By now many of you have probably seen the really cool “stairs or escalator” video that is circulating its way around the social media sites. I’ve posted it below if you haven’t seen it or if you like to see it again.
I love the concept of this video. Take a boring, everyday task, and make it fun. Make it different. Make it something people will talk about. Sound effects were added to stairs and not only did it encourage people to make a better decision, they had a lot of fun in the process. I’m not saying every staircase should be a piano, but I do think there is something to be said about approaching things differently.
The same group at Volkswagen tried another concept when it wanted people to place garbage in waste bins. Enjoy the video below.
This creativity and innovation really has me thinking, and I hope it has you doing the same. I read a NY Times article about the overhaul of all Disney stores. Again a company is going beyond the normal and rethinking a business strategy. They are creating an experience and a connection with their customer in the same way that Volkswagen created an experience with simple tasks of taking the stairs or throwing away garbage.
What unique experiences can we create? How can we do things differently? How can we create fun in the tasks that we do?
Could we have a noise meter that actually affects the lighting and lighting color at our rallies?
Could we make registering for classes and the monotony of picture lines and book lines into a “journey” and an experience–walking the incoming student through a journey?
Could we add surprising and fun aspects to the regular school day–setting off a “SPECIAL LINE” alarm during school lunch and rewarding all students currently standing in one particular line with a front of the line pass for the next week or a few dollars off an upcoming dance?
The possibilities are endless and not always terribly expensive if we begin to think about our actions in terms of experience, story, and fun.
(Special Note: I’m putting some final touches on a new reTHINK workshop all geared around creativity and innovation in student leadership. Workshop is currently scheduled to debut at the CADA Area F and Area E conferences in November. It’ll be available for all leadership conferences I present at this spring)