They are in documents, presentations and corridor conversations. Self-important little things that strut around thinking that they hold the key to life and the universe.
Well, here is the thing. You don’t see too many good ones lying around. Plenty of impostors, pretending to be insights, plenty of facts and observations dressed up as insights.
But very few that do what they say on the can. Very few that lead us to the promised land of commercial opportunity.
Why is that the case?
In part, because when they were young and fragile, they were unloved, mistreated, uncared for. They were thrust into the clumsy hands of the poor scrabble player, who cut and pasted randomly and indiscriminately, creating a confusing mishmash of words that lacked both power and meaning.
Instead, they should have been placed in the nurturing and delicate hands of the Insight Sculptor who would have spent time choosing the right words, the right tone and the right subtle nuances.
Insight Sculptors have their own set of tools and rules that provide the creative lubrication required to develop authentic insights.
5 tools of an Insight Sculptor:
1) Does the insight describe ‘why’ something is happening not ‘what’ is happening? If not, ask ‘why’ again to get to the underlying motivation
2) Is the insight both brand and category neutral? If not, rewrite it so it is less ‘directive’ and more neutral…
3) Is the insight single-minded? Is there only one core thought? Remember ‘tension’ is OK! If not, split it out into two separate insights…
4) Is the insight short and simple? If not, cut out all the unnecessary fluff…
5) Does the insight conjure up vivid images? Does it feel alive? If not, sprinkle it with ‘springy’ words or descriptive statements…
The Insight Sculptor cannot transform grit into gold. If there is no sign of human truth or unmet need at the core, then all you can hope for is a beautifully articulated piece of data. But if there is a golden nugget under the surface, the Insight Sculptor can find it, polish it and turn it in to a valuable necklace!
This article originally appeared on www.wearecreativecreatures.com
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