The document discusses how to find the ordinary extraordinary. It argues that the extraordinary can be found in ordinary things and truths if one looks closely enough. It provides several tips, such as representing what is in front of you rather than trying to be fancy or clever, focusing on ordinary truths and relevance over assumptions, being a better "noticer", keeping your eyes on the original goal or strategy, and finding wonder and joy in everyday things. The document advocates approaching the ordinary with curiosity, engagement, and a willingness to challenge one's preconceptions.
10. ordinary
adj. not unusual, different, or special
extraordinary
ik-strawr-dn-er-ee
adj. very unusual or remarkable
uninteresting
typical
offputting
forgettable
interesting
rare
engaging
stands out
ȯr-də-ˌner-ē
45. ordinary
adj. not unusual, different, or special
extraordinary
ik-strawr-dn-er-ee
adj. very unusual or remarkable
uninteresting
typical
offputting
forgettable
interesting
rare
engaging
stands out
ȯr-də-ˌner-ē
58. I just happen to like
ordinary things. When I
paint them, I don’t try to
make them extraordinary. I
just try to paint them
ordinary-ordinary
“
“
-- Andy Warhol
61. The real art is not to come
up with extraordinary clever
words but to make ordinary
simple words do extra-ordinary
things. To use the
language we all use and
make extraordinary things
occur
“
“
-- Graham Swift
65. For when we succumb to this
stylized, board-game view of the
people whose actions we are trying
to understand and report on, we
cheat our readers and our viewers,
offering them a version of reality
forced to fit a formula that may have
little to no bearing on what is actually
going on
“
“
-- Meg Greenfield
66.
67.
68. I, along with my colleagues, had let
myself get pretty smug and incurious
in my approach to the people we were
writing about… (if we) start trying to
get to the story to justify our
assumptions or conclude that we don’t
need to ask or look or even wonder,
because we’re smart and we already
know, we have walked off the job
“
“
-- Meg Greenfield
76. You’re all smart, but you
get too wrapped up in a
cool idea and lose sight of
the strategy
“
“
-- Anonymous client to their agency
77. A
B
C
what did we set out to do in
the first place?
does this simply do it in a
way people will recognize?
if not, why are we doing it?
*REMEMBER: “because it’s interesting” isn’t good enough
78. The job is hard enough.
There’s no need to make it
harder by trying to do even more.
79.
80.
81. Little minds are
interested in the
extraordinary, great
minds in the
commonplace
“
“
-- Elbert Hubbard
83. how to
find the
ordinary
extraordinary
Megan Averell, @Meggatron
www.theinsightinn.com
84. how to
FIND the
ordinary
extraordinary
exercise:
85. • Social media
• Google search
• Focus groups
• Intercept interviews
• Demographic profiles
• Customer data
How could we
potentially use these
input methods
differently in order to
better discover and
recognize the
ordinary?
Each group works for 30
minute on one topic
Last 15 minutes, each group
reports out to room