“Name the greatest of all the inventors? Accident!” So said Author Mark Twain – and perhaps that’s all the steering some people need! Think of Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin! While many people hear an embellished version of this story, the gist is generally true… After accidentally leaving a number of research cultures to one side for far longer than planned, Fleming found some of them had been killed by mould. Realising that something was afoot, he began investigating – and the age of modern antibiotics began.

But while history shows us that penicillin – and plenty of wonderful inventions – began with accidents, many people are far too quick to dismiss their own mistakes. In this short article, I’ll show you the three questions you should ask yourself before shelving your mistakes. First, though, let me share with you this charmingly pompous phrase…

A Departure from the Route of Intention
What happens when thick fog, strong wind and heavy rain send planes off to land hundreds of miles away from their destinations? A former aviator assures me that many pilots jokingly acknowledge the inconvenience with this sardonic phrase… So rather than stress out or fume angrily at air traffic control, the crew calmly acknowledges the need to depart from the route of intention. Illustrates a critical point in ideation: there’s no advantage to getting stressed when things go wrong!

Don’t Panic!
If The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Dad’s Army’s Corporal Jones both said it, it can’t be bad advice! Many people experience real stress and anxiety in the face of a mistake – that’s natural. And while it is natural, it isn’t helpful… The human brain is far less creative when stressed. So although mistakes might initially seem like bad things, we need to remember that most many of them intrinsically hold the seed of creativity at their centre. Why? Because creativity is about seeing things from different perspectives – and mistakes give you no choice but to see things differently.

The usefulness of mistakes, accidents and being wrong!
It’s not just the combination of an accident and a calm mind that turns cock ups into creativity. You also have to develop a habit of looking at mistakes with curiosity. In my experience, one of the best ways to develop this habit is to routine me ask three questions to change the way you think…

Three Questions Can Change the Way You Think
How long it would have taken to discover penicillin if Fleming hadn’t had the wit to examine his serendipitous mould? We’ll never know! What we do know is that taking a look at mistakes – if nothing else – teaches us about avoiding similar mistakes in the future. There’s often something else valuable to be found in a mistake, though – and these three questions help you find out what it might be…

1) How Can This Mistake Help You?
You must have had it happen: something goes wrong, then turns out to work in your favour. Well, most people give it very little thought… But sincerely asking, “How can this help me?” in the wake of a mistake vastly increases the chances that the hour will – indeed – become useful.

One example of this comes from a prop maker I know who, after many years of not using papier-mâché, misremembered how it was made. He happily set about making a small prop by tearing newspaper into shreds and dragging each strip through a bowl of Plaster of Paris. Not glue! Not wallpaper paste! Plaster of Paris…

The error became clear after he took a short phone call in the middle of the job and came back to find the project now set as solid as a rock! After understanding his mistake, the prop maker realised that this error actually makes for a very fast way to create large, sturdy, freestanding props. Plaster of Paris sets quicker than paste and paper, is easier to paint, and dries looking like a stone-textured surface. To this day, the idea serves him well… So far it’s helped him to make a log cabin, a parody of the facehugger eggs from Alien, a fake plaster cast for an arm, a gravestone and a host of other bits in stage and video projects.

2) Could it Help Someone Else?
It may well be that your mistake is of more use to someone else than it is to you. Don’t be afraid to broaden your thinking and consider what others might make of the error. The best-selling novelty Silly Putty is a failed invention that falls into this category. It came about in 1943 when American scientists were attempting to make a silicone-based substitute for rubber to help the war effort…

The bouncing, snapping, stretching, picture-copying stuff absolutely didn’t work for that original purpose, however, and was largely dismissed – even by its inventors. It found no practical use at all for six years. Only then did it begin to find a use as the toy we know today! In much the same way, you might find that a cook’s disastrous attempt to make dough could become a child’s modelling toy; a misprinted pack of cards can help a magician no end; even an incidental story about a mistake might, in itself, be grist to the mill for a writer.

3) What Would MAKE it Useful to Somebody?
There are times at which neither of the above questions pays off. In which case this is the catch-all question. At the very least, telling others how to avoid that mistake in future makes it useful. Beyond that, you might find that the creative techniques Factor Nudging and What if… throw up something valuable.

What if None of This Helps?
Well, what if it doesn’t?! The mistake happened anyway; you’ve not lost much by looking at it through creative eyes. This is especially true when you keep applying these principles and asking the questions until they’re habitual.

My Mistake?
Everything that’s true about looking at your own accidents, mistakes and guesses also applies to the accidents, mistakes and guesses of others. Keep your eyes peeled for errors and oddities around you – and continually look for the intrinsic ideas that others might be passing over.

Toy and Game Examples
We’ve already mentioned Silly Putty here. But did you know several other toys and games came to life because of mistakes? You can read potted histories of these products in the article Accidental Genius, here. These products include the Rubik’s cube, Slinky, Play-Doh, Super Soaker and more.

Other Examples
For the sake of completeness, here are 34 inventions or discoveries that came about through these principles. If you need convincing as to the value of examining your mistakes, think what the financial worth is to any one of these things – never mind all of them!

• Anaesthesia
• Popsicles
• Aspirin
• Post-it Notes
• Bricks
• Radioactivity
• Ring Doughnuts
• Coca-Cola
• Saccharin
• Crisps
• Sandwiches
• Dynamite
• Superglue
• Frisbees
• Scotchgard
• Fudge
• Plastic
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• ‘Smart Dust’
• Glass
• Soap that Floats
• Ice Cream Cones
• Tea
• Inkjet Printers
• Teabags
• Maple Syrup
• Teflon
• Microwave Ovens
• Valium
• Nachos
• Velcro
• Pacemakers
• Vulcanised Rubber
• X-rays

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In a recent Mojo Nation article, I revealed three questions that habitually creative people can ask themselves to get more out of mistakes! You can read that piece here. In the meanwhile, here are 12 fantastic toys and games that came about by mistake…

The Rubik’s Cube
Yes, THE Rubik’s Cube, one of the best-selling toys/games/puzzles in all of history – with more than 450 million units sold – was a happy accident. Inventor Ernö Rubik never intended it to be a toy: it was supposed to be a tool! In 1974, Rubik built his first cube to help teach students three-dimensional geometry. He used this cube to help demonstrate spatial relations…

After showing it to his students, however, Rubik found that he had scrambled the cube – and was unable to solve it for a month! Only then did Rubik begin to see his cube as a puzzle. Indeed, it wasn’t until 1979 that a lighter-weight version of the cube debuted at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. You can read more about the history of the cube in interviews with Mike Moody of Seven Towns here and Ernö Rubik himself here.

Slinky
The giant spring that – under very specific circumstances – walks down stairs or, with soothing ease, cascades from hand to hand, began with an accident. As naval engineer Richard James started to work on a battleship tension coil, it’s said the object slipped from his hand… It hit the ground, bounced and inspired a thought: could the right spring make an interesting toy? In 1943, the answer turned out to be a massive yes and – over the next 80 years – the happy accident sold to the tune of more than 350-million units.

Play-Doh
Rather than being moulded by the hands of infants, Play-Doh originally served mankind as a wallpaper cleaner. Specifically, it was developed by Kutol Products to help remove coal dust. In 1955, however, its creators got wind of the fact that children were using it in pretty much the same way they do now… By 1956, the business had begun selling containers of it as a plaything and, in 1965, General Mills bought the rights to it. Estimates suggest that companies have now sold well over three BILLION tubs of Play-Doh. You can read a full history of Play-Doh that we wrote to celebrate its 70th anniversary here.

Magimixer
One of the all-time best-selling products from Theora Concepts – the inventors behind Guess Who? – is the dice toy Magimixer. Devised in 1973, the extraordinary flower-shaped unit ‘locks’ a number of dice between two layers of plastic… But allows them to rotate in the most tactilely satisfying way! And how did the idea come about? According to Boaz Coster – son of the inventors – his mother, Ora, was simply tidying her desk…

When Ora lifted up a couple of plastic round-hole stencils, she noticed a pair of wooden dice caught between them. The dice were ‘locked in’ but could still spin. Ora quickly made a flower-shaped prototype of her new toy idea using thick cardboard and seven dice. When her husband, Theo, returned safely from reserve duty in Israel’s October War, he then made a plastic model. The result has sold steadily ever since! You can read an interview with Gideon and Boaz Coster about Theora concepts here.

Water Balloons
Of all the inventions on this list, this must surely be the most incongruous! Think of all the hours of fun that water balloons have given to children all over the planet… And now brace yourself for a shock! The inventor – Edgar Ellington – came up with the earliest version while helping the British fight WW1! Ellington was actually trying to create a waterproof sock to stop soldiers getting trench foot. It’s said that after trying on one of his prototypes, he filled it with water to see if it now leaked… When he saw that it did, Ellington threw the prototype onto the table in frustration! The result? The inspiration for the first purpose-made ‘water grenade’ – leading to the modern water balloon.

Super Soaker
The water balloon isn’t the only H20-based-toy developed by happy accident! The Super Soaker also came about through a failed invention, serendipity – and a flash of inspiration! Back in 1982, NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson was working on a new type of pump for an environmentally friendly cooling system. To test his idea – replacing a chemical with circulating water and air pressure – Johnson connected a high-pressure nozzle to his bathroom tap…

When Johnson turned it on, he shot a powerful stream of water clear across his bathroom… And quickly realised that this action had potential as a toy. In time, Johnson began working on a water gun that used air pressure, needed no batteries and remained safe for children. Johnson licensed his design to Larami in 1989 – and they launched the toy in 1990 under the name Power Drencher. After a rebranding to Super Soaker in 1991, companies have since sold more than 200 million toys – and generated over $1 billion in sales.

Silly Putty
This is another product of failed wartime invention. It came about in 1943 when James Gilbert Ernest Wright – a Scottish-born chemical engineer at General Electric – was looking to make a silicone-based substitute for rubber to help the war effort. He combined boric acid and silicone oil to create the bouncing, snapping, stretching, picture-copying novelty… Which absolutely didn’t work for its original purpose!

For that reason, the substance was largely dismissed – even by its inventors. In fact, it found no practical use at all for six years… It was only when marketing consultant Peter C. L. Hodgson saw the material in 1949 that anyone really thought it had potential! Hodgson reimagined it as a toy, packaged it in a plastic egg… And gave it the name Nutty Putty! Not long afterwards, due to marketing concerns, its name changed to the now legendary Silly Putty.

Silly String
The story of Silly Putty shares a little of its heart with the development of 1972’s Silly String. It’s the tale of inventors with a high-minded idea that simply didn’t do what they’d hoped. Inventor Leonard A. Fish and chemist Robert P. Cox wanted to create a spray-on medical cast for injured limbs. Yes, the idea was to develop a liquid that quickly solidified when sprayed onto sprained or broken body parts. Sadly, the liquid the duo created never served that high-minded purpose. However, after testing more than 500 combinations of liquid and nozzle, Fish and Cox accidentally produced a string that shot out for a full 30 feet!

The team went on to adjust the formula to make it less sticky and more colourful… And licensed the idea to Wham-O. As an interesting footnote to the story, Silly String did eventually end up saving limbs – and lives! In 1993, Sergeant First Class David B. Chandler, Chief Instructor of the United States Army’s Sapper Leader Course, had an interesting thought… What if the military could use Silly String to detect tripwires? It turns out that the novelty product is so light that it doesn’t break the tripwires that trigger explosions. As a result, the military has unofficially used Silly String to detect booby-trap triggers for a number of years.

Fuzzy Felt
The simple-as-that toy Fuzzy Felt was invented during World War II by America’s Lois Allan, neé Day. Her job? Manufacturing felt gaskets to seal tank components! As she and her husband Peter went about this thankless business in the outbuildings of their UK home, Lois noticed that her colleagues’ children would often collect the felt offcuts… They would then stick these scrap pieces onto the backs of table mats. As good luck would have it, the backs of the mats were just fuzzy enough to hold the felt shapes in place temporarily.

Of course, Allan did more than just notice this. She recognised a commercial opportunity, and developed the idea into a creative, low-cost toy. When the war ended, Lois showed the idea to the buyers at esteemed UK retailers such as Heals and John Lewis. After Fuzzy-Felt hit the market in 1950, Lois and Peter went on to found Allan Industries Ltd. Fuzzy felt remained enormously popular in the UK for many years, then found wider success in the 1970s. The themed sets included On the Farm, Ballet, Bible Stories, Maths – and even Winnie the Pooh.

Colorforms
While Fuzzy-Felt took one side of the Atlantic by storm, Colorforms – its vinyl equivalent – dominated America. It was created in 1951 by husband-and-wife team Harry and Patricia Kislevitz. Facing the challenge of decorating their home cheaply, the pair of artists lucked out when the owner of a handbag factory gave them a roll of flexible vinyl! Using the vinyl on their bathroom walls, the duo quickly discovered how well vinyl stuck to itself and to other shiny surfaces. Somewhat unconventionally, the duo then started leaving scissors and pieces of the vinyl in their bathroom – and invited visitors to help create an ever-changing collage!

It didn’t take long for Mr. and Mrs Kislevitz to realise that this kooky idea might have some commercial value. The vinyl pieces clearly offered an easy, affordable and glue-free way to play. They duo began to market their idea in sets featuring bold colours and simple shapes against a black laminated backboard. Within short order, Colorforms became available in a wide range of theme-driven and character sets. Indeed, people now recognise Harry and Patricia as pioneers of toy licensing.

Etch-A-Sketch
Isn’t this list astounding?! Originally called L’Ecran Magique – The Magic Screen – the Etch-A-Sketch is capable of producing some mind-boggling drawings! The work of artist Princess Etch, for example, must be the envy of a whole generation of fans who never managed anything more exotic than a staircase… But the groundbreaking toy itself came about through quite a specific set of circumstances. In 1955, French electrician André Cassagnes noticed that when he touched some aluminium powder that was clinging to a sheet of plastic, it left a visible mark…

Realising that static electricity was making this possible, Cassagnes used his engineering know-how to develop his observation into a product. The original design employed two joysticks – not knobs – to control a stylus. The stylus then obligingly scraped aluminium powder from the underside of a glass screen. In due course, Cassagnes presented the toy at the 1959 Nuremberg Toy Fair. After the Ohio Art Company bought the rights for $25,000, they launched it in time for the 1960 holiday season… Companies have since sold over 175 million units.

Lincoln Logs
What’s the connection between the architecture of Japan’s Imperial Hotel and Lincoln Logs? The answer is inventor John Lloyd Wright… John was the son of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1916, while Frank was working on plans for the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, John noticed the unusual appearance of the building’s foundations. To help make the hotel more earthquake resistant, these used a ‘floating cantilever’ of interlocking beams!

Inspired by the visual of this design in his father’s architectural plans, John realised that it could serve as the basis of a children’s building toy. He eventually made the idea a reality, naming the toy Lincoln Logs and creating them out of redwood. John Lloyd Wright patented the idea as ‘Toy Cabin Construction’ on August 31, 1920. They officially launched to the public in 1924.

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A good number of years ago, a stage performer angrily accused a client of mine – and, by extension, me – of stealing an idea for a promo photo. Why? Because we had unknowingly put out an image that looked passingly similar to theirs… And nothing we subsequently said could dent their absolute conviction that we were thieves first and liars second.

Eventually, we sent them a date-stamped file that outright proved we’d taken our photo first. While this did earn us a begrudging apology, I was still left exhausted and stunned. Why would anyone presume people to be liars and thieves before even considering other explanations?

Fortunately, people that think this way seem pretty rare in toys and games. If you cross paths with one, though, buckle up! They may have what psychologists call Hostile Attribution Bias. This means they’re prone to interpreting ambiguous words or actions as hostile or negative… Even when there’s very little or no evidence to support that interpretation.

Unfortunately, it’s very unlikely that they’ll be aware that they’re doing this. It’s a subconscious act; it’s part of their automatic worldview. Why do they do it? Opinion is divided: to some psychologists, Hostile Attribution Bias appears to be part of a defence mechanism: if you assume the absolute worst of everyone you ever meet, you’ll rarely be disappointed by them! In that respect, it’s a rather tragic thought…

However, others feel there’s another explanation… That those with Hostile Attribution Bias are unknowingly projecting their own traits onto others. In other words, if a person’s knee-jerk reaction is to accuse you of stealing an idea, it’s possible that they themselves are the kind of person that would steal ideas! The issue isn’t limited to ideation, of course. If a person is quick to believe that you’re two-faced, dishonest or passive aggressive, it’s possible that they possess those attributes. In other words, they imagine others are behaving as they might behave.

So: are there any telltale traits that suggest you’re dealing with someone with Hostile Attribution Bias? Yes and no! I’m going to suggest some below, but with an important caveat… I would never use this label to explain someone’s actions based on a one-off incident. It’s far fairer, kinder and wiser to give people the benefit of the doubt until one sees a cluster of related behaviours, or a repeated pattern of them.

With all that said, here are some of the traits that could be signs of a person exhibiting Hostile Attribution Bias. Again, I must stress that I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions if I once saw one of these behaviours… But people with Hostile Attribution Bias tend to:

Interpret neutral or innocuous actions as having negative intentions.
If you saw two people speaking quietly at a water cooler, for example, you wouldn’t automatically assume they were talking unkindly about you, would you? Someone exhibiting a Hostile Attribution Bias probably would.

Complain – disproportionally often – that someone has wronged them.
Since they often feel that others are acting against them, they tend not to give people the benefit of the doubt. This is a significant red flag if you know the third-party in the story… And the tale seems incongruent with their behaviour.

Express their views of others in aggressive or accusatory ways…
Even in everyday situations, those exhibiting Hostile Attribution Bias have views of the world that border on the paranoid. Consider the difference between these two thoughts:

Be hypervigilant or even paranoid…
Unsurprisingly, those exhibiting Hostile Attribution Bias may seem unable to relax in many situations… Professional and social alike. In extreme cases, it will seem almost paranoid. By way of example, are you reading this and thinking, ‘I wonder if this explains why some people seem so highly strung!’? If so, great! Someone with Hostile Attribution Bias, however, is more likely to be reading it and thinking: “That son of a bitch is talking about me!”

Seem implacable.
Those exhibiting Hostile Attribution Bias tend not to look for, and even reject, conciliation. Even when someone extends an olive branch, they may assume – with some certainty – that it’s a ploy or insincere gesture. Similarly, they tend to rebut alternative explanations for events, even when they come from a neutral party.

Create self-fulfilling prophecies.
If you knew for a fact that people were being hostile towards you, you’d inevitably act oddly around them. But if you only IMAGINE people are being hostile towards you, guess what? You would still act oddly around them! This is the most tragic thing about those with a Hostile Attribution Bias… Eventually, their suspicion, gossip, paranoia and accusations end up creating real feelings of hostility in others.

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“What’s the fastest way to simplify rules?” This is a question that inventors and publishers ask me a lot. And while it’s difficult to give a one-size-fits-all answer, I’ll say this… One of the most common problems in badly written rules is long sentences. That’s because long sentences send the reading age of game rules ROCKETING!

So… I’ve already written a piece on the importance of clear rules here. But long sentences need an article of their own! Why? Because they can be the difference between a child reading rules on their own and needing supervision… They can also cause cramped text, waste advert space – and cause confusion. And how about on the back of your box? There, a long sentence can be the difference selling a game and not selling one!

That being the case, is there a hard and fast rule about ideal sentence length? Not exactly. That’s because you can have a short sentence made up of extremely long words… Or a longer sentence made from much shorter words! My general feeling, though, is that rules should avoid all words of more than three syllables… And sentences should be no more than 15 words long. With all that in mind, here are three ways to write shorter sentences.

Remove adverbs and adjectives
“The road to Hell is paved with adverbs.” So says bestselling author Stephen King. What’s more, writer and philosopher Mark Twain tells us, “When you catch an adjective, kill it!” But what are they on about? Well, an adverb is a word that modifies the meaning of verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. Meanwhile, an adjective is a word you use with a noun to describe it more fully. To illustrate this, here’s a purposefully overwritten sentence. The adverbs are in red. The adjectives are in green.

Just before we remove the two adverbs, I’ll call attention to a helpful fact… They both end with the letters ‘ly’. Adverbs often do! So if you’ve got a long sentence, run your eye along it. Do you see a word that ends ‘ly’? If so, there’s a chance it can come out.

Now, I don’t want to create the impression that the whole of our language is lazing around doing nothing! Adjectives and adverbs can help make writing rich and bouncy. Even so, when you write rules – and space is at a premium – some words aren’t that helpful. For example, this opinion piece is all about shortening sentences. So do I really need to use the word ‘long’ to define the problem?

Similarly, I’m specifically telling you to remove adverbs and adjectives here. Do I need to add colour to the picture by saying ‘pesky’? Also, the last part of the sentence talks about adding words… So what purpose does qualifying them as ‘extra’ serve?! Of course they’re extra! Let’s punch out all of those:

There are more edits that I’d make to that sentence! I don’t think ‘some’ is working particularly hard. Nor is ‘easiest’… And here’s a quick tip: the words, ‘of the’ often waste space… What do they bring to the party here? Not a lot! We can punch them out with an almost effortless tweak… See how much shorter this sentence is compared to the original:

Other ways to shorten sentences…
But what if you’re not crazy about just removing adverbs and adjectives? Then you can consider breaking long sentences in two! You can do that with one of five punctuation marks. Now, your English teacher might have said to end sentences with one of three marks… Specifically: a question mark, exclamation mark or full stop. If so, you might now consider two forgotten options: the interrobang and the ellipsis.

An interrobang?!
The interrobang means using both a question mark and an exclamation mark. Whoever heard of such a thing?! Since the interrobang is really an excited question mark, though, its use is limited. You can only use it in sentences where you ask a surprising and rhetorical question.

Ellipsis…
Far more helpful is an ellipsis. That’s the proper name for three dots that imply a sentence is tailing off. Like this… It lets the reader know that a related thought follows. A lot of people cringe at the idea of using an interrobang or an ellipsis. Discussing this, that mainly seems to be because they were told it was wrong at school. That’s such nonsense; they’re perfectly agreeable in the right place. In fact, they’re incredibly useful. We’ll come back to them shortly. Meanwhile…

Full stop
Remember the kind-of-true rule that says a sentence must have a verb? If so, you can see the logic of this. Any sentence with more than one word that tells you to do something has the potential to break in two. For a real-world example, look at the image below. Ignore the coloured words for the moment.

At some point during this sentence, the writer wants your focus to switch. They move us on from separating cards to putting them somewhere. Now! The fact that there are two different actions here suggests we could make two sentences. How? With a simple full stop! By the way, you can also see exactly where the focus switches. It’s on a type of word called a conjunction. A conjunction simply joins two thoughts together… We don’t want to get bogged down with this, suffice to say conjunctions include:

There are others, but you get the idea. Can you see any of these words in a long sentence? In the example above, I put one in yellow: ‘and’. That might be an easy place to break this in two! Just replace ‘and’ with a full stop… Then capitalise the p in ‘place’:

Here’s another real-world example… And it’s much worse. Brace yourself!

Jesus wept. At 34 words, that’s a truly horrible sentence! To start sorting it out, look for a conjunction. It’s in yellow here: ‘while’… Notice, too, the action words in blue. These refer to people doing things on either side of while: ‘praised’ and ‘decide’. This looks complicated, but it’s actually an easy one. Take out ‘while’ and replace it with a full stop… You’ll still have a miserable bit of copy, but at least it’s in two sentences!

Active vs. passive voice
Now, there are a LOT of other edits I’d make to this. There isn’t room to go into full detail here. Nevertheless, let’s switch it all to the active voice… This sentence is passive: ‘If a child attempts to perform a task without your help, they should be praised.’ Why is it passive? Because it isn’t explicitly clear who should praise the child! How about saying: ‘If a child attempts to perform a task without your help, praise them.’? That sounds better… And loses two more words!

One sentence, one action
When you edit rules, keep in mind that the copy should be telling people what to DO. It makes sense, then, to focus on who is taking which action. The current example is all over the place. People are ‘attempting’, ‘performing’, ‘helping’, ‘praising’, ‘deciding’, ‘working’, ‘helping’ again… And ‘supporting’! It’s just wayyyyyy too much. Again, I don’t have space here to fully explain which redundancies need to go…

Nevertheless, my full rewrite of this sentence is below. You’ll see that it distils things down dramatically. It CLEARLY tells the reader to do ONE thing based on the potential actions of others. As a result, we now have two sentences: one with 11 words and the other with nine. That’s infinitely preferable to the 34-word behemoth with which we started.

The Comma Clue
It’s worth noting that – on some level – many writers know their sentences are too long… That’s why they insert commas: to tell us where to breathe! This is why commas are often quite near conjunctions. But here’s an example of how taking out conjunctions doesn’t always work:

So here, replacing the conjunction ‘as long as’ with a full stop won’t work. Not to worry! It just means that a full stop isn’t the answer in this case. Personally, I’d ask myself: can I handle it with a question mark?

Question Mark
Do you hate people who ask and answer their own questions? I don’t! So I don’t mind breaking up sentences with rhetorical questions either… To help make things clear here, the verbs are in blue above. The conjunction is in yellow. That’s still where I’d break the sentence! So I might suggest the sentence becomes:

Used sparingly, this is a terrific trick. Never mind what your English teacher said… Give it a go!

Ellipses and Exclamation Marks
These work well when sentences carry too much information about the same thing. In the next example, the writer again uses the passive voice. They also give us a comma exactly where we can split the sentence. Take a look at this:

Just switch to the active voice, then replace that comma with an ellipsis… Or an exclamation mark!

So there we go! Three ways to write shorter sentences – with a few extra tips for good measure. If you have any questions about your copy, do feel free to drop me a line.

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Of all the body-language signals you might see in creative meetings, there’s one common gesture you should never ignore! And yet I’ve never seen anyone talk about it, write about it or draw attention to it in a creative session. What is it?! It’s someone who puts their hand over their mouth while another person is speaking. So… What does that gesture mean?

Google “Cover your mouth + body language” and you’ll get a range of possible explanations. These include nervousness, concealment, deceit, habit and halitosis. All well and good – although even AI is now helping to debunk the myth that mouth covering is a definite sign of dishonesty!

In fact, someone covering their mouth while another person speaks is a gesture I see a lot in creative meetings. Indeed, it’s the one gesture I never ignore. In my experience, it largely means one of two things…

First, it can mean that the person making the gesture is uncomfortable with something they’ve seen, heard or felt. Second, it can mean the person is processing a thought – and might be formulating a question. That being the case, I always do the same thing when I see a hand cover a mouth.

As soon as I can, I invite the person that makes the gesture to speak. How? There are a couple of ways to do it that bring out the best in people. More often than not, I will use the name of the person making the gesture, and ask: “…do you have a question?”

Intriguingly, the answer is usually no – but then they immediately follow this no with a question! They often say something like, “Not a question, no. I was just wondering…” and then they ask something. It’s a little odd because it’s as though you know they’re going to have a question before they do.

The beauty of this approach, though, is that if the person DOESN’T have a question, they can still volunteer their thoughts. When that happens, they tend to say something like: “A question? No! I was just thinking…” Then they reveal whatever’s on their mind. The same is true if they’ve had an idea.

All that said, there is a time when this approach doesn’t work so well. That’s when the person who put a hand over their mouth is somewhat introverted or self conscious. That being the case, I would still ask if they have a question… But if they say no during the meeting, I’d later take that person to one side and ask: “Was there anything else you gave thought to? I sensed you had a thought…”

If the answer is still no, invite the person to email you if they come up with anything. This takes the pressure off them to contribute in person. I’m particularly sensitive about doing this in a session that’s been set up as a ‘brainstorm’. That’s because I’m no fan of these meetings – not least of all because they’re very much an extrovert’s playground. You can read more about Bad Brainstorming here.

Finally, there’s one other thing to add… What happens if I see someone cover their OWN mouth while speaking? As I say, this is often believed to be a sign of deceit. However, there’s absolutely no scientific evidence to back that up! Instead, this gesture suggests that the speaker is uncertain about something they’re saying. Granted, someone might feel uncertain about what they’re saying because they’re being deceitful… But that’s not the only explanation.

Rather, it might also be that you see someone put their hand over their mouth as they talk when they’re pensive. They might be unsure about what they’re saying, tentative about it – or even embarrassed. They might also be reluctant to make a suggestion in public, or hesitant to offer feedback about what another person has said.

If any of this appears to be true, I would still address it. Wait for them to finish speaking… Then pause a little before saying something like, “Am I sensing some uncertainty about that?” This lets them explore their own thoughts without it seeming confrontational.

So! There you have it. You never know for sure when someone has something important on their mind… But this common body-language signal is a pretty reliable sign! Keep an eye out for it in every meetings – but especially creative ones.

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The post Which body language should you never ignore in creative meetings? Deej Johnson discovers the answer… appeared first on Mojo Nation.

In your role as a creative consultant, Deej, you sometimes get asked which technique you think is most important to creating thinking. What do you tend to say?
Thank you, Bill. It does depend on the context – but of all the creative techniques I champion, ‘notebooking’ is the one I tend to talk about most. It gets overlooked a fair bit – even by professional creatives. But I often quote the writer Jack London, who said: “Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it!”

We’ve talked about this before so I know he wasn’t alone… Shall we talk about the practical side of things first, then come back to that? That and the rest of the theory?
Actually, yes! That would be great. Because if you’re happy to take my word for it and want to start keeping a notebook, you’ll want to crack on. If you need persuading, you can read the whole bally lot or jump to the bottom… I’ll talk about the theory and the neuroscience and the studies…

And I’ll have a nap. How long have you been keeping a notebook, Deej?
Oh, gosh. This’ll be grist for your mill of mockery, Bill, because it sounds horribly precocious… I’ve been making notes since I was about 11 – and actually keeping my notebooks since I was about 16 or 17. For the most part, I’ve stuck to a particular brand of pad that fits in my back pocket so that I can carry it with me everywhere. The most important thing is that you want something you can put your hand on quickly – so ‘Pocket’ and ‘Policeman’ notebooks are ideal.

And this is just in your back pocket, right?
In my back pocket, yes. I have a slightly different system at nighttime and in the shower – but yes… Day-to-day, there’s always a notebook in my back pocket to record ideas, questions, answers and do the occasional sketch. Personally, I like the so-called Policeman’s Notebook… These often come with an elastic strap, pencil and pencil holder. I get rid of the pencil and holder – I don’t need those. And I don’t use the elastic strap to keep the notebook closed either! Instead, I use that to bookmark the page I’m on.

Got it. You mentioned some of the things you write down there… If I asked you to read out the last three things in your notebook, would you do that? And tell me why you made those notes?
Yes, of course! Well – maybe not literally: the last three things were to do with a magic trick… They’re complete gobbledegook out of context! But I’ve written down a turn of phrase I overheard… I also made a note about the similarity of the words ‘unarmed’ and ‘unharmed’! And I’ve asked myself a question: “How can I make use of a double-ended pencil?”

A pencil sharpened at both ends?
Yes, but more than that: a pencil that has different softnesses of lead at each end! The important thing there, Bill, being that I’m asking myself a question! We’ll come back to that… As regards why I made those notes: with the turn of phrase, I was curious about the etymology. But I also thought it might make a good name for a game. ‘Unarmed’ and ‘unharmed’ being similar I thought might come in handy! I once made a note about ‘threat’ and ‘treat’ being similar – that ended up being a fun bit of copy for a client a few years ago.

And the question? The pencil?
Well, as we’ll discuss, questions stimulate thinking! I really don’t know if that will come to anything. But, you know, when you just said, “a pencil sharpened at both ends”, I had an idea… One of the problems people have when they’re making notes at night is that they don’t want to switch the light on to write. A double-ended pencil might help solve that – it’s always the right way up.

Well, on that… You said you have a different system for nighttime?
Yes! At nighttime I suggest upscaling the pad size to A4. That’s because it’s quite tricky to make notes on a small page in the dark! Lewis Carroll had an incredibly intricate solution to that problem… It’s now known as nyctography – you can read about it here. However, I tend not to write huge volumes at night! In fact, I have a specific approach to nocturnal creativity. Rather than just note down whatever comes to mind, my nighttime notepad is for unconscious problem solving…

Unconscious problem solving?
Right. So about 20 minutes before I go to sleep, I write – at the top of an A4 pad – one of three things… Either the gist of a problem I’d like to solve, a question to which I need an answer, or a word that relates to something around which I’d like to have ideas. Then I give conscious thought to the topic before I go to sleep. When I wake up – either in the night, or the following morning – I often find I have ideas to write down…

Being in a drowsy, near-hypnopompic state at that moment, though, is the reason for using a much larger notepad! When I reach for it in a stupor, I can grab it very easily. My uncapped pen is clipped to the already open page. Then, when I scrawl out my thoughts, I have PLENTY of space! That’s important because few things are more frustrating than writing one note over another and discovering – when fully awake – that you have two completely illegible notes! And the idea about the double-ended pencil might be quite useful in those circumstances – anything to avoid switching on the light!

You also did an article on having ideas in the shower, didn’t you?! People can read that here. Is it worth repeating what you said about waterproof notebooks?
Absolutely. Studies show that up to 72% of people say they have their best ideas in the shower! So it makes absolute sense that you would want to make notes there. That’s particularly true if you head to the shower while thinking about the subject at the top of your A4 pad from the night before because you’ve further ‘primed’ your mind to generate ideas. The notebook I personally prefer in the shower is a small, completely waterproof ‘paper’ pad made by a Rite in the Rain.

Another solution is to have something mounted to the wall. A company called Aqua Boat manufactures a fantastic waterproof pad, for example… It comes with suction pads that you stick to a tiled surface! It also has a sucker to keep a pencil next to it. Both good options.

Before we get to the even more dull part of this…
Thank you, Bill! I was waiting for a shot! Ha!

Ha! You say you keep your notebooks? What do you with them once you’ve filled one up?
That’s a very intelligent question – who told you to ask that?! Before I answer, I’ll warn you that this might seem a bit nuts! After I’ve filled in a number of pages, I don’t take any chance that I will lose the notebook. So: every few days, I slavishly copy the small notebook up into a larger one – the Master Notebook!

You copy them up by hand?
I do! Because that’s an opportunity to review and reinforce the content. To extend my analogy of putting a dot in a dot-to-dot book ready to make connections, think of it like this… When I first make the note, I’m putting a little dot in place. When I then read the note back to myself before I copy it up, I’m making the dot a little bolder! As I physically copy it up, it gets bolder still. And this always fills me with huge confident that the idea is firmly logged in my brain. And weirdly, while I have a terrible memory for just about everything, I really know my way around those notebooks!

And what sort of book do you use for the Master Notebooks?
Oh, they’re much bigger books, with hard covers. It’s a brand called Red & Black… They live in a fireproof safe – stored separately from the little books. That way, I’m unlikely ever to lose everything I’ve ever jotted down! Worth adding, too, that – every so often – I take out the Master Notebooks and flick through them… Just refresh my memory on old ideas. Quite often, I find myself marrying something I wrote way-back-when with a brand-new thought – and feeling like those two thoughts were always meant to be together… As if a circuit’s been completed in my head.

Alright. I think we should move onto the more theoretical side of this – why notebooking works, for example… Why is it better to physically write than to make a recording on your phone? Or type ideas up?
Almost everyone that’s respected for habitual creativity writes in a notebook – and I mean physically with a pencil or pen. Because that does three things… Specifically, it lets you remember ideas; it helps you conceptualise information better and – crucially – it encourages your brain to have more ideas. So it offers real benefits…

And you said earlier about the kind of thing people could be writing in a notebook – but you’re at pains to say it could be anything…
Yes, because this is where some people tend to go a bit wrong, I think… They think they should only put fully formed ideas in the notebooks. But how often do you have a fully formed idea pop into your head?! So what I tend to remind people is that the entire human experience comes to us through our instincts, thoughts, dreams, feelings, senses and perceptions. In that respect, it’s helpful to think of a notebook as a way of journaling and stimulating your sense of curiosity! Use it to make notes on sensations, images, emotions, observations, incomplete thoughts… And questions, because questions are SO powerful…

In what way?
When your brain registers a question, it more or less goes on a quest for answers. For that reason, just ASKING yourself questions is a creative approach in itself! Everyone from Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein to Charles Darwin and Leonardo da Vinci kept a notebook… But question asking was a technique that Leonardo da Vinci used – aggressively, I think, rather than habitually… Now, arguably da Vinci is the most creative man of all time! Is it a coincidence that he had somewhere between 14,000 and 20,000 pages of notes?!

And his notebooks survive?
Not all of them, no… But from the pages that do, we know da Vinci’s notes are full of sketches, mirror writing, fables, riddles, jokes and puzzles… There are designs for stages, costumes, weapons, flying machines, furnishings… Notes on anatomy, botany, architecture, engineering, geography, map making, geology, painting, music, sculpture, astronomy and physics… And questions! We’ll put a link to the Victoria and Albert Museum website so people can check out their article on da Vinci’s notebooks here. In the meanwhile, there’s an extract of what da Vinci wrote about searching for answers:

“I roamed the countryside searching for answers to things I did not understand. Why shells existed on the tops of mountains along with the imprints of coral and plants and seaweed usually found in the sea…

Why thunder lasts a longer time than that which causes it, and why immediately on its creation the lightning becomes visible to the eye while thunder requires time to travel…

How the various circles of water form around the spot which has been struck by a stone and why a bird sustains itself in the air. These questions and other strange phenomena engaged my thought throughout my life.”

But are you saying it doesn’t matter if you never find the answer to a question?
Well, yes and no… If you think of your notebook as a tool to stimulate your curiosity, you can see why just asking questions helps. A person that asks questions is curious! And while I think of it, Albert Einstein felt that his sense of curiosity was his big secret, saying, “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” For good measure, he also said, “The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” But to your question: it profoundly helps if you do actively find answers because learning something you didn’t know has a physical effect on your brain…

A physical effect? How so?
Let me read a quote from a TEDTalk on neuroplasticity! That’ll wake you up! There’s a chap called Dr. Joe Dispenza; he’s the author of a book called Evolve Your Brain: The Science of Changing Your Mind. This sums it up perfectly:

“Every time you learn something new, you make a synaptic connection in your thinking brain… That’s what learning is: making connections. So every time you learn something new, your brain physically changes.”

You can’t really lose – whether you find an answer to the question or not…
Exactly. And we can probably wrap this up there, Bill! Unless you want to ask me what the most interesting object on my desk is…

Oh god, no. I’ve seen your desk. Too stressful for me; let’s leave it a mystery.

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The post Deej Johnson on the power of keeping notebooks… And one huge mistake to avoid appeared first on Mojo Nation.

Deej, I’m excited to be interviewing you because you know lots about inventors, but we don’t know a lot about you! So, my first question for you is, what is 512 x 2423?
I have no idea! Maths, along with geography, history… Well, name any subject other than English and I’ll flounder!

It’s 1,240,576. That’s the number of words you’ve written about us inventors.
That’s a bloody good hook to start an interview with, Dan!

It’s around that number.
It feels about that!

Ha! Well, they’re fascinating interviews. It’s always interesting to hear about peoples’ process. And when it comes to hit products or number one songs, it’s often not solely about the creative process: it’s the serendipity of a lot of other things…
Absolutely. I’d imagine the real secret of the pro inventors is that they have – and pitch – LOTS of ideas… They just keep going.

Now, one thing that I’m sure many inventors are unaware of is that you are indeed an inventor as well – but as well as games, you create magic tricks! Tell me about your work in this space… Why does it interest you?
Well, I’m not on a recruitment drive because a lot of magicians are quite hard work! But I do believe that if you want to make yourself think in a way that most people don’t, you should take up magic! Nobody thinks like a magician thinks… And I mean magicians that invent magic tricks. Mark Setteducati is a great example in this industry; Jim McCafferty too…

Yes, there are quite a few toy inventors that are magicians, so clearly there’s a connection between the two areas. What do you think it is?
I absolutely believe that inventing magic trains your brain to think differently – and that’s a gift for toy and game inventors. You’re starting from the position of asking: ‘What’s impossible?’ You’re not immediately restricted by the laws of physics when you invent a magic effect. It’s such a shift in the paradigm of how we usually see the world.

Beyond that, magic can’t just appear to be impossible – it has to be entertaining; fascinating and maybe funny… That gives you limitations, and that’s a useful creative technique. Personally, I also think you have to marry the trick to a theme; something that a lot of toy and game inventors have to do too… Work out what theme best suits gameplay or a toy mechanism. So understanding and inventing magic tricks does, I think, fundamentally make you think very differently – and very usefully.

It makes so much sense. There are so many similarities between the two crafts. One step along from inventing magic tricks is creating ‘impossible objects’, which you also do. For anyone that hasn’t seen one before, how would you describe an impossible object?
These are real objects that theoretically can’t exist! Unaltered glass bottles that contain things that are too wide to fit into the neck: padlocks, toys, or scissors for example… Or this! This is a playing card with a hole in the middle. Then that card is hung on the handle of the scissors that started the hole! If you were here, you could keep this; you wouldn’t find slits in the scissors or cuts or tears in the card. Again, impossible objects really make you think…

How did you get into this?!
Oh, out of sheer perversity! The first one I did came about because I was going to speak at an event. I thought – as a writer and creative consultant – giving out a normal business card felt like it lacked creativity! I figured it’d be good if everyone in the audience went away with an impossible object… So I thought I’d put some golf balls in jars but – of course – the golf balls would be too wide to go in or out…

How many were in the audience?
Oh… 100, 150. I forget. But I had ‘Stuck for Words?’ printed on some golf balls and put them inside these little jars. The worst part was that there wasn’t time to source empty jars! So I had to buy 150 jars of baby food and empty the bloody things – ugh! The smell! It was horrendous!

Amazing! 150! And what spurs you on to take on these projects?
I just want to do things that I find interesting and fun. And when somebody suggests something to me that they think it would be interesting and fun to do, I usually shrug and say: “Yeah, if you like, I could have a look at that.” I’ve said before, everything interesting I’ve ever done in my life, I’ve done with a shrug. From the first magic show I did and these bottles to scripts for performers, video scripts, books, speeches, stuff for Mojo… I’ve had no burning desire to do any of those things, or speak to anyone, or to invent anything or create something specific…

That said, I shouldn’t be surprised to discover those things – almost exclusively – have turned into the most profoundly moving, important, exciting, fascinating things… If I’d known at the time what a journey these shrugs would send me on, I wouldn’t have shrugged; I would’ve danced with joy.

That’s an optimistic approach. You assume something good will come by saying yes, even with a shrug. Now, I also wanted to ask how you came to start writing for Mojo? How did you meet Billy and Adam?
Max Ford – Ooba Toys – had arranged to do a brainstorming session to which I’d been invited via a mutual contact. Billy had also been invited. We both went along, and it was lovely, but Billy and I really got along. We howled with laughter for most of the session. Some time later I was hosting a Bananagrams school challenge. The organiser was looking for adjudicators and asked me whom we should approach. I said: “Who was the guy at that brainstorm that time? I got on well with him!” But in truth it was also because I saw him act with great integrity and kindness and generosity of spirit the entire day.

This was before Mojo?
Right. Back then Billy was still the editor of ToyNews. Sure enough, he was a delight at the challenge event. Got the work done, made me laugh… So we stayed in touch. When he founded Mojo with Adam Butler, I could see they’d make a force to be reckoned with. Eventually, Billy asked me to do some stuff for them. To some degree, we’re now inseparable… Not least of all because poor Adam does all the work! Billy and I walk around and talk to people; we get all the credit! Ha!

And did you want to be a writer when you were younger?
No, and given my interest in language now, it’s hard to see how that escaped me at school… But the things that were put in front of me didn’t seem relevant. I started to write because people around me needed help with things – one friend made short films; one was a musician… Then there was a comedy-magic duo. They had no scripts… Like I say, I shrugged and started writing for these people. Also, through my more serious job in logistics back then, I came to realise you could do a great deal with language: persuade people, cheer them up, make them laugh, stick up for them, make them feel valued…

When I left logistics, I studied hypnotherapy. That’s when language stopped being interesting and became remarkable. You can help someone cure a phobia or stop smoking or gain confidence, process trauma, lose weight… I jumped all in on that – language is an extraordinary tool… Today, it all makes for very varied work. Interviewing gorgeous people in the toy industry requires a very different use of language than writing for a client about parasitic worms…

Speaking of your writing, I’m honoured that you’ve recently asked me to write the foreword to a book you’ve written about game rules. What can you tell me about that?
Well, part of the reason I got into the toy and game industry is that Rena Nathanson – the co-inventor of Bananagrams – asked me to look at the packaging tag for that game. And to research that, I would watch to see how people interacted with the game in retail stores… I would see people drawn to that pouch; they’d pick it up and they’d scrunch it… Feel the quality, the heft of it… Then they’d open up the swing tag and put the game straight back down!

The swing tag was off-putting?
Hugely! Because it was a summary of the rules, not a representation of the fun! So now, for me, the front of any pack needs to grab attention, the back needs to SELL you the game… And the rules need to explain how to play. There can be a crossover, but I feel those things must happen in that order. That was the problem with the Bananagrams tag: the rules were a barrier to sales…

Beyond that – to go back to the book – I also think badly written rules are a barrier to fun… Fun that buyers have already paid for, which can be bad for the reputation of a game. So writing succinct rules is really important, and it’s how I came to be working in the industry – but I don’t think there’s a tremendous amount of advice out there on the subject.

Are there traps inventors fall into when writing rules?
Yes, definitely… Inventors know how to play their games inside out, so everything they type up makes sense to them. It’s also easy to slip into a formal tone or use language that’s alienating or confusing… My favourite example is a card game where the inventor wanted to convey that doing a certain action was a good move. They wrote that if you do this thing, “…it’s just terrific.” But phonetically, ‘just terrific’ sounds exactly the same as ‘just horrific.’ If you read those rules out loud, there was a 50/50 chance that people would think the best thing you could do in the game was actually the worst thing you could do! Ha!

It was an eye-opening read for me, so I look forward to you getting the book out there! Now as we wrap up, what would you say is the difference between your first impression of the toy industry compared to now, 1,240,576 words later?
My first impression of the toy industry was that it was uniquely welcoming to people who had no real business being there. People didn’t know who I was or what I was doing, but they engaged with me like they’d known me for a lifetime… And I think that warmth is reflected in Mojo’s tone, actually, because I see Mojo as a mirror to the industry! It was about celebrating the creativity of toys and games from the word go.

Mojo’s tone definitely reflects all three of you… It’s exactly as you’ve described!
Well, I can’t take much credit for that; it’s in no small part because Billy and Adam have been so sure of what they want the tone of their company to be. Mojo’s tone and culture is inherently one of celebration and warmth. It’s an integrity-driven, joyful publication and you should be able to sense our sincere interest in people.

Wow! From inventing magic tricks to writing about parasitic worms and back to inventors – thank you for sharing a bit of insight into your many talents and for contributing so much to the toy industry community and I know we all look forward to many more of your magical interviews in the years to come!
Thank you, Dan, for asking me to do it and setting it up.

There is one last question! At the end of your interviews, you often ask people, “What’s the most interesting object on your desk?” However, I’d like to know if you can guess the most interesting object on MY desk… Which of course would be ‘impossible’!
I smell a heavy-handed hint! Might it be an impossible bottle with a LEGO minifigure that looks like you inside?

Ha! I KNEW you were a real wizard! Yes! So I want to include a picture of these impossible bottles you gifted Alicia and me for people to see… They’re our most prized possessions, actually! Even if you took the figures apart, they wouldn’t fit in the bottles, so they perplex everyone that sees them. Care to reveal whatever dark arts you use to create them?
Oh, gosh… You know, the important thing to me about anything that seems impossible – magic tricks, objects, bottles – isn’t necessarily the how… It’s the other questions! Why do it? Why go to all that trouble?! What do these things make you feel? What does it make you think? And who has time to do this sort of thing? Ha!

The post Inventor Dan Klitsner interviews Deej Johnson about writing rules, creating magic – and bottling objects! appeared first on Mojo Nation.

Billy, it’s that time of year again… The Mojo 100 nominations are in – and your pen is out! For those wondering what happens after they make a nomination, though, what’s the process?
It comes round sooner every year! Yes, once nominations come through, we compile them all by category, remove details of who sent them and pass the nominations to a panel of experts from across the industry to review.

Remove details, you said there! That’s important for what reason?
We want the entire process to be anonymous. So even the people that help us whittle the list down to the final 100 don’t actually know who said what about who.

And when it comes down to a massively oversubscribed category, though – which a few of them are…
Well, on that… They’re actually all hugely oversubscribed now; a Mojo Nation 300 would make our lives a lot simpler!

This is true! In fact, we could triple the size of it and still have a problem! So I was going to ask: what helps a nomination get through?
So there’re a few things that I’ve found help. The first is pretty obvious but easy to overlook… It’s compelling reasons WHY someone should be in the list – and reasons relating to the past 12 months.

Specific, topical reasons?
Yes. The Mojo 100 is an annual round-up, so saying “They’re brilliant” or citing an invention that came out 30 years ago, unfortunately, isn’t enough. Nominations that reflect the past year will always do better. The second thing is for a person or team to have multiple nominations. We accept self-nominations, and they can be great, but someone that’s received lots of nominations – containing lots of compelling reasons – often stands a better chance than one self-nomination. So don’t be shy in asking partners, colleagues or clients to put you forward.

Okay! So numerous nominations for the same person tend to carry weight. But isn’t – well, I’ll come back to that! What I think you’ve made clear so far is that this isn’t you and Adam pointing to people and saying, “They’re lovely people! They’ve got to go in.” But is sponsorship ever a factor?
Absolutely not. Sponsors don’t get any kind of preferential treatment. Integrity is key here, and that’s why our sponsors and partners want to support the publication. They recognise the authenticity of the list and value that it’s all based on nominations submitted. This is also true of our Play Creators Awards. And if you read through previous editions of the book – or previous lists of our award-winners – that’s very clear, I think.

The other thought that I had was to play Devil’s Advocate and throw up an objection… If multiple nominations count, doesn’t the whole thing just become a popularity contest? Doesn’t it mean that some tedious, self-serving motormouth become a shoe in?
Well, it still comes down to the quality of the nomination and someone’s achievements – it’s not a case of ‘most votes wins’. I also think that’s the beauty of having other people helping to whittle down the list… For the most part, ours is a very small, friendly industry. As a result of that, “tedious, self-serving motormouths” – as you rather ungenerously put it – do tend to stand out for the wrong reasons. And you can only puff up so many nominations before you start to look like you’re puffing them up… They either did something noteworthy this year or they didn’t.

Well, it sticks in my craw to say this to you Bill, but that’s a good answer! In regard to ‘the whittlers’ you mentioned, is it worth clarifying who these people are?
It’s a broad range of industry figures – inventors, design agencies, IR execs, in-house designers and other experts. And they only get involve in categories they themselves aren’t represented in. We give them the nomination but remove details of who sent it. Also, if a nomination strongly hints at where it’s come from, we’ll give it a slight rewrite to keep things anonymous.

Where necessary, we ask them to put aside any prior relationships and judge things purely based on the nominations we receive. We also keep the identities of this panel under wraps! It’s important they’re free to help us assess the list without concerns over being questioned about their decisions, or feeling any risk to their pre-existing relationships in the industry. Not that we ever get too many angry letters!

Well, no; no one knows who to send them to! “Dear Shadowy, anonymous, industry figures… Re: Nominations…”
…where do you get off excluding ME?

Ha! Alright… Unless you think I missed something, I think that’s it. Although maybe I should add that sales figures don’t form part of the equation either, right?
No – that’s a good point. That’s of no interest to the panel… We want the focus to be on creativity and service and excellence! We don’t want the Mojo 100 becoming a list only of people that got deals with companies with great marketing, great sales, or great distribution. Same with the awards! I always thought a good example of that was the time PlayPress Toys won Toy Designer of the Year: Licensed Product…

Oh, yes! With the Royal National Lifeboat Institute? The cardboard boat?
Right – there they are, a tiny little company at the time. That was their first license I think; the RNLI – which is a small, British charity. And they’re toe to toe with absolute giants: SpongeBob SquarePants, Thomas & Friends, Paw Patrol…

Peppa Pig. LEGO – with Stranger Things, I think…
Yes… if turnover was a factor, those chaps couldn’t have won an award. So yes – I just wanted to clarify that. And maybe we should do that next! Maybe we should sit down and explain how the awards are judged as well, because I know there’s potential for confusion there, too.

Yes! Let’s do that. Alright, thanks, Bill.

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Who was it that said, “The first rule of Introvert Club is that there is no Introvert Club.”? I love that quote! I do worry, though, that it’s the kind of gag that helps perpetuate an unhelpful misunderstanding about introverts. Specifically, the idea that those who call themselves ‘introverted’ can’t be outgoing…

In my experience, this is simply not the case. Indeed, introverted people can be fantastic conversationalists, strong leaders – and excellent presenters. By way of example, Barack Obama identifies as an introvert. So do other famous faces: Lady Gaga, Steven Spielberg, Christina Aguilera, Emma Watson and Hillary Clinton. Love them or loathe them, there’s no question that they can all communicate well – and carry themselves with confidence.

But what about those that pitch toys and games? Well, you might be surprised to learn that some introverted inventors are among the very best pitchers! How is that possible? To understand this, I need to be clear about my definition of introverts and extraverts. Being introverted isn’t the same thing as being anxious or incredibly shy. They may not be mutually exclusive, but the most helpful idea of what makes an introvert is actually about energy. Perhaps the simplest way to explain it is this:

Extraverts GAIN energy from being around people. They find being alone draining.

Introverts LOSE energy by being around people. They find being alone rejuvenating.

In other words, it’s not about whether or not someone can be effervescent in the company of others. Rather, it’s about what it costs someone to be effervescent in the company of others! This is why many introverted people are perfectly capable of coping – and even flourishing – when they know how to put over an idea in a pitch. They will still pay a price, though: they often feel exhausted afterwards, and long to be in a comfortable, familiar environment.

So… While some introverts may despise pitching, and even come to believe they’re no good at it, they might discover they just need to know how to better prepare for a pitch day to find it more agreeable. Here are five tips that may help.

Know How to Start
I’m well aware that some of the most miserable periods during an introvert’s pitching day are quite small, mundane moments… They’re the times during which you have to make small talk BEFORE the actual pitching starts.

You know what, though? There’s a way to get through that small talk pretty quickly. Just keep in mind that whoever asks a question controls the conversation. To that end, one of the most masterful things I’ve seen an introvert do is close down small talk, make a statement and ask a question to move a pitch forward… All in one go! It went something like this:

Inventor Relations: “Hi! Dave is it? I’m Naomi! Come on in! How are you?”

Inventor: “I’m great! Thanks for making time, Naomi. I must say, I do find pitching a bit overwhelming! Do you mind if I just get straight into it?”

Inventor Relations: “Oh, not at ALL! Where would you like to start?”

If that sounds too good to be true, keep in mind why it’s likely to work. The inventor politely answered the small-talk question, stated how he felt… And then asked a question that moved PAST the rest of the small talk in a polite, professional way. The inventor relations person – I’ve not used people’s real names, by the way – took her lead from the inventor. It’s an excellent example of an introvert doing a great deal with very few words.

Write Your Pitch
Beyond small talk, the best way to know what to say is to work out what you NEED to say! There’s plenty of pitching advice on the Mojo site including a series of interviews with Ellie Dix here. You don’t have to prepare a script to rival Shakespeare, though…

In fact, in the complete absence of other information, I would say this: introverts could do a lot worse than learn to pitch the idea OF their pitch. I often do this myself! Rather than get bogged down in the back and forth of a pitch that may lead nowhere, I will often say something like: “This first idea is a trivia game with a twist: you call out the answer you missed! Are you looking for a funny trivia game?”

This way, one uses very few words to find out whether or not it’s worth expending more time and energy. It’s an introvert’s dream! It allows you to get through a LOT of ideas without going through the exhausting business of endlessly talking at someone who knows they’re not interested… But hasn’t been given the chance to say so.

Rehearse Your Pitch
Why do performers, presenters and actors spend so much time rehearsing? Simple: they know that if you keep repeating your words and actions over and over again, they’ll sink into the subconscious mind and become second nature. I would recommend this approach to any introvert looking to do a pitch. You don’t have to be word perfect, but why not play to your strengths? A lot of extraverts would think this is a ridiculous way to carry on – but if you like to spend time on your own, this makes absolute sense.

Handle the Quiet
Few things are more excruciating than a long pause at the wrong time. In a desperate attempt to fill a silence, then, many introverts continue to offer new information. Remember, though: whoever asks a question controls the conversation! So if you’ve reached the end of your pitch, and are met with silence, make it clear that you now need feedback. You can simply say: “What are your thoughts on that?” Then YOU be quiet: let them talk.

Plan Your Day
You know how it is! You’ve bought a ticket to a pitching event – and want to get the most out of it. You know that the more ideas you show and the more people you see, the more chance you have of getting an idea over the line.

Unfortunately, you must also know that few things are as draining as a day full of meeting people at pitches. So one thing I strongly suggest introverts do is be realistic about HOW MANY meetings they book in. Be selective about which companies you put on your wishlist in the first place… Know your limits.

Keep in mind, too, that pitching events very often have social gatherings and networking opportunities. I truly believe this is where most introverts go wrong. They don’t have quite enough gas in their tanks to get through a full day of meetings AND attend social functions. Be sure you get the balance right.

Use the Break
How do you recharge your battery? For some, the answer is to sit in a quiet room and not talk to anyone for an hour or two. For others, it will be to listen to music, while still more just want to read a book or walk in the park…

Anytime you get a break in the day, feel free to do whatever works for you. DON’T feel obliged to network, gladhand and yak during the breaks. They’re YOUR breaks! It’s perfectly okay to slip off and find a quiet corner, get some fresh air or find somewhere to lie down for a bit. You might even contact the venue in advance to see if there’s a quiet room or prayer space to which you might have access.

Be Early
That’s good advice for anyone, but it’s especially helpful if you like – as introverts often do – to really get a feel for any new spaces they visit. Ideally, you want to be in those spaces at the earliest opportunity. If this is something that really matters to you, see if you can arrange a preliminary visit to the venue. This isn’t always practical, but sometimes you can arrange it.

Two words of caution, though…
First, keep in mind that publishers, organisers and venue staff have a huge amount to do in the lead up to a pitching event. Second, don’t go into any of the private rooms or corridors without permission. It’s far better to ask if it’s okay to than to sneak in.

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Erik, it’s been a while since we chatted… But people can read your first interview here! That tells us your background and how you like to be pitched to. When we spoke in New York, though, you really seemed to be in your element at Smart Toys and Games. For the uninitiated, who are they?
Smart Toys and Games is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary. We’re a Belgian-based company with offices in Germany, France, The Netherlands, The UK, and the United States. Have you ever heard the old saying that goes something like, “There’s nine people in the toy industry, and you are I are two of those people?”.

Ha! I haven’t heard that, but I love it.
It’s my way of saying I’ve known Smart’s founder, Rolf Vandoren, for over 15 years. We always used to bump into one another at trade fairs around the world… Rolf always made time to stop, catch up and talk trends and products. We’re both incredibly passionate about product and product stories. In fact, one Christmas, my wife and I gave the SmartMax Mega Ball Run as a gift to our daughter, Matilda. That’s one of the few toys that’ve truly stood the test of time here at The Quampound in Nebraska.

The Quampound! Terrific. And what is Smart Toys and Games all about?
Passion! Passion for product. Passion for people. Passion for positive play. In the short time I’ve been with the company, I’ve been blown away by the truly honest thought, care and execution that goes into each of the products they produce. The culmination of all that creative energy is obvious when you open the box of one of our puzzles or games. I always say, “The devil is in the details”, and those details – large and small – are so evident in our product. You simply cannot argue the aesthetics of the Smart Toys and Games product and brand.

No, I agree: they look and feel beautiful, and are incredibly addictive.
Thank you! The ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach to Smart’s product design has resulted in some really magical mechanisms and surprising play patterns over the course of the company’s 30-year history. Our team of four in-house industrial designers works cooperatively and seamlessly together. We’re constantly asking ourselves, “How can we apply our ‘Smart Sauce’ to each product? Patent pending on ‘Smart Sauce’, Deej!

Noted!
I kid, but we’re always asking what we can do to make an item special and different from our last release while still maintaining our brand identity. Those self-issued challenges have resulted in some very well-known and respected toys and games.

Well, let’s talk about that… What are some of your favourite products there?
That’s like asking me to pick my favourite child! I can’t do that. Each of our puzzles, games, and building toys are truly wonderful. I’ve always admired a great puzzle – whether it’s concentration, logic, visual-spatial, or deductive reasoning. I’ll let you in on a little secret, though. I am horrible at solving puzzles…

Oh, really?! That’s funny!
Fortunately, my mentor, a very intelligent and astute person, told me something I’ll never forget. She said “Erik, you don’t have to solve a puzzle to sell a puzzle.” That’s stuck with me over the years, and has honestly allowed me to be more open to product pitches. The graduated-level approach for all our puzzles is another hallmark of a Smart product…

And by graduated-level approach, you mean how the puzzles get harder?
Yes. All our puzzle products begin with Starter challenges, then go up to Wizard level. That way, players can apply the knowledge gained from each level as they advance in play.

Yes, something that I very much appreciate. I often play Smart Toys and Games with my friend Bertie. As well as that inbuilt training you mention, there’s also a natural feeling of reward.
So let me ask you this… What are some of YOUR favourites?

Oh, nicely done! We like IQ Twins, IQ Arrows… Actually, any of those spatial- reasoning games. My heart nearly fibrillated when I saw IQ Puzzler Pro XXL! That’s so stunning; it’s like a work of art. And I’ve been eyeing up Quadrillion for ages!
Ah! Yes! I’ve always been a huge fan of Quadrillion, and of Bunny Peek-a-Boo. Two VERY different products… The diversity of our puzzle and game range has so much to do with our on-staff puzzle genius, Raf Peeters. Raf has developed and designed more than 100 of our titles. It’s been an absolute honour to get to know Raf, and work alongside this toy legend!

Sounds like I should chat to Raf sometime! What makes an idea right for Smart Toys and Games, Erik? What do you look for in a concept?
As you know, I will never be the inventor relations and product development ‘executive’ who shows up to a pitch meeting with a laptop to take copious notes and then follow up by asking inventors to fill out countless, laborious spreadsheets and information documents. That’s just never been my style. We are an industry driven by people and relationships. Oftentimes, it’s the person behind the idea that makes all the difference. If an inventor has an idea or vision that fits us, and has the desire to work alongside our internal team, that’s a winning combination for all of us at Smart.

Fantastic answer! You do have some guidelines for the products themselves, though?
Yes, on that front, I’ve always been a firm believer in the ‘easy get’ principle. It can be the most complex puzzle, brainteaser, game, or toy, but as long as it can be easily explained and the lightbulb in my head can instantly be illuminated, the inventor has my attention.

Terrific. And case in point, you recently showed us a lovely new game called Cats & Boxes. Tell us about it!
Cats & Boxes is a wonderful new packing puzzle developed by Raf Peeters. Everyone who’s played this game is an instant fan! The object is to place each one of a number of cats inside a box by moving the box blocks on the board… Beginning with simple challenges – as always – the game moves into some fiendishly difficult puzzles. I’m allergic to cats, but I can honestly say this puzzle game is truly The Cat’s Meow. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!

That’s okay. You’re allowed two per chat! Now look… Here’s a segue that’s crafted with love: Your surname, Quam, sounds like ‘Qualm’ which means ‘a feeling of uneasiness’… What gives you a feeling of uneasiness dealing with inventors, Erik? What would be a red flag for you in a pitch?
Ohhhhh! Well, I do always stress the importance of due diligence prior to a pitch. Do your homework and understand the niche the company fills in the industry. It’s obvious Smart Toys and Games isn’t in the business of plush or pool toys. As an inventor, know your audience.

I also want to revisit the human side of our industry, for a moment. A pitch should be personal… Inventors, by their very nature, are passionate individuals. I want to know your story, your background, and your reason for bringing me a concept to review. Essentially, I want to get to know you as a fellow human. There’s the potential to enter a long-term relationship with each and every pitch meeting. Let’s take a few moments and get to know one another. After all, we’re in the business of play and bringing joy to people.

Lovely!
Finally, don’t tell me why your product is similar to another product we already produce, or if it’s a twist on another well-known game made by another company. I don’t find that helpful!

Fantastic. I’m going to remind people that you’ve given your other pitching tips in an interview, because that is such a helpful addendum. Last two questions, then… One: what’s the one thing I could’ve asked you today but didn’t?
What does the future of product development look like at Smart Toys and Games?

And two… What’s the answer?
All I can say is, “Buckle up, and hold onto your hats!” We have several REVOLUTIONARY new products, categories, and brands in the works. I can say, with all honesty, that in the 26 years I’ve been working in the toy industry, I have never seen products that so are truly poised to change the world of play. Smart Toys and Games might be 30 years old – but we’re just getting started!

Wow! That’s a hell of an answer! Thank you, Erik. You come right back and tell us when you’re ready to talk more about that; sounds terrific!

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