Wow, I've spent the last few days in a brainstorming session and I've learned much about myself. I don't think that was on the non-agenda...
1. Even though I think I am good at "going with the flow," watching and discovering and being open to what happens - I also love being productive, developing action plans and not wasting time. I wanted this meeting to be open to new ideas, not just a rehashing and rubber-stamping of concepts already developed. That would be a real waste of time. And I know (brain) the free flow of this session has been good, look at what I am learning about myself! But I am really struggling with not trying to come up with constructive actions from the session, which isn't even over yet.
2. Writing is a many edged sword. I've seen with ads and press releases that I've written that have been very effective in bringing people to events, but had people expecting something very different than what we were doing. I've written ads that inspire people to call the Folk Center in total confusion about what we are doing. Both got action, but were not constructive. I've also written and communicated in ways that got absolutely no action. I need to be much more careful to write clearly and simply, with a vision of what I want people to do when they read the item.
3. I sometimes write something to attempt to provoke people to think. Usually it is a statement, that while at it's core is true, it is the opposite of what I believe - and what I think the audience for my writing believes. I attempt to use this technique to get people to think about why these things are important. But if I then look at what I've written from an outsider's view, or from the viewpoint of someone in 20 years trying to build on what we were doing, they could get the total wrong impression. Wow. Just like I go through the writings of people I respect and admire and try to follow their vision, someone might go through my writings and ... be completely confused?
4. I need to remember that I do write good stuff sometimes, and get better at the good stuff.
Off to brainstorm...
1. Even though I think I am good at "going with the flow," watching and discovering and being open to what happens - I also love being productive, developing action plans and not wasting time. I wanted this meeting to be open to new ideas, not just a rehashing and rubber-stamping of concepts already developed. That would be a real waste of time. And I know (brain) the free flow of this session has been good, look at what I am learning about myself! But I am really struggling with not trying to come up with constructive actions from the session, which isn't even over yet.
2. Writing is a many edged sword. I've seen with ads and press releases that I've written that have been very effective in bringing people to events, but had people expecting something very different than what we were doing. I've written ads that inspire people to call the Folk Center in total confusion about what we are doing. Both got action, but were not constructive. I've also written and communicated in ways that got absolutely no action. I need to be much more careful to write clearly and simply, with a vision of what I want people to do when they read the item.
3. I sometimes write something to attempt to provoke people to think. Usually it is a statement, that while at it's core is true, it is the opposite of what I believe - and what I think the audience for my writing believes. I attempt to use this technique to get people to think about why these things are important. But if I then look at what I've written from an outsider's view, or from the viewpoint of someone in 20 years trying to build on what we were doing, they could get the total wrong impression. Wow. Just like I go through the writings of people I respect and admire and try to follow their vision, someone might go through my writings and ... be completely confused?
4. I need to remember that I do write good stuff sometimes, and get better at the good stuff.
Off to brainstorm...
1 comment:
I think you always :) write good stuff! I check your blog daily to see the new adventures you're having and to live the sheepherder's life vicariously through you
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