The Young Designer’s Guide

There is a considerable difference between healthy fear and panic.  Panic can cripple you; healthy fear can inspire great things and stretch you to new limits.  Ironically, both can serve you well if kept in the proper perspective.  As a designer, you will be asked to complete projects that range from the routine to the totally unfamiliar.  I encourage you to stretch and go for the unfamiliar as often as possible.  The dirty little secret is that also means asking you to experience both panic and healthy fear.  When you get rid of the first, you will be able to make the most of the second.

When you are challenged to do something totally unfamiliar, you are euphoric that someone trusts you to complete the project, and complete it well.  It means they not only recognize your skill, but also trust in your potential.  You are one happy designer.  But – wait for it now – after you tell your friends and family how excited you are, and they tell you how great it is and how proud they are, you go home, open a beer or a bottle of wine and unexpectedly break out in a cold sweat.  What the heck have you done?  What are you, crazy?  How are you going to do this – you don’t know anything about widgets!  That, my friend, is sheer panic.  Why would I be a fan of such a thing?  Since you asked, let me explain.

Sheer panic stops you cold.  There is, other than to pass out, nothing left to do but regroup.  Panic makes us think of worse case scenarios.  And once worse case scenarios are on the table, there is no place to go but “up.”  The panic subsides as you slowly move into the rational mode of figuring things out and making a plan.  And here’s the real secret:  the absence of panic is the beginning of progress.  It might be more accurate to say “the banishment of panic is the beginning of progress,” but “absence of panic” is what I came up with when I was in a panic over writing an article on an unfamiliar topic.  I have the saying printed out in a big bold font and taped to my office wall.  It’s my mantra:  The Absence of Panic Is The Beginning of Progress.

Once you have taken a deep breath and banished the panic, you are left with the burning desire to do well.  You just need to figure out how.  After all, everyone else believes in you!  If you’re smart, you’ll go back to basics.  Works for golfers.  Big tournament coming up?  Even the pros get out on the range and practice the basics.  In my mind, “basics” refers to goal, structure, content, and accuracy of purpose.  Once you get the basics in place, the rest will follow.

Specifically, ask yourself what the client wants.  What is the purpose of the project?  Is it to introduce a new product?  Differentiate the product from its competitors?  Explain how it solves a specific problem?  Enhance the company’s image?  With whom?  Exactly what is the purpose?
Once you know your purpose, ask yourself what you have to design to get that point across.

Obviously it’s no good to pitch denture cream to fifteen year olds.  Who exactly does your client want to reach?  What are they like?  Do they appreciate risks or safety?  Do they like to live vicariously?  Do they have money to spend?  Are they looking for something to make them feel good, or simply to get by in the most inexpensive way possible?  Now you’ve defined your goal, and you’re beginning to have a sense of how to get there.

Next you need a plan.  And the more you plan, the more confident you become, because you have the healthy fear of failure that drives you to make sure you know what you’re doing.  But – good  news – there is no more panic because you are feeling in control. Perhaps a bit nervous, but in control.  To reach the goal you’ve identified, however, that goal has to be measurable.  What research into the marketplace and the competition has to be done?  How much do you have to do each day to be finished by your deadline?  Figure out what you have to do, and mentally plug it into your plan. Then write it down.  Having it in writing keeps you honest and helps avoid surprises.

When your first draft is finished, look at it with a critical eye.  Does it convey the message you thought it would?  Is it comprehensive enough?  Simple enough?  Is the design strong or weak?  Is it too bland, too over-the-top, or perhaps (hallelujah) just right?  Do not be afraid of the healthy fear here – does a trusted colleague think it works?  How about a trusted outsider with fresh eyes?  Maybe you see things that you thought worked when you were creating them, but now as part of the whole, they simply don’t.  Maybe you suddenly know for sure that you need to move in a different direction, either slightly or entirely.  If so, don’t be afraid.  Just do it.

So what’s the moral of this story?  Banish the panic and work the healthy fear to your advantage.  It’s a good thing.  But once it guides you and you have your answers, banish the fear as well and confidently complete the project.  Trust me, healthy fear will be back for the next project.  Welcome it.  Just keep it in its place.

If you are like me than you likely never received a user’s manual on how the brain works when you were born. If you are a guy like me than let’s face it, we wouldn’t have read the manual anyway. If we had though, we would have learned some interesting and not well publicized things about how our memories and our minds actual do work.

To begin with, you, the reader of this report, have an absolutely astounding computer system that you likely haven’t thought much about in some time. This computer is not made by Toshiba, or Gateway, or Dell. This computer of yours has an absolutely immense hard drive. It computes at lightning fast speeds, and it could do tremendous things to improve the quality of your life with its immense power if only you understood how to operate it. The computer I’m speaking of is the incredible super computer in between your ears called the human mind. Specifically, I’m speaking of your mind’s memory and the systems by which your mind stores and retrieves the data that is essentially your life.

In today’s age of modern technology we have largely done ourselves a great disservice. We have forgotten about memory systems. We use our cell phones, palm pilots, laptops, and good old fashion day planners to keep our tasks and records and responsibilities straight. These gadgets are fine, but why use expensive gadgets when we have this perfectly good processor in between our ears.

To begin with, we need to understand that our memory is organized into a memory system. If you think about it, it seems reasonable enough. After all, we have a nervous system, a respiratory system, a skeletal system, a circulatory system, a digestive system, etc. The human body is comprised of systems. Why, then, have we never been taught about memory systems?

This news that our memory is a system that can be studied, understood, and utilized to our advantage is really good news. It means that when we want to learn something we don’t have to just try harder to remember it. We can try smart instead and blow the competition away.

The first step to understand is the language of the memory itself. Just as a computer is a processor that works with software of various programming languages, our memory has its language. If we do not speak in the language of our memory than we are doomed before we even begin. So what is this language I’m speaking of? Well, take this little test with me and discover it for yourself.

First, answer this question. Do you have a photographic memory? Most likely your answer is no. Well, let’s think about this for a minute. I’d like you to think about the refrigerator in your kitchen. Think about the items on the inside. Do you have ketchup? How many shelves are on the inside? Is there dust on the top of the refrigerator? … Ok, come back to me now.

A moment ago when I asked you to think about your refrigerator something should have happened in your mind’s eye. One, you saw the word refrigerator or two you saw an image of a refrigerator. Think now to which one you were. If you are like 99.99% of all other human beings than you likely saw a picture.

This brings me back to my original question. Do you have a photographic memory? The answer is unequivocally yes. Put simply, the mind thinks in pictures. This is a really important and often misunderstood element of our memory system. You see, I didn’t ask you to visualize your refrigerator. I didn’t use the word imagine or anything else that would suggest imagery. I said think. When I said think your brain new instinctively to create a picture in the mind and to lock that picture in place for further reference. This is a necessary first step to remembering things. We must understand that our minds are visual no matter who we are and we can remember much more easily if we speak the same language of our mind.

With an understanding of this fundamental truth, we can begin to form a system for remembering that can serve us. From here you can use association and processing to create incredible power with your memory and to even do things you never believed were humanly possible. A this time the Guinness World Record for the category greatest memory is held by a gentleman in Canada for memorizing 59 decks of playing cards in a row. That is a total of 3068 cards. Are you amazed by this feat? Well, if so consider this. Anyone, and yes I mean anyone can learn to do this too. And that means you.
For more information on memory skills and memory systems contact Lonny Hogan directly at 847-489-5132. Lonny delivers entertaining and interactive seminars and keynotes on organized memory systems and on the powers of the human mind. Contact Lonny to determine if his talk is a good fit for one of your upcoming sales meeting.

“That isn’t exactly what I meant”. “I don’t think you understood me.” “You didn’t hear me correctly.” These are some of the most commonly used phrases in our country. We generally tend to think that talking and hearing are simple mechanisms. After all, we have been doing it even before we learned our ABC’s. Poor communication skills can affect all factors of our lives. Our social relationships; being misunderstood can weaken even the best of friendships. Our familial relationships; is your teenager not listening to you? Our business relationships; are your ideas not being heard or understood because of your presentation skills?

Effective communication is a two way street and both or all parties must have responsibility. We, as the speaker, must seek feedback. Feedback will determine just how effectively we are communicating. Seeking feedback will also demonstrate how actively your audience is listening. An audience can be one individual, a boardroom, a kitchen table or a group of many.

To be an effective communicator means always abiding by the golden rule of Know Your Audience. Use language with words which can be easily understood. Use phrasing and timing to allow for your listener to process the information. Be knowledgeable about the subject matter and don’t try to bluff. Be aware of time and stick to the appointed schedule. Always believe in what you are saying and be enthusiastic.

Bridge your gaps in your own communication process. Remember, only seven (7) percent of our message is communicated verbally. Be aware of your own body language and realize you are speaking volumes without ever saying a single word. Be aware of how your own emotional opinions could get in the way of your objectivity. Think about what you are going to say so you can be more concise and have fewer tendencies to ramble Seek feedback to measure your ability in having your message received and understood.

Whether we are presenting a workshop, bringing new ideas to the business table or meeting one on one, we should always strive to be the best communicator we can be. Ask yourself if some of these traits may be making you less effective. Do you tend to dwell on the trivial? Do you consistently bring up past errors to make a point? Do you talk down to your audience? Are you never able to admit you are wrong?

We all should strive to be active listeners and to do that we must review how we listen. People who are not effectively listening tend to have some of these traits. Finding yourself designing your next comment rather than focusing on what is being said. Judging before the complete message has been delivered. Changing the subject when it is a topic with which you are not familiar. Daydreaming and not staying focused on the speaker.

Effective listeners accept the responsibility of understanding. To do this we must first stop talking. We cannot listen if we are still talking. Encouraging others to talk will let them know you are willing to listen to the complete message. Be active by making eye contact, nodding and even taking notes. Communication is an exchange. Be participatory.

The first step to improving any skill is to understand what you need to do or cease to do in order to hone this particular skill. The second and most difficult step is the absolute requirement that you practice the skill repeatedly. Communicating effectively is no different.

“It is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Beverly A. Chana
VP Corporate Services
Gray Hair Management, LLC
www.grayhairmanagement.com