In the game of pinpointing tomorrow’s big idea, the secret lies in a mind open to out-of-the-box possibilities. Your first step: Sharpen to your creative listening skills.

That, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup:

Mind the Thought

Why Better Listeners are Better Innovators @tceb62 @ideo http://t.co/X3QIcAQDBr #assnchat #innochat #innovation

— Jay S Daughtry M.Ed. (@ChatterBachs) December 9, 2013

An earful (might hold your next big idea): If Dr. Javier Schvartzman hadn’t been listening, Jorge Odon’s prototype of a low-cost, low-tech childbirth instrument could have gone by the wayside. But in applying what IDEO CEO Tim Brown calls “creative listening skills,” Schvartzman accepted the pitch, “step[ping] out of his expertise and identify[ing] value in an idea that came from a complete outsider, with the intention of building on it and making it better,” Brown writes in his LinkedIn post “Why Better Listeners Are Better Innovators.” Listen up: Who knows what the next breakthrough could be? What ideas have surfaced when you’ve applied your creative listening skills? (ht @ChatterBachs)

Monday’s Member Memo

The update to the list of "10 Ways to Engage Members in Your Online Community" is here: http://t.co/bJvcLBhDOm #assnchat

— Digitec Interactive (@digitec) December 9, 2013

Get ’em talking: Your website can be a digital hub for member conversation. But how do you get and keep the conversation going? Sarah Lugo of Digitec Interactive shares some tips. Start by adding basics to your site, like video functions and comment sections. Keep an eye on key members who can help drive conversation: “Encourage them to become leaders and influencers in the online community and reward them for their participation,” she writes. But don’t give it all away: Whet your audience’s appetite by featuring sneak peeks (like teasers for your upcoming conference). That’ll get your members “talking, guessing, and gossiping about what the association’s future holds,” she says. (ht @digitec)

Have any online engagement tips of your own? Tell us in the comments.

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