In an inspiring start to day two of Ray White’s Connect conference, Duncan Wardle, former Vice President of Innovation and Creativity at the Walt Disney Company had the crowd thinking differently.
The nearly 3000 people that packed the room for this morning’s opening session, were erupting in laughter and joy with the activities organised by Mr Wardle.
From drawing each other without looking, to trying to sell and explain an ‘elephant parachute’, the session was both interactive and eye opening.
“This was an exercise to show how creative we really are; when the rules are abolished, a new door is opened up with new solutions,” Mr Wardle said.
Mr Wardle explained that when coming up with creative ideas for films in his role at Disney, he and his team channelled their inner child to think without barriers.
“Toy story, Monsters Inc; they all came from childhood stories from the team,” he said.
“Everyone has a very different definition of creativity, but one that we arrived at was the habit of continually doing things in new ways to make a positive difference in our life.”
Mr Wardle explained that through the interactive activities, he was looking for laughter, to open the door for creativity through playfulness.
“The challenge for most of us is simple; the more expertise we have, the more we know how the idea won't work, which means we stop taking risks.”
He explained the importance of coming up with creative solutions to changes in the way consumers behave, using the example of Disney Plus.
“If you ask the question, how can we continue to make more money? I can guarantee Gen Z will put you out of business before you know it. Instead ask, how can you solve the biggest consumer pain point?”
“Simply reverse the challenge from a selfish point of view, to a caring consumer point of view,” he said.
“You have an amazing imagination, and this will be the most employable skill set in the next decade.”
