I came across this article in the Harvard Business Review a few weeks ago and was really struck by it’s simple and profound message.
“The words and images we use to describe things affect our thinking.
What if the words we use are limiting the solutions we can create?”
“Many of our words are archaic, not just “TV show.” How many of us still say, “Will you tape that show for me?” when no tape is involved. We talk about albums, records, and filming. We “dial” and “hang up” the phone…You click a magnifying glass to search. (Perhaps Sherlock Holmes, somewhere, approves.) You click a floppy disc to save. (Do your kids even know what that is?)…What if instead of being asked to create a “TV show”, we were asked to create a story using video? Would it open our mind to more options than broadcast or cable TV? A YouTube channel? Vine or Instagram videos? Something entirely different? What if, when you need a package for your new product, instead of thinking of a package as a separate container to be discarded, it was part of the product itself in some way? Would it still be a package? Would it still need to be thrown out?”
Give it a read and I highly encourage you to take the challenge presented at the end of the article. I wonder just how much the changing of a few words could open our horizons?
-M.C.
the graduate wife 