Lars Bøge Eskildsen, associate professor of communications at the Business Academy Aarhus in Denmark, recently made a presentation to students in the Business and Communications departments on the importance of creative thinking to generate new business ideas and processes.
He began his talk by asking the audience to define the difference between creativity and innovation. When no one could come up with a clear definition, Eskildsen said, “Creativity is getting the idea. Innovation is getting the idea to work.”
Working in advertising and media, while also teaching students how to create digital concepts, has made Eskildsen an expert in creative thinking. One of the major things he stresses to his students about thinking creatively is to practice it, not simply read about it.
Eskildsen arrived on campus on Friday, March 20 after attending a conference in Texas. While here, he met with the staff of the Office of Global Education and toured the city of Philadelphia. It was his first time in Philadelphia and he called it a "vibrant and interesting" city.
Eskildsen visited CHC to introduce the new partnership that the College has with Denmark, giving students a new country in which to study abroad.
“Since the beginning, our ties have been very strong,” says Trachanda Brown, director of global education. “We have shared students through our exchange programs, explored each other’s campus with site visits and hosted faculty and staff.”
CHC currently has 13 partnerships with other countries, including Spain, Chile, Belgium, France and England. By studying abroad, students gain a global perspective in addition to the holistic education they receive at Chestnut Hill — one marked by academic excellence, shared global awareness and responsibilities, personal and professional growth, and service to one another and to the global community.
While on campus, Eskildsen also visited several classes to speak more personally with students. One of these classes was Susan Magee’s public relations writing course, where he discussed digital technologies and communicating through different forms of social media.
Magee, assistant professor of communications, appreciated Eskildsen’s POST method, which focuses a company’s attention on people and understanding them, as opposed to simply putting all of their attention on technology.
“I found his perspective on technology interesting,” Magee says. “I appreciate the fact that he acknowledged that if we start with technology, that will get you into trouble down the road because you are putting effort into something that will fail.”
Eskildsen is a senior lecturer, but before joining Business Academy Aarhus as a full-time lecturer, he worked as the communications planning director at Carat Deep Blue. He earned his bachelor’s degree in media production and management and MSC in corporate communications.
Eskildsen was able to share his knowledge with digital technologies and social media, while also having his own presentation on creative thinking. The main goal of Eskildsen’s presentation was to get everyone in Gruber Theater to think in more abstract ways. “Creativity,” Eskildsen said, “is to exceed the existing.”
— Danielle Gehring ’17