“The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas”
Linus Pauling – U.S. chemist & pacifist
“You want a hit, give me an hour plus a pen and a pad”
LL Cool J – U.S. rapper and pacifist (probably)
By drawing on both sets of words of wisdom, I’ve discovered an excellent method to generate new material, also used by great writers, from authors to stand-up comics and lyricists. All you need are two things:
1.) Massive self-discipline and motivation
2.) A notebook
With his line from the hip hop classic ‘I’m Bad’, Mr. Cool J (real name James Todd Smith) has the audacity to claim that he can write a lyric guaranteeing commercial success in a remarkably short space of time. However, when creating material for a presentation, an hour probably is all you need, it just doesn’t need to be all at one go. So don’t sit down and decide to create amazing ideas, which forces and impedes the process. Instead, whenever you notice or think of something interesting or unusual, write it in your notebook. Not on your laptop, because you may have to boot it up, although you could use your phone, or any method that’s quick and easy. Then, after a few weeks (or 50 entries, whichever comes first), you look back at all the ideas you’ve written down, and sort through it all to find the diamond in the rough (another process altogether).
And that’s how you create original, personal material that you can use to give your presentations real flavour.
Delicious.