Reflect On Experimentation

Yesterday I mentioned the power of experimentation to drive ideation. One important note is, experimentation should not be only forward-facing. To say it differently, a deliberate practice of reflection will amplify the learnings we glean from experiments, and the impact that experimentation has on our exploratory trajectory.

To reference Steve Martin's "Born Standing Up" again, he shares the following fascinating story: "Following the advice in Showmanship for Magicians, I kept scrupulous records of how each gag played after my local shows for the Cub Scouts or Kiwanis Club. 'Excellent!' or 'Big laugh!' or 'Quiet,' I would write in the margins of my Big Indian tablet; then I would summarize how I could make the show better next time..."

He kept notes of how gigs for local Cub Scout Troops went??? He found ways to improve his bits regardless of the apparent prestige of the venue. Interestingly, it is this very practice that planted the seed for what would become a the bedrock of his unique appeal. He continues, "...I was still motivated to do a magic show with standard patter, but the nice response to a few gags had planted a nagging thought that contradicted my magic goal: They love it when the tricks don't work..." That little light bulb, which sent his comedy career in an entirely new direction, went off specifically because Martin maintained a discipline of reflection on his prolific experimentation schedule.

To extract the most value from any experiment, or from practice in general, one must be deliberate about seeking to understand the "why" behind the "what" from the data that the experiment creates…

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