Creativity & Criticism: 5 seemingly innocent statements guaranteed to kill creativity

There are plenty of questions that can kill creativity, but even more likely to kill creativity is the definitive statement. Questions are a passive aggressive way to attack, but a some phrases can shut down conversation without an opening for more discussion.

Here are a few of the most common I’ve encountered and some recommendations on how to deal with them.

1. I’ve never seen it done this way before.

What it feels like they are saying:
I’ve never seen it done this way, so it can’t possibly work this way.

The Problem:
You will encounter a lot of people who have a hard time imagining how your ideas work. They never seem to ‘get it’ and telling them more just adds to the confusion.

The Response:
Show, don't tell. You will probably need a proof of concept or some other visual simulation. If you can, create a working prototype that shows your ideas as close to reality as possible, cutting down on the amount you have to explain and increasing on the amount you can show.

2. It’s too early to think about that.

What it feels like they are saying:
You are wasting our time with irrelevancies.

The Problem:
If you are more of a holistic thinker — as most creatives are — you are often looking two or three steps ahead to see how your ideas may impact other ideas. I’ve heard ‘it’s too…’ often especially as I’ve worked on more and more agile projects. When product owners and developers are focused on the task at hand, they are often not looking at the bigger picture.

The Response:
Think carefully: is what you are proposing relevant? If it is and it’s important enough then it needs to be brought into the conversation now. this is your judgement call, but if you can make the case, stick to your guns. Sometimes even questions that cannot be answered at the moment need to asked so that as answers appear, they make sense. Remember: Answers are easy. It’s asking the right questions that’s hard and it’s never too early to ask the right question.

3. We tried that two years ago.

What it feels like they are saying:
It didn’t work back then so it’s a bad idea that will never work.

The Problem:
Timing is everything, and the idea that wasn’t ready to work two years ago (or even possibly a few months ago) might finally be ripe. In the early 2000s a lot of people thought online video would never happen: The Internet was too slow, people liked ‘quality TV’; it was too costly/time-consuming to monitor everything being uploaded; the screen sizes were too small; there was not any decent content. These were just a few of the arguments I regularly heard as to why we wouldn’t see popular video posting online.

And then YouTube happened.

A lot of factors came together at the perfect moment including technical advances1 () and YouTube just ignored other issues, allowing users to police each others content along with an "ask for forgiveness rather than permission” policy about copyright.

The Response:
Did they try it this exact same way before? Has the technology or competitive landscape changed? You’re going to have to show them how they didn’t try it this way and how things have changed since the last time the tried what you are proposing.

4. But [insert noted design or creativity pundit’s name here] said that won’t work.

What it feels like they are saying:
My pundit knows more than you do about this project.

The Problem:
I have more than once found myself at odds with what Jakob, Edward, and even Krug have said about user interface design. Design is not a set of precise rules or a way of thinking that produces precise answers. It is messy, full of contradictions, and not subject to the particular dictates of any one particular school of thought.

The Response:
The noted design pundit is not working one this product; you are. Of course, the person saying this may not know what they are talking about, but only parroting what they heard. So, listen to what they say the pundit said. Is it a valid point? Did you consider it already? work with them to understand why you may hove gone ‘off-script’ for your solution.

5. No.

What it feels like they are saying:
No… idiot.

The Problem:
“No” is the ultimate conversation stopper. It can feel like a stone wall between you and your goal. There’s no prevarication, no alternative negotiation. Just a negation of everything you are saying. If there is no explanation (which there often is not) you don’t know the logic or the reasoning, and often the person does not wish to elaborate further.

The Response:
The only answer I’ve found is to simply ask, “why?” Not, “why did you say that?” or, “Why don’t you like my idea?” Which are very different questions. Just, “Why?” Don’t elaborate, simply ask why and leave it in their court to fill in the rest.