Have a question for Lars? Leave a comment here or reach him on Twitter @larsbas.

I bet you know the situation: You’re sitting in front of a problem – a press release that just sounds boring; an event you need to turn into an attraction for customers and partners; a client briefing that needs to result in a consistent communications plan. But the solution just won’t come to your mind, you’re mentally blocked. What are you going to do?

My favourite solution is leaving my desk – grab a coffee, chat with a colleague or just walk around a bit. That helps surprisingly often. You may prefer to sleep on the problem and find a solution while in the shower next morning. Or set up a brainstorming session. Or look for inspiration in the sky outside. But you will probably not give up, saying: “Well, I guess, I’m just not creative enough.”

Unfortunately, there is still a widespread notion that creativity is a gift – either you are creative or you’re not. But although scientists like Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi have researched the common traits of especially creative personalities, there is nothing static and unchangeable about creativity. In his book “Creativity. Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention,” Csikszentmihalyi himself dedicates a whole section on how to enhance your personal creativity.

So if you can learn creativity as you can learn to cook, what’s the recipe to do so?

First of all, you’ll have to think over your definition of creativity. When you think about creative people, are painters, writers, sculptors or designers the first that come to your mind? In our video series, Tyron Montgomery explains creativity as creative problem solving and handling of everyday tasks:

This ability to think creatively and solve problems is in all of us. Do you remember how creatively you played, sang and painted as a child? If we stay curious, open our senses to the impressions of the outer world and allow our imagination to flow, we have already done an important step. In this video, Jörg Lenuweit explains what we can learn from children about creativity:

Do you think that sounds easier said than done? Fortunately, creative thinking is not just a mindset – there are techniques you can learn. As Albert Heiser explains in the video below, creative games have rules that free your spirit and help you to intuitively develop new ideas. Edward de Bono, the renowned expert on creative thinking, has developed various concepts like the “random word” or the “six thinking hats” that inspire lateral thinking and provoke fresh ideas. The classic brainstorm is one of these techniques. Although it is the most widely used, it has its limitations. From experience, I’d encourage you to try a new technique the next time you need a good idea. It breaks the routine, provokes fresh thinking and can be really fun!

There are also a number of everyday tricks to inspire your mind: Read about a subject that’s completely new to you. Take a different route to work. Brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand. Just do something that makes your mind break out of its daily routine – and you will more easily think outside the box.

A tricky question is of course how to maintain a certain creative level in your every day work and life. In our video series, Chris Callaghan talks about avoiding non-creative routines as one of the keys to keep a high level of creativity.

And Jörg Lenuweit describes how the participation in a creative highlight project inspires him.

There is no way around it: If you want to be more creative, you will have to practice. As Maya Angelou puts it: “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” So, get out of your comfort zone. Seek out a creative solution for a problem today. And tomorrow. And next time you have a problem that really needs creativity, you’ll have the mindset, the tools and the practice that’s needed.

I’d also like to thank our contributors who have helped make this blog as vibrant and diverse as Text 100 itself.

Happy reading – and happy holidays!

Objects in the Rear view mirror, by Jay Cuthrell http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcuthrell/63028482/

Ten Practical Steps for Improving Your Facebook Presence

Now that many brands are advertising Facebook presences ahead of their actual web presences, it is more important than ever that we understand the conversations that are happening on brand Facebook pages. Are they positive or not? What type of content engages fans? Why do fans actually become fans in the first place?

What you can learn from the BP Global PR Twitter spoof

You’ll often hear social media dorks like me talking about how easy it is for brands to lose control of their message in social channels, but what does that actually mean in practical terms?

What You Need to Know About German Social Media

Guten Tag! In the next segment of our regional social media snapshot series, I thought I’d share insight from the Text 100 Munich office into the region’s unique online behaviors and cultural considerations…

Infographics and communication – data visualization in the information age

I love infographics. I really do. What am I talking about? Well, this is how Wikipedia defines the word infographics (or data visualization). Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics present complex information quickly and clearly, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education.

The top 10 most influential FTSE brands on Twitter

Some time ago I did a little research into which companies from the FTSE 100 index could be found on Twitter, and in this post I want to take a closer look at which of those brands are the most influential. I also wanted to know what makes those brands more influential than others, and if there’s anything we can learn from them.

In the next segment of our regional social media snapshot series,  I thought I’d share insight from the Text 100 Munich office into the region’s unique online behaviors and cultural considerations:

• Social media usage in Germany lacks behind other major European markets and globally compared to the USA or Asia/Pacific. According to the a recent report from Universal McCann, only 57% of the active Internet users in Germany regularly read blogs and 50% have created a social network profile.  A recent ReadWriteWeb story noted that Germany is five years behind the US in terms of social media adoption.

• While Facebook is seeing tremendous growth, the biggest social network in Germany is SchuelerVZ, a community of 7.4 million students from 12 to 18 years old.  In June, Facebook cracked the top three with more users than competitors StudiVZ and Wer-kennt-wen. Companies planning to launch a consumer social media campaign in Germany should keep in mind that Facebook isn’t the only place to target and SchuelerVZ has a bigger reach.

• Looking to make business connections in Germany? The most important German business network is Xing, which dominates LinkedIn in the German market. At the end of July Xing boasted more than 8 million users; among them are 635,000 premium users who pay for their accounts. Like LinkedIn, Xing has lots of different groups around targeted business topics like SMB or social media marketing, etc.

• Interesting cultural tidbit: Germans are very hesitant to change and known for their habitualness. This translates to their lives online:  Each time Facebook introduces new features, Germans express their outrage.  Be sure to spend time listening before you launch your social media program in Germany to make sure you understand their social media preferences and patterns. The use of these norms will increase your project’s chance of success.

A few weeks ago Vodafone launched a marketing campaign in Germany with a large social media component (see Twitter, Blog, Facebook, Youtube, MySpace and Microsite),  one of the first of its kind in this region. Vodafone faced harsh criticism of the campaign for a handful of social media 101 offenses that you should always keep top of mind:

• Social media is a conversation, not a megaphone: Vodafone was criticized for purely taking its marketing messages and pushing them through this new channel, not tailoring their approach for the community or trying to start a dialogue. In addition, the company received more than 2,000 negative comments within two hours on Facebook, but did not respond or adjust their approach.
  
• Don’t fake it. Always be authentic: Vodafone hired a popular Germany blogger to support the campaign. This blogger was well known as an iPhone and T-Mobile customer, so his work for Vodaphone was immediately seen as a shame.  Vodafone should have more closely evaluated their partners and insisted they be transparent about their involvement.
  
• Get to know your audiences likes/dislikes before you engage:  The Vodafone campaign used Denglisch (German mixed with English terms, in an attempt to sound cool and interesting), but some didn’t even seem to be sure how to pronounce the buzzwords they were using. This tactic backfired as Germans complained they would have preferred to be reached via German or English language, not a combination.

Want to learn more about social media in Germany? Leave your questions in to comments or get in touch with me on Twitter or Xing.

At this point there is a huge difference between Europe and the United States in the adoption of blogs and other forms of peer media. In Europe we are still asking ourselves what weblogs are, but over in the United States, it is all about the management of weblogs and their usage. Beyond that, the question is to what extent weblogs compete with traditional media. Are they a risk for critical journalism? With regard to these questions it is interesting that, on the one hand, traditional media representatives are discussing the impact weblogs have on them. On the other hand, publishing houses invite their staff / editors to weblog. The editor also examined the commercial aspects of blogs, for example, how can companies make money blogging? Finally, the writer comes to the conclusion that corporate communications will be changing dramatically in future and that weblogs definitely will have an impact on this change.

Christine Vogl-Kordick, Text 100 Munich