Back when I was a young man (some time in the late 1700s, I think), I seriously considered pursuing a career as a professional photographer.

 At the time, I had a little photographic how-to book that someone had given me or I'd bought for a dollar from the second-hand bookshop or stolen from the public library or otherwise somehow acquired. I don't remember, to be honest.

What I do remember about that book is that, every three or four pages, in huge bold text it would say "Stop! Think!"

In photographic terms, it meant that when you find yourself shooting the same old shots in the same old way that you've always shot before, you need to give yourself a kick in the side of the head and do something completely different.

Take a different angle. Move to a different part of the studio. Swap out the lighting. Change the model. Or the background. Or the lens. Or the location. Whatever. It's stuck with me ever since - Stop! Think!

And two decades later and no longer a photographer, I still Stop! Think!

In the communications business, Stop! Think! can transform the way you do things. Next time you're putting together an advert Stop! Think! Is a huge pack shot, massive logo and dull corporate strapline really going to drive traffic and sales? Or is there a better way?

Next time you're writing a case study Stop! Think! Is "challenge, solutions, results" really the best way to tell the story? Or is there a better way? Next time you're putting together a press release Stop! Think! Is "XYZ Corp, the leading provider of ..." really the best way to pique a reporter's interest? Or is there a better way?

If the answer is 'yes' then go for it. But if the answer is 'no', then look around for a better approach. But you'll never know until you Stop! Think! 

Mark