My name is Gerry Tabio and I have a company called Creative Resources. I consult and train, primarily radio stations in the United States and other countries in the world. And what I do all the time, primarily, is work teaching them creative problem solving. That’s the basis for the consultancy and the training that I offer.

09:01:32:25 09:02:03:29

[Could you define creativity?]

Creativity is, um, I don’t really spend a whole lot of time thinking about defining creativity, but, as I understand it, creativity is defined by people like the Creative Problem Solving Institute or the Creative Education Foundation as a new connection or a new application that is useful. That is kind of like the working definition of creativity which is it has to have novelty to have use. If it’s new and it’s useful, it’s creative.

09:02:06:08 09:03:08:25

[How do you use creativity?]

Well the idea with the use of creativity is…there is nothing more powerful than novelty. There is nothing more powerful than coming up with something new, something that is different, that will break through all the messages that you’re receiving. And so, you have to remember that I work with radio stations, so what we do is make sure that we’re coming up with new ideas, different ideas to help our advertisers, our clients, breakthrough and define themselves as different. The other thing that we do is creativity is used to come up with new ways for a radio station, for instance, to promote itself. Creativity is used to come with new ways for a morning team to come up with bits or funny things to say in the morning. So creativity is very much of an applied process in the radio business because it’s a very important part of the business itself.

09:03:22:22 09:04:22:05

[Can you give us examples of how creativity has helped business?]

If we were to measure…if we did a survey the people in this room, or the people watching this tape, we would probably discover that they are as creative as each other. Actually, if there were a reliable way to actually measure it, we would probably discover that we’re as creative as each other. The thing that makes the difference is when you get people who are actually applying it, or putting some enthusiasm behind it…who are turning it into a habit. And so I wanted to say that at the outset because the examples are many and what’s exciting and what you need to pay attention to is that what we need people who see it as a tool like every other tool and if they basically make that part of their habit, make that an arrow in their quiver, then basically they can summon creativity.

09:04:22:05 09:04:46:08

So I want to separate creativity from the creative problem solving process. Creativity might be something innate, something that you’re born with, something you develop as you grow. But the creative problem solving process is steps that you follow. It’s very simple, you take the following steps and at the end you will have a more creative output simply because it’s new and it’s useful.

09:04:46:08 09:05:58:27

So, how do we use creativity? We use creativity to help a bank to come up with better ways to get small businesses to open business accounts with a bank. We use creativity to help a beer company generate more sales at their key accounts. You know beer companies, several companies, but beer companies especially, have something they call key accounts, which are specific clubs or specific places that are very important to them. And so one of the ways that we use the creative problem solving process is to come up with ideas for them and how to build relationships with their key accounts. We use creativity to help hospitals set themselves apart from each other. In a highly competitive environment, like the hospital industry, these people, these companies, these hospitals need ways to help remind you that they are different from their competitors. And that is how we use the creative problem solving process. You have to remember that radio stations and television stations and advertising agencies are in the business of helping their clients become different. That’s how we use it, that’s what we do everyday.

09:06:10:28 09:06:44:25

[Why do you think everyone is creative?]

I’ve been training people for about 15 years now and one of the most recurring comments that I get after I finish a session or a workshop is that ‘I never considered myself creative.’ And so what happens is people are surprised by the output that they’re getting when they follow the process. And so that’s why I know that even though they do not perceive themselves as being innately creative all you have to do is put them through some steps and they’re going to come up with some new stuff, new ideas.

09:06:54:20

09:07:49:12

[How do you teach CPS to your clients?]

The Osborn-Parnes Method, the creative problem solving process is very flexible and is very simple. What we have done is adapted it to the radio industry or the television industry so that the language that we use makes sense for that business. But the process is the same. So all we’ve have is taken steps of the process from mess finding or wish finding all the way down to acceptance, we have changed the words so that they’re more vernacular, so that people are more willing to accept them and then we’ve created some workbooks, we do workshops, and we will go to the radio station and consult. The other thing that we do that is very dramatic is we’ll actually brainstorm for a client so that the radio station is learning the process but they’re also getting an outcome for a client, which makes them money.

09:08:23:13

09:09:28:23

[Can you give us an example of an “‘Aha’” moment?]

I was riding in the car with my daughter once…she had one of my workbooks. It was in the car. She’s sitting there, we’re driving and she just grabs the workbook and she decides that she is going to fill it out. She is going to follow the process, almost as a joke…filling out the questions in the workbook. It was very funny to watch her, A. be this interested and goofing around with it. Then the minute she identified a real problem that she was really was interested in, all of a sudden she is actually doing it and she is a lot more interested in it, she’s leaning forward and coming up with ideas. And she’s enjoying the ideas she is coming up with. In the end she comes up with an idea she likes and a solution she likes and creates a plan of action. She did all of this while we were riding in the car. It was just very funny because I never instructed her, she was never part of a workshop, but it was very funny to see her become interested because she owned it. I guess that was an ‘aha’ to see my 13 year old get into it.

09:09:47:17

09:10:24:06

[Can you define ownership?]

As you will see the more you experience the process, actually any problem solving process really depends on the problem owner. You need someone who cares about the outcome. Without that the process lacks meaning. So that’s what I mean by ownership. When you’re working with this process you have to make sure that there is someone with a stake in the outcome. Because if there isn’t a person who has a stake in the outcome, the likelihood is that A. nothing will happen and B. there won’t be any enthusiasm in it. So you need a problem owner.

09:10:54:18

09:11:35:05

[Take #2 – ownership]

This process is meaningless without interest…meaningless, it’s hollow, it’s just a process. But, when there’s interest, when somebody really cares about the outcome, when there’s somebody who really needs help, when there’s somebody who says ‘I really need an imaginative solution because I have no idea what to do here.’ That’s when the process comes alive, that’s when the process matters, that’s when ideas improve, that’s when you come up with more important problems. That’s when you increase the likelihood that somebody is going to take action. So, this entire process is deflated without interest, without a problem owner.

09:11:56:23

09:12:09:16

[How does CPS help?]

The creative problem solving process is a tool. And if you just make the decision that we’re going to use that tool the outcomes are inevitable.

09:13:24:05

09:14:00:29

[Can you define acceptance finding and give an example?]

Acceptance basically means let’s be sure we are getting our solution accepted. That we get people excited about it that we make it big, that we make it important, that we make it interesting and that we actually create a plan of action – that something is actually going to happen because of it. So that ‘s really what acceptance means. Let’s develop this idea so that we can make it as good as it can be. And, I want to tell you that it is an incredibly powerful and important part of this process that is way too often neglected. Very few people really carry it all the way through acceptance.

09:14:14:29

09:14:36:20

[Do they own the plan of action?]

Ownership is about owning everything. It’s about owning the problem, it’s about owning the ideas, it’s about owning the criteria you’re going to use to select your solution, it’s about owning the actions that you’re going to take. So, yes, a plan of action is essential and it’s the logical conclusion to the acceptance finding step.

09:15:25:18

09:16:54:04

[Example of acceptance finding?]

I work with a radio station that has a client that is a dairy. The dairy came to the radio station, they already had a solution. So, they didn’t need the front end of the process, they didn’t need the radio station to identify a problem, they didn’t even need the radio station to conduct a brainstorming session to come up with an idea. They came in and said ‘here’s our solution, we’re trying to celebrate our anniversary and we want you guys to give us some help. All the radio station did was the final step of the process. Basically they did acceptance finding, and they did the action planning. The client , the dairy was completely blown away. What happens in acceptance finding is you begin by visualizing it. So what do they do…they sit around a table and they say to everybody, ‘OK, we’re going to celebrate the anniversary for this dairy. I want everybody to close their eyes and I want you to visualize this party. What do you see at the party, who is at the party, what’s happening, how are we celebrating it? And now people begin to make a list – that’s what acceptance finding is – you begin to make up a list of the different things you would do to make that solution the best it could ever be. Well, the client was, as I said earlier, completely blown away, they loved the ideas they came up with. They couldn’t wait to begin their plan of action. And the radio station ended up with $35,000-$40,000 in business from this dairy that didn’t really intend to spend any money with them initially until they needed that kind of help.

09:16:57:25

09:18:10:22

(how CPS becomes apart of a company)

You have to realize that when a company, whatever company that is, uses a tool like creative problem solving and it becomes part of their culture, it becomes part of what they do, it is a way for the company to position itself as a great source of solutions. Do you see what I mean? And so when you’re in an organization and the organization becomes known for it’s solutions, it’s a tool that now transcends whether or not you did the brainstorming sessions. It’s a tool that helps you position your company. You know, companies like IBM, Microsoft and companies like that, when they work with other companies, with vendors, they call them solution providers. That’s how they refer to their vendors. And, I think that is a very insightful way to describe a vendor. A vendor should be a solution provider. Well, if you’re a solution provider, you should have a process that generates great solutions. And that’s all creative problem solving is. It’s a reliable, repeatable, visible process that generates marketing or solutions to any problem.

09:18:22:03

09:19:20:09

[How did you get involved in CPS?]

So, I get this tape, I take it home and I put it the cassette machine, I fill up my bathtub, I sit in the bathtub and listen to this tape about brainstorming. When the tape is over, I realized, well, I can do that…it is a very simple technique. I began to use it. That was 1982. It’s interesting, because when I started to use it, it was completely self-taught. All I had with it was this tape. But, the technique was so simple and so clear about what I needed to do. At first I was clumsy, I made a lot of mistakes. I had brainstorming sessions that were four hours long and I did all sorts of silly things. Because that’s what happens when you’re experimenting. But, once I understood the basic behaviors; once I understood it’s a really simple process of making lists and making choices and following steps, it became very easy to do it. I’ve been working in it for about 15 years now.

09:19:24:19

09:20:06:15

[What is a good time frame for brainstorming session?]

A good time frame for a brainstorming session really depends on the problem that you’re trying to solve. Probably a brainstorming session, a creative problem solving session should last a couple of hours. I have done creative problem solving sessions that last longer, but you have to realize that if you’re working on something, like, for instance, a strategic plan for a company where there’s millions of dollars at stake, you may want to take a little bit more time…you may want to take a day or two. But if you’re trying to solve a problem that has less repercussions or trying to solve a problem that is a little bit simpler, well you should expect to maybe have a session that lasts an hour or two. It depends on the problem.

09:20:17:23

09:21:17:14

[Who influenced you the most in CPS?]

Sid Parnes is the Parnes half of the Osborn-Parnes Method. He is a very clear thinking, unassuming, uncomplicated person, who manages this process in a very elegant and simple and powerful way. And every time I watch him work I am amazed at how simple and uncomplicated he makes this appear. He’s been a great influence on me, because, like I said, every time I see him work, I am jealous of how elegantly he manages the process. And he goes from one step to the other in a very natural and organic sort of way. So, he’s a big influence.

09:21:36:15

09:23:30:02

[Would you define deferral of judgment?]

Deferring judgment is a habit. Deferring judgment, the way I describe it…when you’re conducting a CPS session, when you’re conducting a brainstorming, all you’re doing is making lists and making choices. That’s it! That’s all this process is. You make a list of possibilities and then you choose the ones that make sense. You do that throughout the process. You do that to identify the problem. You do that to generate ideas. You do that choose the criteria. You do that to create a plan of action. So, at every step, you’re making lists and making choices. It’s a habit. Let’s suppose I’m working on a problem, whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. Let’s say you and I are going to decide where we’re going to dinner tonight. What typically happens between two people is you’ll say, ‘where do you want to go for dinner?’ And I’ll say let’s go to an Italian restaurant. And you’ll say, “well, no. See we already ate Italian the other day.” And now you’re involved in an argument. Or at least you’re involved in a discussion; you’re wasting time. If instead, I said to you, ‘where do you want to go to dinner?’ And you said, ‘OK, we can go Chinese, we can go Italian, we can go Greek, there’s a Thai restaurant down the street. We can go to McDonald’s, we can go the Burger King. Do you know what you’re doing? You’re creating a menu – you’re creating a list. Now it’s very simple for me to say, ‘let’s go to the third one.’ So, what’s deferring judgment? Deferring judgment is allowing the creation of a list without interrupting it. So, if we’re considering places we’re going to go on vacation, let me just make a list of all the places we could go on vacation and don’t interrupt me. We’ll get to choose together later. If we’re trying to think of what we’re going to do with this building, if we’re designing a building. Let me make a list of all the different things that we can do with each room. Later on we’ll decide the ones that make sense. So, that’s deferring. Deferring judgment is a habit of making lists and making choices. That’s all it is

09:24:05:15

09:25:53:14

[Define tolerance for ambiguity]

A tolerance for ambiguity is the ability for you to have conflicting statements on that list. We were talking about the fact that one of the fundamental truths about CPS or brainstorming is making a list and making choices. A tolerance for ambiguity is – let’s pretend we’re in a meeting – or let’s pretend that the two of us are talking. And we’re trying to solve a problem. And I say to you, ‘you know what we ought, is we ought to sell this place. We ought to sell the house. And you say, ‘no, I think what we ought to do is, we ought to not sell it, we ought to refurbish it. We ought to paint it.’ When you’re conducting a brainstorming session, these two ideas get written down. And even though they are in conflict, they live together on that list. So, what’s a tolerance for ambiguity? A tolerance for ambiguity is when you can have things on the list, that appear to conflict with each other and you’re not uncomfortable with that. Because , you realize that all you have to do is make a list and later on you’re going to choose the appropriate one, so they don’t have to all agree with each other. I want you to think of it like a menu. Think of how difficult it would be if you went to restaurant to show you. All CPS does, all brainstorming does is creates a menu, then you pick, then creates another menu, then you pick, creates another menu, and then you choose. That’s really all it is. And what you need to do is, you need to tolerate the fact that I going to have two items on the menu that you may not like. But, they’re still on the menu and you get to choose later. So, that’s deferring judgment and tolerance for ambiguity.

09:26:18:07

09:27:50:01

[Favorite examples of using CPS]

Several of the radio stations that I have worked with have done brainstorming sessions, CPS sessions for beer companies, for beverages…there is just a number of stories about how they have been able to come up with ideas for those companies that have really amazed the client - there really is no other word for it – is how the clients are amazed, for two reasons. A. Because sometimes what happens with creativity, with word creative is that, when you think of the word creative, you think of George Lucas, you think of Picasso, you think of Mozart, you think of people like that, Steven Spielberg. And what happens is that the word has all kinds of baggage that implies eccentricity and genius. I think what happens with that word is that then it makes it seem impractical, it makes it seem like it’s distant from you, like it’s not accessible to you. And, so the reason that I say that clients end up amazed is because in their mind, this is stuff that only geniuses or very unusual eccentric people can do. And all of a sudden they come into a business meeting…they are sitting around a table with business people, dressed like business people, who go through a very simple, visible process, there is nothing mysterious about and come up with an idea that they never would have dreamed of.

09:27:50:01

09:29:18:15

[Another example]

One of my favorite stories is the client who was in the session, came into the session and didn’t want to be there, thought it was going to be a waste of time. As a matter of fact, he walked into the session and said I’m only going to give you 20 minutes. Can we do it in 20 minutes? Which is impossible, really, to get accomplished what he wanted accomplished in 20 minutes. When the 20 minutes was over and we were moving along in the process, we said to him, ‘OK, the 20 minutes are over. Do you want to stay any longer? And he said, ‘Oh, absolutely. Don’t worry about it, let’s stay.’ He spent a couple of hours with us. And when the session was over with, he was so excited and so interested in the ideas, that he wouldn’t leave until we swore to him that we were going to have all of the sheets of paper on the wall typed up, because he was afraid he wasn’t going to get the ideas back. And so that’s what happens. You know we were talking a little bit earlier about the issue of ownership. That’s what happens. Here’s a guy, who walked in the door saying ‘this is going to be an Amway meeting.’ You’ve got to remember these guys are coming to something called a CPS, you invited them to a brainstorming session. They think they’re coming to a pitch, they think they are coming to some Amway meeting. All of a sudden, you put them through this process and they realize, ‘oh my god, this is a process that is a. very powerful and can actually solve my problems.’ It’s just amazing how they become transformed and then all of a sudden they don’t want to leave, they want to make sure they’re going to take the ideas with them. That has happened many times. It’s a common occurrence.

09:29:32:29

09:30:09:01

[Define the process you teach?]

The process I teach has three steps. First thing you do is identify a specific problem. It’s very simple. The second thing you do is use your imagination. And in that process you use your imagination to generate ideas. That’s step two. Step number three: your job is to make sure that you select a solution and that you turn it into action. So, I want you to think of it in three words. It’s about focus, it’s about imagination and it’s about action. That’s what the process is.