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2
Creativity, Limitations,
and Constraints
In Chapter 3, we take a look at the first steps in the preparation stage. But first,
let’s take a step back and look at something we usually do not think about when
preparing a presentation: creativity. You may not think of yourself as being
creative, let alone as a creative professional like a designer, writer, artist, and
so on. But developing presentation content—especially content to be delivered
with the aid of multimedia—is a creative act.
Most of the students and professionals I meet in classes and seminars
around the world say that they are “not very creative.” Some of this is modesty
no doubt, but I think most adults genuinely believe this. They have convinced
themselves that creative is just not a term they would use to describe
themselves. And yet these are adults who do well in their jobs and generally
have happy and productive lives. How is it that they believe they are not
creative or that their jobs do not require high levels of creativity? On the other
hand, if you ask a room full of young children if they are creative, you’ll see just
about every hand go up. Pablo Picasso said that “all children are born artists,
the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up.” The same can be said for
creativity. You were born creative and you still are that creative being today, no
matter what your career path. There are many ways to express your creativity,
and designing and delivering an effective presentation is one way to do so.
Creating presentations is a supremely creative process—or it should be.
It’s as much “right brain” as it is “left brain,” and design does matter. Who
said that business and creativity were mutually exclusive? Is business only
about managing numbers and administration? Can’t students become better
business leaders tomorrow by learning how to become better design thinkers
today? Aren’t design thinking, design mindfulness, and creative thinking
Chapter 2 Creativity, Limitations, and Constraints
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