SilentHeron.net

A Questionnaire
for
Conversations about Creativity and Innovation

Please take some time to consider the following issues, then write your answers in the space next to the dash under each question. You do not need to answer all the questions but you should try to answer as many as possible.

When you are finished, please print this questionnaire as a PDF and attach it to an email message or copy the questionnaire and paste it into the body of an email message.

If you are uncertain about how to begin a creative conversation, you might want to consider the questions posed at: 
http://www.extras.silentheron.net/projects/
	Note: This page is part of an archival subdomain, so the navigational menu has been disabled. To navigate within this subdomain, you will need to use the links provided on the individual pages found there.

When you are ready, send this finished document with the subject line “Requesting a Conversation about Creativity and Innovation” to:
timothy@silentheron.net

After reviewing your message, I will contact you by email to schedule a preliminary conversation. Conducted through an online videoconference (or, if necessary, by telephone), this conversation will address your personal desires, needs and expectations in our subsequent conversations as well as develop a plan for these discussions.

At any point in this process, please feel free to contact me if you have a specific question or concern using the email address shown above with the subject line “A Question about Conversations on Creativity”.

Contact Information

If you send this questionnaire as a PDF attachment, please provide your name, email address and other necessary contact information in the primary message. 

If you choose to paste this questionnaire into the body of an email message, please provide your name, email address and other necessary contact information at the beginning of the message so that it remains distinct from the questionnaire. 

	Note: If you feel uncomfortable providing your name with this questionnaire, you may create a “working name” by giving the personal name you want used when speaking with you followed by a random initial (i.e., John P or Jane D). This is not recommended and this decision will be discussed during our preliminary conversation.

Concerning our initial conversation:

• When would you like to schedule this conversation? Please provide some tentative dates for when you would like to speak.

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• Is there any urgency in scheduling our initial conversation? If so, why?

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• What do you want to discuss in this conversation? What are your expectations concerning it?

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• In which country do you live? In which time zone, if there is more than one in your home country?

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• Will having our conversations by videoconference present a problem? If so, why and what alternatives would you prefer?

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Concerning our subsequent conversations:

• When would you like to schedule these conversations? Please provide a tentative starting date for our conversations and a general sense of your schedule during this time.

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• Is there an urgency to completing these conversations? If so, why?

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• Are there any issues or concerns that you are bringing to these conversations? How did these issues become significant for you? How are these issues or concerns currently affecting your personal, professional and creative life? What are their implications for your future?

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• What degree of clarity do you have about these issues and concerns as you prepare for these conversations? What degree of clarity do you want to have after the conversations end?

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Concerning you and your creative desires:

• Please provide a short statement of your life and personal mission. Do you feel you have a vocation in life that requires you to be creative? Please be as specific as possible.

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• Have you ever taken part in a conversation focused on your ideas or creativity? If so, please say when and with whom. Was your experience positive or negative? Why?

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• What aspects of your creative life do you want to consider?

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• What do you want to achieve for yourself from these conversations? For others? Please be as specific as possible.

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• What are the most important personal and professional issues you are currently facing? How do these issues influence your creative desires?

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• What aspects of creative expression do you want to consider? Is it a general issue of creativity or a specific project? If it involves a project, be certain to answer the questions in the following section.

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• What are the most important personal and professional issues you are currently facing? How do these issues influence your creative desires? Do you think they have spiritual implications?

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Concerning your creative project or idea (if appropriate):

• Please explain its development and how it represents your personal and professional desires.

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• How is your idea or project intended to change others? Why is this important?

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• Have you participated in creative conversations addressing this ideas or project with other people? If so, when and with whom? What was your experience with these other people?

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• What do you think needs to happen to help you achieve your goals with this project? What resources or partnerships will you need to successfully achieve your goals? Do you think these resources will be easy or difficult to access?

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Concerning your reading habits (if interested in issues of innovation and change):

• Is reading important to you? If so, what are your reading habits?

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• Do you have a favorite writer? Who is this? Why?

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• What is your favorite genre of writing? What is your favorite or most memorable piece of writing? Why?

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• What are the most important personal and professional issues you are currently facing? How do you think reading might influence them?

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Additional Concerns:

• Is there anything else you feel you need to say about yourself or your creative work before we begin our conversations?

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