It is Okay to Steal Ideas

“I give you permission to steal this idea and adapt it to your organization😄” is something I often find myself saying when I am demonstrating a technique for attendee engagement. I want people to see how I engage so that they can adapt these strategies to their in-person and virtual events. Sometimes people feel they can’t move forward because stealing feels icky, but when it comes to engagement ideas, it's perfectly fine.

With 8.2 billion people alive in the world today and many more before us, is any idea truly original anymore? People in various domains and industries are continually experimenting with engagement, and adapting their successful ideas to our programs is a great way to keep improving.

Over the years, I’ve been inspired by rock concerts, my neighborhood pizza place, research papers, grocery stores, and many other sources.

There are great ideas everywhere, and you might find that some seem totally inaccessible because the great idea comes from an organization with far different resources than you might have. But there still might be a germ of an idea in there that’s waiting for you.

Let’s say a super large organization has a new member drip campaign that you love, but you are a volunteer for a small chapter or club. Scale this idea for your use by creating just one warm welcome email.

Or perhaps you've experienced fantastic customer service at your neighborhood restaurant, and you work for an organization with tens of thousands of members, so you can’t provide that level of service to everyone. What could you do to scale this idea up?

The next time you are out and about, notice what engages you and think about how to apply it to your organization.

Want more on this topic? Here’s another take!

P.S. Remember, we are talking about stealing techniques and ideas here. Make sure that you don’t use stories, quotes, stats, book titles, and IP without attribution.