APRIL 24, 2022 | EYEWORLD DAILY NEWS | 51
ASCRS ANNUAL MEETING
DAILY NEWS
"He was the yellow dot, and I
almost missed it," Mr. Stainton said, ex-
plaining that the man who would later
become known as Bill Nye, the Science
Guy, changed the question when think-
ing about the problem and in doing so,
changed the context, opening up a new
possibility.
Mr. Stainton challenged attendees
to find the yellow dot, the idea, the
nugget, the next time they are in a
situation that seems difficult.
"You never know which dot is
going to be the one that leads to the
breakthrough," he said.
Editors' note: The speakers have no
financial interests related to their
comments.
sizes. The only difference that research
has found separating creative thinkers
and non-creative thinkers, Mr. Stainton
said, is that creative people believe
they're creative.
Everyone (creatives and non-cre-
atives) hits brick walls of all shapes and
sizes. Innovative or creative thinkers,
however, don't just complain about it,
they ask "How can this be better?"
"That's what innovation is really
about, looking at the situation, chal-
lenge, opportunity, problem and asking
how can it be better," Mr. Stainton said.
The answers come when you
connect the dots, which are ideas,
experiences, or an elderly woman in a
middle seat.
"The more ideas you encounter, the
more experiences you have, the more
people you interact with, the more
dots you can connect," he said, later
adding that "you never know which dot
is going to be the one that leads to the
breakthrough, which means we have to
be open to new dots."
This openness means removing
blinders. Mr. Stainton gave an example
of when he had blinders on. His show
had booked Johnny Depp in late 1987,
but at the last minute, Mr. Depp had to
cancel. Now Mr. Stainton and his other
writers were thinking of who they
could invite as a guest at the last min-
ute, and they kept hitting walls. One of
the youngest, lowest paid writers piped
up: "Maybe I could do something with
liquid nitrogen," Mr. Stainton recalled
him saying. Mr. Stainton's first reaction
was "Bill, you're scaring us," but the
host of the show lowered his blinders
and wanted to learn more. The writer,
Bill Nye, went on to describe what he
could do on the show.
Certified Eyecare Professional (CEP)
is a newly developed, innovative
eLearning program practices can use
to accelerate employee onboarding
and help staff build a successful
career in eyecare.
Launch Special
20% OFF!
*
Regularly $245 per student
*Offer valid through 5/31/22.
S T O P B Y B S M
B O O T H # 2 2 4 4
O R S C A N T H E
Q R C O D E T O
L E A R N M O R E !
