Creative work is frustrating. And one of the most frustrating part of creative work is debating ideas. Ideas are usually developed in small groups or by yourself, in an unstructured setting. Ideas are debated in large groups in a structured setting. It's a buzz killer.

Here's a tweet that triggered these thoughts today:

Hi Everyone:

Just a quick reminder that in-person debates are a terrible way to test the merits of ideas.

All they test is the verbal agility and rhetorical style of their participants.

Signed,
A Very Successful College Debator
— Carissa Byrne Hessick (@CBHessick) August 10, 2018

I think we agree. In-person debates are a terrible way to test ideas. It reminds me of a great advice one my managers at lg2 (hello Alexis!) told me once: Remember that in a small room, it's usually the loudest voice that gets heard. It's OK to be the loudest voice once in a while. What he thought me is no matter how smart your idea or point of view is, you'll have to go out there and convince other people that it's the way to go. Otherwise, you're as damaging to the team as the person shouting a bad idea. You're expected to stand up and debate your ideas. And it's incredibly annoying for introverts or people who are less confrontational.