Creativity is more than a skill. It’s a practice we can cultivate and trust. That’s why we sat down with Birna Dröfn Birgisdóttir, founder of brainstorming tool Bulby and renowned creativity expert, to uncover practical techniques that help individuals and organizations unlock their creative potential. Whether you’re developing presentation content, designing memorable experiences, or reimagining traditional corporate events, Birna provides invaluable insights to help you access your natural creativity.
INAS: What unexpected techniques have you used to spark creativity when developing presentation content?
BDB: One of my favorite techniques is to work with what I call my “inner secretary,” also known as the reticular activating system in the brain. I let this part of my brain know I’m curious about a topic by thinking and writing about it. Then, I walk away. I relax, take a nap, or sleep. And in the morning, it’s like a flood of ideas rushes in.
It’s a bit like asking AI to solve something complex and stepping away while it works. I’ve found that by trusting my brain to do background processing, I get surprising, high-quality results. No forcing, just flow.
INAS: How do you break through creative blocks when designing event experiences?
BDB: To be honest, I don’t really experience creative blocks anymore. Not because I’m special, but because I’ve trained my brain to be creative. I trust it.
Over the years, I’ve collected tons of creativity tools that now come naturally. One of my go-to methods is to connect a challenge with a random word. It always sparks new angles. Another is questionstorming, where the goal is to list every question you can think of about a challenge. Sometimes I imagine I’m someone else, like a child, a famous person, or an astronaut, and look at the problem from their perspective.
And of course, I use AI all the time. It’s like having a wildly creative thinking partner in your pocket.
INAS: What innovative approaches have transformed your standard speaking format?
BDB: An actress once taught me an exercise that changed everything. She asked me to imagine a light in my heart, warm and glowing, and then spread it through my whole body. After that, she told me to shine it in front of me, behind me, and fill the whole room with it.
It might sound simple, but it shifts everything. I often get feedback that people feel like I’m glowing on stage. I believe that glow helps people feel the message, not just hear it.
INAS: How do you reimagine traditional conference elements to create memorable moments?
BDB: We live in a world where knowledge is accessible anytime. What really matters now is experience. Conferences shouldn’t just be about learning what, but about feeling and doing.
Imagine this. You’re at a creativity workshop, and instead of slides and bullet points, there’s a magician on stage working with a creativity expert. We show you how magic tricks actually teach powerful lessons about creative thinking. You try a trick yourself. You laugh. You wonder. You remember.
The focus is on play, surprise, and deep human connection.
INAS: How do you innovate within the constraints of traditional corporate events?
BDB: I actually love constraints. They give us something to push against and often lead to the most creative ideas.
But I also like to gently question the rules we’re following. Are they there for a reason or just tradition? What can we bend, break, or reinvent? That’s where things start to get interesting.
INAS: How do you experiment with new presentation styles while maintaining professionalism?
BDB: One word: play. Our brains love learning through play. It’s engaging, memorable, and opens up new ways of thinking.
Some people still believe play isn’t professional, but I think that’s an old idea. I bring in playful elements not just for fun, but to teach complex ideas in a way that really sticks.
To me, professionalism means creating real impact. And play does exactly that.
Prioritizing creativity doesn’t mean complicated techniques or forcing innovation, it means trusting your natural creative abilities and making space for play. By incorporating Birna’s approaches, professionals can design more engaging presentations, create memorable experiences, and bring a touch of magic to even the most traditional settings. And for event planners, considering these creative elements will take your event to the next level while creating extraordinary experiences that participants will remember long after they’ve returned home.