Want to Innovate? Write a Song

The Reason For The Rhymes

It’s one thing to say “be innovative” and something completely different to BE innovative. Most of us need a little help along the innovation journey and this new book, The Reason For The Rhymes: Mastering the Seven Essential Skills of Innovation by Learning to Write Songs by Cliff Goldmacher provides a merriment and provoking navigate to bringing more innovation to your business.

Who is Cliff Goldmacher?

Like most songwriters, Cliff Goldmacher isn’t exactly a household name, but you’ve probably sounded his exertion more often than you recognize. His songs have been recorded by Grammy Winning and platinum-selling craftsmen in categories ranging from off-colors, country, sound, and jass to classical crossover. Cliff’s collaborators include Keb’Mo, Ke$ ha, Mickey Hart( The Grateful Dead ), and Lisa Loeb. His music can be heard on NPR’s “This American Life” and in national advertising campaigns.

Most recently, he’s transformed his songwriting process into a TED talk and innovation shops that he delivers to the thousands of corporations.

This book breaks down the songwriting process and gives you the tools you’ll need to write chorus yourself. This path, you’ll gain a designate of imaginative, problem-solving, and communications skills that will help uncover your hidden innovation skills.

What Does Songwriting Have to Do With Innovation?

Songs are one of the most powerful communication tools that we can all relate to. Early in the book, and in his workshops, the author asks you to think about your favorite song from the summer after your senior time in “schools “.

“You’re driving, the radio is playing and your favorite song comes on. If you were to hear that song right now, you’d be back in your gondola, and every one of your senses would be alive.”

The Reason for the Rhymes posits that innovation isn’t inventing brand-new things, per se, preferably it’s the idea of commercializing creativity.

In a recent interview, Goldmacher clarifies his street to relate songwriting with innovation.

“I started with this idea that songwriting develops a specific named of skills that are good for business teams. That’s kind of all I had because I’d been doing these workshops for business squads, getting them to write psalms, and I knew it was working. So I started to think to myself,’ Well, what are the benefits of teaching yourself to write hymns in a larger context? ’ I was thinking about creativity and communication, and collaboration, and even empathy.”

Yes — You Can Be a Songwriter!

You might think that you aren’t capable of writing a song. But like most things, formerly you learn the process behind songwriting, you merely might surprise yourself at how inventive you can be.

Goldmacher says that the ability to innovate isn’t some esoteric task. “In fact, when broken down into its component parts, invention — like songwriting — is simply a combination of talents that we already possess.

In The Reason for the Rhyme, Goldmacher treats seven specific skills of songwriting to help you enhance your ability to innovate 😛 TAGEND

Laterally thinking

Creativity

Communication

Empathy

Collaboration

Risk-taking

The diffusion of ideas

How to Apply Your Songwriting to Your Business

The first part of this bible warms you up to the possibility of actually devoting songwriting a try as a space to stimulate you for the possibility of using this songwriting process toward increasing innovation inside your business and your teams.

And, the second part of the book saunters you through the songwriting process as it would apply to a business environment ;P TAGEND

Learn how to leverage the superpower of metaphors to stimulate lateral thinking

Apply your metaphors to conversational speech to clearly communicate a new idea.

Create a hook in the form of a chorus that systematically echoes your message.

Use empathy to connect with your audience. Learn to clearly describe how the issue is feeling.

Use collaboration to share and build on ideas and procreate them stronger.

Put yourself out there, make the risk, and accomplish your song.

Diffusion involves spreading the message of the song or inventive doctrine throughout the organization.

DIY Your Innovation Process or Playing with a Group

Sure, you can grab this journal and play around with this songwriting innovation process on your own. But I think this would be so much more fun to do as a group.

And here’s the best part. You don’t have to be in the same room to make love. This process is one that is easily adapted to today’s virtual work environment.

Are You Brave Enough to Innovate?

I have to admit that I contended with this book on my own. While I entirely understood and cuddled the idea of using songwriting as a course to trigger invention and employ squads, I simply didn’t have the mettle to run through these exercisings on my own.

However, I do believe that this is exactly the kind of exercise that would be a wonderful way for businesses of all sizes to step out of the challenges of the times and making some joyfulnes and ingenuity to their business and their life.

Image: amazon.com

This article, “Want to Innovate? Write a Song” was first published on Small Business Trends