Ideas can come from any place, but there is a way to manufacture it
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Summer books: What Elinor’s been reading
‘Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits’ by Debbie Millman
I borrowed this book from the Make Happy library when I started a few months ago. It’s a collection of interviews between Millman and some of the great names in the marketing and design world.
Read MoreSummer books: What Sophie’s been reading
‘The Better Angels of our Nature’ by Stephen Pinker
Imagine you live in an area in which the probability of lightening striking your house is the same on any given day.
Read MoreSummer books: What Charlotte’s been reading
‘Think Like a Freak’ by Steven D. Levitt and Steven J. Dubner
The cult book Freakonomics quickly became a symbol for using quantitative analysis to challenge conventional wisdom. Authors Steven D. Levitt and Steven J. Dubner famously linked the legalisation of abortion in the 1970s with the fall in crime in the US 20 years later (and raised a few eyebrows in the process).
Read MoreSummer books: What Jonathan’s been reading
‘Hegarty on Creativity: There are No Rules’ by John Hegarty
In this book, Hegarty takes 50 “provocations” that lie at the heart of creative thinking and succinctly explains how to harness, nurture and sustain creativity. It doesn’t matter if you make your living in the creative industries, this book is a condensed masterclass in the process of applying the creative process in everything you do.
Read MorePecha Kucha
We’ve just done our first Pecha Kucha session at the Make Happy office, covering topics like the rules of cricket, surviving life on a narrow boat and the marketing strategies of British Airways. So what is Pecha Kucha? And why would you want to do one?
Simply put, it is a presentation format where you show 20 slides for just 20 seconds. The idea is that it simplifies and focuses talks, only having 20 seconds keeps things interesting and moving along. It started in Japan in 2003 (the word literally means ‘chit-chat’) and now Pecha Kucha nights are held in over 700 cities around the world!
Doing a Pecha Kucha was a great way to reinforce what’s really important when putting together a presentation. The format definitely gave me some points to think about next time I am presenting. As ever, structure, pacing and having simple defined points are the key.
The foundation of a great Pecha Kucha is to focus on a topic you are passionate about and will enjoy sharing. The beauty is that it’s a really accessible medium and pretty much anyone can get up and have a go. It’s also just a great way to practice your presentation skills.
Have you been to a Pecha Kucha night before? Or have you presented one yourself? What did you think?
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