf, we need to be clear about the 'what' and the 'why' before we start. Of course, not every action needs this kind of launch; perhaps I should have said "For important projects...."

Third, I suggested the way to get this clarity is to write it out, but in retrospect, perhaps that simply reflects my bias toward writing. Perhaps you manage well simply by thinking, and don't need to write.

Fourth, I next listed a couple of benefits that flow from writing, and looking back I see a that I had bigger projects in mind when I wrote it. Smaller projects may not warrant the writing process.

So, all in all, subjecting this article (at least the first part of it) to the writing process did have the desired effect, and I discovered a couple of assumptions that I wasn't conscious of while writing. And, if I was writing a plan, especially a plan for a big project, those would be worthwhile discoveries.

In summary, writing down your ideas not only helps you clarify your plans or goals, but also helps you communicate what you want others to do or think.

Robert F. Abbott is the author of A Manager's Guide to Newsletters: Communicating for Results, which explains how to create effective newsletters, newsletters that get the desired responses. Learn how to start a newsletter, with real-life examples, at: http://www.managersguide.com/articles.htm

---

Enhancing Vulnerability To Master Perfectionism

One of the ways a person must advance past perfectionism is to deal with and gradually become more and more vulnerable. Every good perfectionist knows that this... Read More

Business Innovation ? the Best Ideas

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Techno Witch II - Magick With Your PC

You've heard of applied science, well how about applied Magick. The personal computer is just a tool after all, so in theory you should be able to... Read More

Starving for Intimacy

Some are seeking love in a bottle. Others look for it on the streets and many are trying to find it in their food.Most of our food... Read More

Innovation Management ? 5 Ideas An Hour

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Three Step Problem Solving

How do you like to solve your problems? Do you prefer to use the more creative problem solving techniques, or the systematic ones? You'll get the best... Read More

Business Innovation ? the Creative Process

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Innovation Management ? Testing Ideas

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Creativity Management ? Theres Nothing New Under the Sun

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

All Fortunes Begin With an Idea!

A new idea is merely the combination of two or more old ideas. The creation of a new idea is the critical first step in establishing any... Read More

The 99 Percent Rule

It's Friday night, you're sitting at a restaurant, and as your meal arrives, the server says, "Now, don't touch that plate. It's hot." What's the first thing... Read More

Knowledge Gains in Innovation

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Why It?s Important to Make Your Idea Real

Say you have an idea for something new and exciting in your life.This may be something as simple as a new arrangement for the garden or as... Read More

Use Your Intuition As a Valuable Tool for Change

Here's a subject that we don't normally think of when we think about change. Yet, intuition can be a very powerful force for change if we honor... Read More

Perfectionism - The Dangerous Trap!

Just when I have something figured out, along comes another how-to-article telling me how to be or do something better or even change my entire life. No... Read More

Penny For Your Thoughts?

Every artifact, every tool, everything ever designed or created by human beings for their own need, comfort, luxury, amusement or advancement began as an idea, a concept?a... Read More

Managing Creativity and Innovation, Part 2 of 2

Leaders, consultants and managers must be competent in at least thirteen domains to even begin effectively managing creativity and innovation. Part 2 of Managing Creativity and Innovation... Read More

Peace Alliance vs. Fighting a Battle

We read in the press about the "War on Drugs" and the "Battle of the Bulge". Television tells us to fight the flu, legal battles or the... Read More

Solve Problems With A Word List

To creatively solve problems you need to get your mind looking in new directions. You can systematically do this by using a list of words, primarily adjectives,... Read More

Choosing a Winning Business Idea

You've probably heard it a hundred times by now - if you want to make alot of money with an online business you have to offer your... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management - Special People?

People often think that there is a creative type. This is a myth.1. We can all solve problems.2. We can all produce large sets of ideas, large... Read More

Business Innovation ? the Value of Decision Makers

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Become an Idea Collector

Have you ever gotten a really great idea ? one that you knew would solve a problem, but when you went to apply it, you couldn't remember... Read More

What is NLP?

NLP Explained.....NLP is the study of how people organise their thinking, feeling, language and behaviour to produce the results they do. The co-creators' of NLP, John Grinder... Read More

Cumulative Gains in Innovation

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Humankinds Greatest Inventions

There are a number of amazing inventions that have been created during the course of human history. Some of the great ones that come to mind are:--The... Read More