6 Minute English How Creative Should We Be?

BBC LEARNING ENGLISH
6 Minute English
How creative should we be?
This is not a word-for-word transcript
Neil
Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Neil.
Rob
And hello, I'm Rob.
Neil
Now Rob, how creative are you?
Rob
Very creative, I think. Creativity is in my bones! Look at this wonderful script that I wrote
and we're presenting right now.
Neil
You are what we could call 'a creative' – a noun which means someone with a lot of
imagination and ideas. In our job we have to create – or make – content that teaches
English creatively.
Rob
Creativity is becoming more important for everyone. The World Economic Forum
forecasts that by 2020, creativity will be in the top three most important skills for future
jobs. This is particularly relevant for younger people who will be entering the world of work
soon – and that's what we'll be discussing today. But before we do, Neil, have you created a
question for us to answer?
Neil
Yes, and it's about the very creative artist Banksy. He created a well-known piece of
artwork that has been in the news recently, but do you know what it is called? Is it…
a) Girl with Balloon
b) Girl with Red Balloon
c) Balloon Girl
Rob
I can see the picture in my head – so I think it's c) Balloon Girl.
6 Minute English ©British Broadcasting Corporation 2018

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Neil
OK, and we'll find out the answer later. But now back to our discussion about creativity.
Experts say that students need to focus more on creativity to help them get a job. That's
perhaps surprising in the UK, when some of our creative industries – that's businesses that
make music, art and TV for example – are world famous. We are creative people, Rob!
Rob
Of course, but there's not such a focus on being creative in education now and that might
have an effect in the future. It's something Bernadette Duffy, an early years consultant, has
been discussing on BBC Radio 4's Bringing up Britain programme. What does she say we
have been focusing too much on in schools?
Bernadette Duffy, early years consultant

We focus on the things that are legitimately important but we teach them in a way that
makes them easier to measure. I think we need to redress the balance that puts the
focus purely on gaining the skills and far far more on actually using them in a creative way
because that's what's going to make a difference for the future.
Neil
So Bernadette feels we teach skills in a way that can be easily measured and tested. She says
we teach these skills legitimately – which here means fairly and reasonably. But she feels
we don't teach a creative approach to learning skills.
Rob
So we mean things like problem solving. I guess, even tasks like data inputting and preparing
spreadsheets can be approached creatively. In any job, it's sometimes good to 'think outside
the box' or find new ways of doing things.
Neil
Bernadette thinks we should move away from just learning skills and start using these skills
creatively – she used the expression 'redress the balance' which means 'change things to
make them fairer and more equal'.
Rob
Well, here at the BBC we have to creative. In fact one of our values states that 'creativity is
the lifeblood of our organisation'. Lifeblood here means 'the most important thing to make
something a success'.
Neil
Rob, I can see creativity is in your blood – but on an everyday level how can we all improve
our creativity – be like you?!
Rob
Well, Neil, I'm no expert but Innovation Manager, Nick Skillicorn is. He's also been speaking
to the BBC and explaining what we can do to help ourselves. What does he suggest?

Nick Skillicorn, Innovation Manager
On a daily basis, everyone should take fifteen minutes of what I call unfocused time – time
that they're not looking at any screen, time that they can essentially get back into their own
head, slow down a bit, and start forming these new connections between disparate ideas
that result in divergent new original ideas.
Neil
So we need free time to collect all our different thoughts in our head – what Nick calls
disparate ideas to create new and amazing ideas.
Rob
Disparate ideas are very different ideas, all unrelated. And we need what we might call
headspace – that's when your mind is in a good state and you can think clearly. For me, I
have headspace when I'm lying in the bath or out riding my bike – there are no
interruptions.
Neil
Well, you certainly don't get your ideas sitting at a desk, focusing on one task – we all need
some downtime to get creative. But children going into school now will grow up to do a job
that doesn't yet exist. And faced with the challenges of AI, automation, green issues and an
ageing population, creativity and imagination will be vital.
Rob
Right, well, let's get back to talking about the creativity of Banksy now.
Neil
Ah yes, because earlier I asked you which one of his well-known pieces of artwork has been
in the news recently? Is it…
a) Girl with Balloon
b) Girl with Red Balloon
c) Balloon girl
Rob
And I said c) Balloon Girl. I know it was a girl and a balloon.
Neil
Not quite right, Rob. The artwork is titled 'Girl with Balloon.' This was recently auctioned
in London but amazingly shredded in its frame as someone's winning bid was accepted!
Rob
Wow, that's a very creative way to destroy a picture! I will do the same with this script
soon but not before we have recapped some of today's vocabulary. Starting with 'a
creative' - a person whose job is to use a lot of imagination and come up with new ideas,
such as someone who works in the media or advertising.
Neil
Then we mentioned legitimately – which describes doing something fairly and reasonably.

Rob
Next we heard the expression 'redress the balance'. This means to make things fairer
and more equal.
Neil
We also talked about creativity being the lifeblood of the BBC. Lifeblood here means the
most important thing to make something a success. And I know creativity is running
through your veins, Rob!
Rob
Thanks, Neil. We also heard the word disparate, meaning very different and unrelated.
And we talked about headspace, which is when your mind is in a good state and you can
think clearly.
Neil
Before we head off to find some headspace, don't forget to visit our website at
bbclearningenglish.com for more great learning English content. That’s all we have time for
now. Do join us again though. Goodbye.
Rob
Bye bye!


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BBC LEARNING ENGLISH

6 Minute English ©British Broadcasting Corporation 2018

Bernadette Duffy, early years consultant

6 Minute English ©British Broadcasting Corporation 2018

6 Minute English ©British Broadcasting Corporation 2018

6 Minute English ©British Broadcasting Corporation 2018

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