Strands of Genius: Perspectives on Pitching Positively, The Gamestorming Approach to Meetings, Writing With or Without AI

Guest curated by Amanda Thompson, COO at SetUp

Mar 09, 2023

:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, AMANDA THOMPSON::

LOCATION: Atlanta, GA

I am a Marketer with an Operations brain, though it took me awhile to figure that out. I've realized that I can appreciate and embrace a good process, while still being a creative person and incorporating creativity into my job. I'm currently COO at SetUp, and we are marketing matchmakers helping Brands and Agencies find each other. It's a rewarding role, and one that my past experience on both the Agency and Brand sides of things has led me to. I love sitting in the space in between Brands and Agencies, instantly relating to the issues of both sides, helping Brands find that perfect Agency and helping Agencies find new, amazing Clients. I met Rosie & Faris while working at Coca-Cola. My boss hired them to speak at a global workshop that I was helping to produce in Istanbul. So we met in that amazing city surrounded by smart Marketers, and we clicked. I kept in touch with them, and then I hired them a year or so down the line to speak and help facilitate a different Coca-Cola workshop, this time for senior North America executives. They crushed it, of course! We've kept in touch on social, and I always admire their intelligent approach to life and work. I even introduced my cousin Chelsea to them, and she is now their Admin Extraordinaire. I truly love connecting people. I live in Atlanta, enjoy swimming, reading, yoga and walking my dogs in Piedmont Park or Midtown neighborhood. And I'm thrilled to be here in Strands of Genius.

Editor’s Note (Rosie): We first met Amanda when she was with The Coca Cola Company. We got to travel together to Istanbul for a leadership summit with the executive team, and almost immediately hit it off. The internet has kept us in touch, and we're so thankful that when she saw our need for a new assistant that she connected us to her cousin, Chelsea! It was a joy to get to catch up with her for coffee when we were in Atlanta, and we look forward to when our paths cross again -- whenever, wherever that may be!

:: THE LINKS ::

PERSPECTIVES ON PITCHING POSITIVELY

Last spring during Mental Health Awareness week, the IPA and ISBA launched a Pitch Positive Pledge in the UK, with 70 inaugural Brand and Agency members already signed on. I think about pitching positively a lot, and how to make the pitch process better for all parties involved. It's a core tenet for my current role, and I've been following along to see how the Pledge takes hold, how Brands and Agencies react, and most of all, to see if it has had a positive impact on the approach of winning new business for Agencies. I debated which exact link to share (you can easily google to find the Pledge itself), but I like this Drum article from January of this year, with perspectives from various Agency leaders on how they approach pitching and seeking new business. We should all hear/read about a more formal update on the Pledge and how it has impacted the industry later this Spring. (The Drum)

THE GAMESTORMING APPROACH TO MEETINGS

You may notice this video is quite old (12 years!), but I think that only emphasizes that the principles are timeless. It was about 12 years ago that I was first introduced to Gamestorming as an approach to facilitating meetings and workshops, and I was immediately hooked. I was working at a social business consultancy (RIP Dachis Group!) in Austin, Texas where we had direct access to one of the authors of this approach (and the book) on staff. I absolutely love the concept of taking a more analog approach to pull creative ideas out of people, despite the ever-increasing digitization of our world. I've incorporated elements of this approach in just about every meeting and definitely every workshop I've facilitated ever since, and I'm always amazed watching people get uncomfortable a bit, and then, the real magic happens. It's worked for leaders at Target, Coca-Cola, Starbucks...might it work for your next meeting? There are tons of options and “games” - have fun! (YouTube)

WRITING WITH OR WITHOUT AI

I've been reading a LOT about AI, ChatGPT, and writing. I want to embrace new technologies, especially when they make my life easier or better. But I'm cautiously skeptical about how AI will or won't truly help writers and their output. I think Elham Mohammadi nails it in her post. She addresses AI detection and bypassing it, when you do and don't need to hire a real writer, and she's refreshingly straightforward and honest. (This topic also seems particularly relevant to the concept of Genius Steals!) (LinkedIn)

Looking for more from Amanda Thompson? Those enrolled in The School of Stolen Genius will receive a deep dive from her in their inbox shortly! You can access all our expert interviews for SOSG here.

:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::

:: Game :: I love a good Puzzle.

:: City :: London

:: Book :: I have sooo many. But today I will say The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.

:: Podcast :: For a good laugh, it's Absolutely Not with Heather McMahan.

:: Album :: In My Tribe by 10,000 Maniacs

::CATCHING UP IN ATLANTA::

Thanks for the opportunity!

Amanda
LinkedIn

Strands of Genius is currently read by 13,000 subscribers. Support us by sponsoring an issue, encouraging friends or colleagues to subscribe.

It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.

Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.

Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)

Strands of Genius