Ban the Phrase "It's Just an Idea"

Hello, I'm Yukio Hashiguchi, a copywriter.

I've published a book called "100-Idea Thinking." It explains the copywriter's mindset for all business professionals.

"100-Idea Thinking: Eliminate 'Can't Write,' 'Can't Think of Anything,' and 'Won't Get Approved'"
By Yukio Hashiguchi, published by Magazine House, 256 pages, ¥1,650 (tax included) ISBN: 9784838731497

 

Ideas are about quantity over quality. Whether you have talent or not, if you come up with 100 ideas, one or two good ones are bound to be in there.

No special tools or preparation needed. As long as you have something to write with, anyone can do it anytime.

However, when you actually try it, most people get stuck after just 2 or 3 ideas. While 100-idea thinking requires no talent or tools, it does need a few simple skills to improve your output.

So this time, I'll briefly introduce "thinking methods for generating 100 ideas."

<Table of Contents>
▼ Why You Should Never Say "It's Just an Idea"
▼ Close PowerPoint and Write on Scrap Paper
▼ Every Idea is a Valuable Idea &nbsp; &nbsp;

Why You Should Never Say "It's Just an Idea"

Before presenting your proposal in an idea meeting,

"It's just an idea, but..."

"It's totally lame, lol"

Some people start like this. It's a cover-up, insurance in case the idea falls flat. I totally get why you'd want to say it.

However, if you aspire to be an idea person, you absolutely must not do this. Why? Because it unconsciously makes you try to come up with a "good idea," narrowing your thinking.

The phrase "It's just an idea, but..." carries the underlying implication, "I really should be coming up with a 'good idea' here." Saying this in a meeting puts pressure on other participants to "come up with a good idea too."

Incidentally, it's also incorrect in English. This is a case of all harm and no benefit.

As mentioned earlier, 100-idea thinking is a method focused on quantity over quality. Coming up with 100 "good ideas" is impossible, and unnecessary. If even one good idea emerges from the many you generate, it's a huge success.

Skip the unnecessary preamble and just confidently put your ideas out there.

Close PowerPoint and jot them down on scrap paper.

What tools do you use when brainstorming ideas? Surely you're not using PowerPoint?

If you are, then stop using PowerPoint right now.

Never use PowerPoint during the idea generation phase. PowerPoint is a tool for preparing documents for presentations or meetings. It's not designed for mass-producing ideas.

Launching it, inserting text boxes, adjusting fonts and sizes... at that pace, you'll never generate 100 ideas.

For brainstorming, you want simple tools focused on "writing"—like paper and pen, or Word. What I often do is scribble freely on the back of used documents or in their margins.

Filling up clean, pristine paper can be surprisingly stressful. Don't you find it much more relaxed to scribble on whatever paper is handy? Lowering the barrier to "generating ideas" is paramount. That's why I rarely use fancy, stylish stationery either.

In the book "100-Idea Thinking," we also cover

• "Self-Interview"
• "Change Your Perspective"
• "Generate Ideas While Doing Something Else"
• "Use a Thesaurus"

and 19 other idea skills in total. If you're interested, I'd be delighted if you'd read it.

Every idea is a valuable idea

Working on the front lines, I've come to realize that a junior who can produce 100 ideas, no matter what they are, is far more valuable than one who brings just one carefully crafted proposal.

Why? Because even if all 100 ideas are no good, you can confirm "this direction won't work," and sometimes that leads to a spark for a different, better idea.

So in meetings, don't start with a self-deprecating disclaimer like "It's just an idea, but..." (laughs). Present your ideas confidently.

The very act of "coming up with ideas" is valuable in itself.

This article is the third installment in a four-part series. The planned series structure is as follows:

Part 1: No Talent, Tools, or Sense Required! The Copywriter's "100-Idea Thinking" Approach
Part 2: Input Techniques You Can Absolutely Practice No Matter How Busy You Are
Part 3: The "Just an Idea, But..." Ban ※This is it!
Part 4: "Idea Selection": No Favoritism or Majority Rule

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Next up: The Final Installment!

We'll explain how to pick one great idea from the 100 you generated using the "quantity over quality" approach.