Inspiring Minds: Good Weird with Amy Kean; 18th September
By Ruby Deans, Comms Planning Account Manager
Last Wednesday I attended Amy Kean’s workshop with the Marketing Society, the session was centered around embracing your unique, weird, and wonderful self.
I found this session inspiring, especially as someone who tends to come to work a little loud and weird. I believe everyone should own their individuality, but I know this isnt always easy. Whilst we want to bring our uniqueness to work, getting the balance right is important to remain trustworthy, and Amy touched on this. I’ve broken down the 3-hour session into 5 learnings below:
Jargon is a sign of insecurity
Corporate jargon is built into our day-day lives, and whether we like it or not we’ve all adopted phrases into our vocabulary. I’ve detailed some of my favorite jargon below (no shade, I actually enjoy them):
“Let’s circle back”
“Let’s double click on that”
“Let’s get our ducks in a row”
“Pivot back”
“Synergy”
Jargon feels normal at work, but in fact, norms are fictional and invented. We only talk this way because someone decided it was normal and trendy, so we adopted it.
A study by from the University of Southern California found that the more anxious the participants, the more jargon they used. Jargon can be used as a status signal, just like an expensive car or watch.
That’s not to say we shouldn’t use jargon, but we shouldn’t overuse it and shouldn’t be afraid to talk without it.
The Batman Effect
During the session, we were encouraged to think about who we are when we’re extra and create a mask which reflects this. My creation was all based on tapping into my “PINK energy” a phrase my friend and I use when we want to be our most fun, free, vibrant selves. It was interesting to see that everyone has an alter ego, a persona they might not necessarily bring to the office.
The deeper meaning of this encompasses the Batman Effect, an exercise we can use to think outside of the box.
Groups who are asked to “seek advice from a cleverer version of themselves” bring better ideas than groups who aren’t.
So sometimes it’s more effective to tap into your alter ego, your “Batman” when you need to come up with cool ideas. It provides a free space, to be a bit silly and unrealistic.
The WOW acronym idea generator
On average only 2.7% of ideas generated are good, so don’t be afraid to raise random and rubbish ideas, chances are 97.3% are going to be shit.
The WOW acronym encourages us to tap into our weirdness to get to big ideas, with no fear of judgement.
Firstly, think about the WORST possible idea for a brief, then the most OBVIOUS, and lastly the WEIRDEST. This will encourage you to let go of judgement, you’ll be surprised at all the strange and wonderful ideas which come to the forefront.
Dreams are the sweet spot for creativity
Dreams are powerful, and studies found that the moment you are nodding off is a sweet spot for creativity. How many of you have had a eureka moment just before you fall asleep?
We did an exercise where we played sedative music encouraging us to sleep, everyone in the session shut our eyes and relaxed. We were shortly then promoted to come up with a creative strategy. This is an interesting one that I’m sure the office would be happy to get on board with if it includes a nap…
Perceived Weird Index
People will only ever remember you if you stand out in some way. The Perceived Weird Index shows the optimal level of being weird enough to resist the cultural norms but normal enough to be trusted. You should be able to go into work and be yourself, but you need to remain reliable and efficient.
In summary, Amy’s workshop encourages us to embrace our individuality and weirdness. Being bold will take you further in your career than if you remain ‘normal’ and blend in. After all, what is ‘normal’ and who decided society norms?
