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    Sep
    27.
    “Good Vibrations…Lesson Learned from a Lunch Conversation with Beach Boys Mike Love”
    1 Comment
    Category: EXP, NOW

    I remember having lunch with Mike Love from the Beach Boys prior to our show with 3,000 Chevron dealers on Waikiki Beach, Oahu, where the local beach boys perpetuate Duke Kahanamoku’s legacy by teaching visitors how to surf and canoe…

     During this lunch, Mike Love and I were talking about musicians, and how the teachings of no name piano teachers during the formative years of each of The Beach Boys Band members contributed greatly to the success of The Beach Boys, because each musician in the band plays piano flawlessly…

     The luncheon conversation started with a question about what made the Beach Boys sound so perpetually cool…a conversation over a glass of wine, with the shared history of great teachers and their great legacies…and because of it, I learned something new about Mike Love, The Beach Boys & the musicians, in a unique, shared conversation platform–right on the teaching grounds of the famous Duke himself!

     I walked about smiling to myself and having a greater appreciation for the skills of the OTHER local beach boys right in front of me who were teaching touristos like myself the proper way to hang ten…

    Great teachers…great experiences…

    What lunch experience will you share?

     

    Click here to listen to Beach Boys Good Vibrations


    Sep
    20.
    If you could have lunch with anyone today, who would it be?
    1 Comment
    Category: EXP, NOW

    Out to Lunch, Be back later.

     Each day is an opportunity to share a conversation, a chance to make a choice, join a community where you can share your interests & learn something new.

    @EXP 360Conversation Café, our objective is to provide an ongoing, shared conversation platform that delivers value through education, information, and engagement.

    Each person brings a different view, a different opinion, and shares a different journey.  Weigh in on your choices, where do your interests lie?   What celebrity would you chat with if you could? 

    Would you join our  ‘FEEL GOOD about America Again’  movement? 

    Would you Dream of  Adventure?

    What lunch experience, real or imagined are you willing to share? 

    In our next post I’ll share the story of ‘Lunch with the Beach Boys’. 

    Please leave a comment or use the contact page to reach us privately. Images are not to be reproduced without written permission from the author.

    Jun
    17.
    BP BACKLASH: TWO “SMALL” WORDS…ONE HUGE CONVERSATION
    1 Comment
    Category: NOW

    Doug Mills/The New York Times

    “People say that large oil companies don’t care about the small people. But we care. We care about the small people.”

    BP’s chairman, Carl-Henric Svanberg, learned a valuable lesson that sent shock waves over ever BP oil rig around the globe–choose your words wisely.

    The “small people” comment ignited conversations on every blog post around the globe, and fueled a powerful anger response from the American people.

    Although the BP PR folks tried to bandade the ill fated comment as a “slip in translation” and later Wednesday, Mr. Svanberg apologized, admitting he had spoken “clumsily”, the damage was done.  In fact, “small people” is yet one more failure in the long legacy of BP mishaps.

    BP’s Chairman went on to say, “What I was trying to say — that BP understands how deeply this affects the lives of people who live along the gulf and depend on it for their livelihood — will best be conveyed not by any words but by the work we do to put things right for the families and businesses who’ve been hurt.”


    The worst environmental disaster in American history will indeed be conveyed by volumes of words, both during the efforts to cap the rig and right the wrongs, and long after.  Experts will be born overnight who will make a nice living on the lecture circuit expressing their thoughts and debating others.

    Words do indeed, ignite actions.

    Without question, it is the correct actions set into motion to get control over this terrible tragedy that are what we all desperately need.  What has fueled the fires in the press, on the phones, on the keyboards and at the coffee shop counters are 360 conversations that have gotten to a fever pitch.

    If BP, the Government, and the Oil Industry had communicated accurately, clearly, honestly, and collaboratively, with the common goal to solve the issue at hand, perhaps all we “small people” would have “small hope” that these folks have a clue to meet the mounting catastrophic challenges at hand, now and in the future.

    One final comment…it is the Small People in the USA that make this country Giant.

    And to all the BPs of the world, please don’t ever forget that.


    May
    17.
    PEER-TO-PEER 360 CONVERSATIONS: TODAY’S NEW TRUST PLATFORM
    2 Comments
    Category: NOW

    EXP 360Conversation Café


    @EXP 360Conversation Café, our objective is to provide an ongoing, shared conversation platform that delivers value through education, information, and engagement.

    EXP 360Chat of the Day


    CHARLEMAGNE’S TWELVE PEERS

    & THE BATTLE FOR SPAIN

    PEER

    c.1300, “an equal in civil standing or rank” (1215 in Anglo-L.), from Anglo-Fr. peir, O.Fr. per (10c.), from L. par “equal.” Sense of “noble” (1382) is from Charlemagne’s Twelve Peers in the old romances, like knights of the Round Table, originally so called because all were equal. Sociological sense of “one of the same age group or social set” is from 1944. Peerage first recorded 1454. Peer review is first recorded 1971.

    The power and influence of words make up the eventual power and extension of 360 conversations.  Words ignite discussions and actions;  actions drive communities.  Leaders within communities are bound by their words and their words ignite responses from their tribes…Decisions are the final conclusions that set the spiraling power of 360 into marketplace motions…



    Charlemagne eventually sided with the advice of both Duke Naimes, who backed Ganelon’s argument, and Ganelon, who would be sent as ambassador to negotiate with the King of Spain.  It was Ganelon who betrayed both the direct orders of Charlemagne and who set up Roland, eventually resulting in both Roland’s death (Roland also refused to head the warning of his trusted Oliver) and defeat for Charlemagne.

    And in the end, Charlemagne discovered Ganelon’s selfish actions to protect his plans, and Ganelon was put to death.   Charlemagne lost his right hand in warfare, Roland, and his army suffered huge losses.  His betrayal of trust and faith in his experts led to his retreat and defeat.  As a result, the ultimate prize, the conquest of Spain and victory, was not his glory.  (For more on this historical tale, visit http://www.timelessmyths.com/arthurian/roland.html)


    TRUST

    Faith connotes unquestioning, often emotionally charged belief: “Often enough our faith beforehand in an uncertified result is the only thing that makes the result come true” (William James).


    In our event world, we often get the opportunity to work with a new client because of a peer-to-peer conversation that a marketing executive or meeting executive had at an industry event regarding who they trusted.  Although our marketing and promotional efforts reinforce our brand, the final decision often comes down to the recommendation within a decision maker’s circle of influence.  And that decision may have come down to one or a few key words that stuck in the mind and heart of the executive.

         As summer rolls into gear, perhaps no better example of trust among peers may be seen in sports. In baseball, it is the relationship between the pitcher and catcher. There is an undeniable bond of trust and partnership.

    However, the true faith, reliance, dependence that the pitcher may have in his catcher, when it’s the bottom of the ninth innings, seventh game of the world series, bases loaded, two outs and the opponents star at bat with a 3-2 count, may be founded on a conversation he had with his grandmother when he was seven…



    Why not Skype good ole’ King Charlemagne and ask him about lessons learned?


    May
    14.
    360 CONVERSATION CAFE DYNAMICS & THEIR COMMUNITY VALUE
    No Comments
    Category: NOW

    Paris…1978


    I was sitting in a french bakery the other day, and I began reflecting upon my experience in Paris in 1978.  As a photographer and a writer, I was constantly engaged in verbal or visual conversation.  Connection and experience of the moment fueled my every day activity.


    I remember sitting in an outdoor cafe setting, on a particular busy morning, and my eye was busy at work.  Hours flew by and conversations with the proprietor and his staff were engaging and full of laughs.  I offered to photograph his establishment as part of my way of saying, “Thanks for letting me hang out all day!”  Our connection, our conversations, our shared experience led to me being invited to an after closing party in Paris.


    The conversation dynamics at that corner cafe created the opportunity to engage in another community of connected circles, one that I would have never had entrance on my own. Our shared value–the friendship, the photographs, the experiences–were priceless.  I became part of a new community and experienced a side of Paris usually closed to outsiders…


    What dynamics of this 1978 experience apply to the world of meaningful conversations today?


    POWER OF NOTICING.  Part of my environment was verbal and visual–my surroundings…    noticing allows us to learn about and embrace different opinions.


    POWER OF LISTENING.  Engagement was the rule at every mini-community surrounding me.


    POWER OF SHARED EXPERIENCES–COLLABORATION.  My connection at the cafe opened up new conversation opportunities in other groups.


    POWER OF FEEL.  I liked the “feel factor” the husband/wife host created in their establishment.  They made me part of their dynamic.


    POWER OF FLOW.  The “event” I was part of had great flow, yet the flow was in a structured environment.  It retained my interest and fueled my curiosity.


    POWER OF THE SENSES.  Conversations,  both verbal and non-verbal, have a thirst to touch the senses.


    To me, these dynamics are the important values of the today’s “360 conversation cafés”: if you are the host, the leader creating engagement in open-ended conversation with your community members,  what environment have you created to ignite dialogue that provides you with feedback you are looking for?


    Creating an open, transparent culture of conversation, one that creates an experience by opening an interactive space is essential…it is not about surveys and stats analysis, delegated assignments or titles on business cards – but leaders engaging in authentic conversation with community members about meaningful topics.


    As you sit in a cafe, waiting for your next flight, take a look around you.  Conversations, left and right. Engagement…each party to the conversation brings a unique heartshare and mindshare to the experience. How are you setting the stage to ignite those dynamics to drive value?


    What say you?


    May
    11.
    SO YOU THINK IT’S A CONVERSATION JUNGLE OUT THERE?
    1 Comment
    Category: NOW

    EXP 360Conversation Café


    @EXP 360Conversation Café, our objective is to provide an ongoing, shared conversation platform that delivers value through education, information, and engagement.


    EXP 360Chat of the Day



    So You Think It’s a Conversation Jungle Out There?


    When one is involved in the world of conversations, one looks far and wide for interesting stories to share, hopefully with some value added in mind.  New York Times writer Nicholas Wade published an interesting article (12/07/09,  http:/tinyurl.com/yjkv65g) on a study led by Klaus Zuberbuhler of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland on Campbell Monkeys “conversations”, entitled, “ Boom! Hok! A Monkey Language Is Deciphered.

    • Boom boom! (I’m here, come to me!)
    • Krak krak! (Watch out, a leopard!)
    • Hok hok hok! (Hey, crowned eagle!)

    “Very good — you have already mastered half the basic vocabulary of the Campbell’s monkey, a fellow primate that lives in the forests of the Tai National Park in Ivory Coast. The adult males have six types of call, each with a specific meaning, but they can string two or more calls together into a message with a different meaning.”


    The above example of how slight variations in messaging can produce even more distinct forms of communication brings us to a very real and supremely challenging question:


    In today’s world of information overload, why should anyone take more than six seconds to listen to our voice?


    Consider the following stats on Internet 2009 compiled and posted on January 22, 2010 by Pingdom:


    What happened with the Internet in 2009?


    How many websites were added? How many emails were sent? How many Internet users were there?

    Email

    • 90 trillion – The number of emails sent on the Internet in 2009.
    • 247 billion – Average number of email messages per day.
    • 1.4 billion – The number of email users worldwide.
    • 100 million – New email users since the year before.
    • 81% – The percentage of emails that were spam.
    • 92% – Peak spam levels late in the year.
    • 24% – Increase in spam since last year.
    • 200 billion – The number of spam emails per day (assuming 81% are spam).

    Websites

    • 234 million – The number of websites as of December 2009.
    • 47 million – Added websites in 2009.

    Web servers

    • 13.9% – The growth of Apache websites in 2009.
    • -22.1% – The growth of IIS websites in 2009.
    • 35.0% – The growth of Google GFE websites in 2009.
    • 384.4% – The growth of Nginx websites in 2009.
    • -72.4% – The growth of Lighttpd websites in 2009.

    Domain names

    • 81.8 million – .COM domain names at the end of 2009.
    • 12.3 million – .NET domain names at the end of 2009.
    • 7.8 million – .ORG domain names at the end of 2009.
    • 76.3 million – The number of country code top-level domains (e.g. .CN, .UK, .DE, etc.).
    • 187 million – The number of domain names across all top-level domains (October 2009).
    • 8% – The increase in domain names since the year before.

    Internet users

    • 1.73 billion – Internet users worldwide (September 2009).
    • 18% – Increase in Internet users since the previous year.
    • 738,257,230 – Internet users in Asia.
    • 418,029,796 – Internet users in Europe.
    • 252,908,000 – Internet users in North America.
    • 179,031,479 – Internet users in Latin America / Caribbean.
    • 67,371,700 – Internet users in Africa.
    • 57,425,046 – Internet users in the Middle East.
    • 20,970,490 – Internet users in Oceania / Australia.

    Social media

    • 126 million – The number of blogs on the Internet (as tracked by BlogPulse).
    • 84% – Percent of social network sites with more women than men.
    • 27.3 million – Number of tweets on Twitter per day (November, 2009)
    • 57% – Percentage of Twitter’s user base located in the United States.
    • 4.25 million – People following @aplusk (Ashton Kutcher, Twitter’s most followed user).
    • 350 million – People on Facebook.
    • 50% – Percentage of Facebook users that log in every day.
    • 500,000 – The number of active Facebook applications.

    Images

    • 4 billion – Photos hosted by Flickr (October 2009).
    • 2.5 billion – Photos uploaded each month to Facebook.
    • 30 billion – At the current rate, the number of photos uploaded to Facebook per year.

    Videos

    • 1 billion – The total number of videos YouTube serves in one day.
    • 12.2 billion – Videos viewed per month on YouTube in the US (November 2009).
    • 924 million – Videos viewed per month on Hulu in the US (November 2009).
    • 182 – The number of online videos the average Internet user watches in a month (USA).
    • 82% – Percentage of Internet users that view videos online (USA).
    • 39.4% – YouTube online video market share (USA).
    • 81.9% – Percentage of embedded videos on blogs that are YouTube videos.

    Web browsers

    Malicious software

    • 148,000 – New zombie computers created per day (used in botnets for sending spam, etc.)
    • 2.6 million – Amount of malicious code threats at the start of 2009 (viruses, trojans, etc.)
    • 921,143 – The number of new malicious code signatures added by Symantec in Q4 2009.



    Data sources: Website and web server stats from Netcraft. Domain name stats from Verisign and Webhosting.info. Internet user stats from Internet World Stats. Web browser stats from Net Applications. Email stats from Radicati Group. Spam stats from McAfee. Malware stats from Symantec (and here) and McAfee. Online video stats from Comscore, Sysomos and YouTube. Photo stats from Flickr and Facebook. Social media stats from BlogPulse, Pingdom (here and here), Twittercounter, Facebook and GigaOm.



    So ya think we live in the world of information overload?


    Now, add to this the average American’s exposure to thousands of advertising messages a
    Day…oh, and don’t forget that we are all part of these stats!


    History repeats itself and although technology is ever evolving, some things never change…in 1759, Samuel Johnson wrote, “Advertisements are now so numerous that they are very negligently perused, and it is therefore become necessary to gain attention by magnificence of promises, and by eloquence sometimes sublime and sometimes pathetic.”


    So, the Web is driving down attention spans…content is proliferating online, whether it is news, Tweets, ReTweets, Soon-to-be-Tweets, videos, blog posts, or Facebook status updates, more and more “stuff” is created.


    How do you get your “stuff” into the “value added stuff” to generate 360° conversations that build your brand? In the world of zero standards, how do you manage the slew of different tech devices that deliver your messages? PC, Mac,  iPads, Blackberrys, TVs, Kindles, X-Boxes, and soon-to-be-must have boxes? And then there are firewalls, paywalls, porta-potty walls, etc?


    It is a daunting task but certain “musts” must be practiced consistently.


    • Markets are conversations.  Thank you, Cluetrain Manifesto. Your brand must have significance to the market you are in conversation with.
    • Your conversation voices must be human.  This is NOT about selling.  This is about Educating, Informing, Engaging…
    • Time is in short supply.  Make your conversation about your audience and adding value, NOT about YOU.
    • Ask Questions.  You may think what you have to say is important, but why?  Have you engaged with your marketplace to make the 360° conversation experience of true value?
    • Listen.  Respond.  Have dialogue. Focus on building relationships where everyone wins.




    Standing apart from all the inhabitants in the jungle is not easy.  Having a 360° conversation plan in your marketplaces must be well designed, open, flexible, and meaningful.


    And, it will take time.  What 360 conversation strategies are you putting into marketplaces to stand out from your jungle playmates?


    What say you?


    May
    04.
    CONVERSATION MODELS
    No Comments
    Category: NOW

    EXP 360Conversation Café


    @EXP 360Conversation Café, our objective is to provide an ongoing, shared conversation platform that delivers value through education, information, and engagement.


    EXP 360Chat of the Day


    Up on today’s café daily specials menu is a simple but powerful model that we use to get our clients thinking out loud when crafting a 360° conversation model for their communities.





    The EXP Conversation Model has seven interconnected components.


    These are:

    • Discovery:  Developing a common ground conversation platform
    • Shared Understanding: the power of 360° conversations-questions, mutual language, voices that are put forth and listened to…
    • Exchange:  Focus on common ground improvements.
    • Feedback: Interpretations are provided which link the dynamics of the current conversation with ongoing and past dialogues. Open sharing of meaningful content is critical during feedback.
    • Conversation Mapping: Laying the groundwork of the shared conversation platform and jointly understanding the key components within the target community.
    • What Say You? Honesty, encouragement, enlightenment…did you know?
    • Testing, Evaluation, Execution, Re-Discovery




    Do you have a conversation model such as the one above?  If so, how much focus do you spend in Discovery? Is your model 360 active or has it been collecting dust on the shelf?


    What challenges are you facing within your targeted communities?  We welcome topics for discussion that we can drive through the 360EXP Conversation Café Community!


    What Say You?


    Apr
    20.
    360 CONVERSATION LESSONS LEARNED FROM MY BLACK LAB SAMMI
    No Comments
    Category: NOW

    EXP 360Conversation Café

    @EXP 360Conversation Café, our objective is to provide an ongoing, shared conversation platform that delivers value through education, information, and engagement.


    EXP 360Chat of the Day


    “Have you practiced talking 360 with your pet lately?”


    No seriously. You know what I am talking about. You probably have more honest, focused, one-to-one conversations with your pets than you do with most humans during the course of the day.


    Why?


    Most pets are all ears and they are interested in what you say. They respond to you when you give them value and they remain loyal to a fault. My black lab Sammi is an excellent listener. He uses silent paw methods to engage and communicate when he sees I am on the phone…he rarely interrupts or turns our conversations towards him–unless he is hungry and I have not given him what he wants, when he wants it…


    Pets really are…the perfect community member.


    They also offer up great conversation lessons–if we take them seriously. Think about it…if you do not establish a bond of trust and learn about how they like to be treated, they will run the other way and in all likelihood, they will never come back. If on the other hand, you get to know them over time, and take the time to understand their likes and dislikes, you will have a 360 conversation partner for life.


    Such is the case with your community audiences. If you approach them in an educational, informative, and engaging manner, chances are they will respond in kind. No different than the first experiences with your new pet… it takes time to establish a rapport with your audiences.


    Our next EXP Café will explore the conversation building process. I wonder if today’s café experience will get you engaged with your pet when you get home tonight.


    Me? I’m going to ask Sammi who he thinks the Giants will be taking in the first round of the upcoming NFL draft…and I will be taking notes!


    Ah, lessons learned from canine wisdom…


    What Say You?


    Mar
    15.
    TIGER, MEET TOYODA. Perhaps the two of you should chat…
    No Comments
    Category: NOW

    On the Links, On the Road…In the Sand trap, in the Breakdown Lane…


    Real world problems often hit when one is least prepared, and only then can one gauge if preparation for crisis management is where it needs to be.








    Mr. Tiger, meet Mr. Toyoda.


    Both of you have shared many check marks in the “plus” column…your product is designed for perfection, media coverage has historically positioned you in the winner’s circle, your game has been constantly challenged by the market law that one is “only as great as your last…” you have ranked as the top leaders in highly competitive fields, comfortably perched on the top of the leader’s board…


    But almost poetically, you have both suffered major cracks in your armaments, filling the “minus” column with mountainous challenges that may not be scalable to swing either brand back to the pinnacle of market dominance once so justly achieved…


    The lion on the links suffered not in the wars of the game that provided the game for his unmatched fame;  twas “beauties” off the course that tamed the “beast”…


    The titan whose name bears witness to his famed domination of the world’s roadways suffered fatal blows from fatal flaws in his products and their designs.


    Who would have thought that the competition to dethrone either champion would come from “within”…


    Lessons learned?


    Perhaps the most glaring common threads are sewn in the lack of crisis management in either case.  Tiger Woods decided to position himself removed from the pack and therefore his conversations need only be one way, according to his schedule. Whether Tiger, Chairman of the Board, or Tiger Inc., advisors aplenty, made the decision, is irrelevant.   The decision was potentially–and perhaps potently–WRONG.


    Mr. Toyoda fell from grace by failing to listen to the voices in the marketplaces as well.  Toyota, the legendary auto giant, we could handle this internally, and that we would “regain the trust of those customers who are driving our vehicles”, no need to explain…The decision was potentially–and perhaps potently–WRONG.


    Both have said, “I take full responsibility.”  But simply admitting the wrong, saying “I am deeply sorry”, and asking for a second chance may be no longer deemed acceptable.  The power of 360° conversations now rules.  As Cluetrain Manifesto so prophetically told us in 1999, “Markets are Conversations.”


    Three incredibly power words that are now etched at the top of all strategy board rooms, anywhere.


    So, let’s take a look at a few “What ifs”…


    Tiger Woods. What if instead of addressing only a few “chosen few” to sit and listen only to his surgically prepared, Tiger read speech…the world was able to share their feelings, their opinions, their concerns, their support–whatever they truly wanted to express and either Tiger and/or Tiger Inc. responded?


    One might ask, “What if the questions that were positioned were too personal, lacking in tone or proper content, for example, too directed to the very people Tiger insisted he was protecting, the innocent–his family?  Then answer might be quite firm and direct, “That is an area that will remain private within my family.”


    At least the interactive is two-way based, versus one way pushed…


    Toyota. Mr. Toyoda was extremely sincere in his public voice regarding the tragedies suffered by Toyota customer families, “Four precious lives have been lost. I offer my deepest condolences,” Mr. Toyoda said. “Customers bought our cars because they thought they were the safest. But now we have given them cause for grave concern. I can’t begin to express my remorse.”


    One might ask, “What if Mr. Toyoda has come forth more aggressively, as the spokesperson for his namesake company.  What if Mr. Toyoda broke Japanese tradition earlier by aggressively having more one to one dialogue with his marketplaces, the consumer, the dealer, the media…”


    Mr. Toyoda may have answered critics claims that perhaps he should have come to the forefront quicker and more openly with the public than he did.  Appearing on Larry King Live, on CNN, the following exchange highlights the need for more open, two way dialogue.


    KING: All right, two other things. You’re famous for being publicity shy. Is this difficult for you? Was it hard to appear on this program tonight?


    TOYODA: Well, Larry, I feel really honored that I was able to appear on your program as the number one person of my company. I thought the vehicles, the cars is the main character, so I wanted to stay on the side state (ph), but perhaps I should change my idea going forward and I need to talk to customers more straightforwardly.


    We certainly live in a world dominated by technologies and by the marketplace “ignitions” that are driven by these tech innovations.  However, one thing rises above all technologies, and will continue to remain high on top of the winner’s circle, no matter the industry, no matter the arena…


    The Human to Human Connection.


    Conversations ignite relationships.


    And it is conversations that ignite marketplaces.
    em>

    The way you choose your “ignitions” is up to you, but brand beware…


    Mr. Tiger, Meet Mr. Toyoda.


    Mar
    15.
    HEALTH CARE SUMMIT…TOPIC DEBATE? POLITICAL POSITIONING? or 2-WAY CONVERSATION?
    3 Comments
    Category: NOW

    If nothing else, the now famous 7.5 hour health care summit a couple of weeks back showed textbook study of the power of many forms of “conversations.”

    My many years traveling in the circles of thought leader content and entertainment voices melded instantly together, clear as a bell and in synch…

    Did any of you hear it…

    • Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons (“Silence is Golden”)…
    • Vanilla Fudge (“You Keep Me Hangin On”)…
    • Aretha Franklin medley (“Respect, “Think”, “Chain of Fools”)
    and most vividly…
    • The Black Eyed Peas (“Let’s Get It Started”)

    I am sure you all out there have your own tunes that may have popped into your brains, but really…

    Hey, on both sides of the court, do you hear the message the PEOPLE are sending you?  This is NOT about Republican versus Democrat…this is about perhaps for the first time, you the Gents and Lasses WE the PEOPLE, for the PEOPLE, by the PEOPLE, put you in office to please do MOST of the time…

    Listen…Learn…Communicate…Listen again…Learn again…Communicate again…ACT!

    It’s a CONVERSATION.  It takes TWO to tango…CAPICE??? Do you understand??? Do you get “it”???

    LET’S GET IT STARTED! PEOPLE!

    Difficult conversations drive actions. Actions that put in their rightful places the pain, the politics, the risks, the back-room power plays, the media one ups-man-ship, on and on and on, that often get in the way of progress. And markets need those difficult conversations to drive impact. Results. Do.  Call it what you want, but let’s get it started people…

    I applaud President Obama for being a master of conversation silence. In these verbal jousting arenas that define political engagement, it is often what one says by NOT speaking that is most impacting.  The pause, the look, the nod…these are skills the great communicators master, and our President clearly is a master orator.

    And weren’t the conversations truly 360°?

    Most memorable was the joust between President Obama and Sen. John McCain, his Republican rival in the 2008 presidential campaign. When McCain tried to dig back to the election campaign jargon, Obama masterfully listened and tried to refocus the dialogue to the supposed issue at hand.

    “Let me just make this point, John, because we’re not campaigning anymore,” Obama said. “The election’s over.”

    It appeared that McCain did know that the election was indeed “over.”

    I am not “party political. ” I am in fact, one of those newly popular “indy-pen-dent-gents”.  Don’t ask me what that means.  If you do, it may take me too long to answer, and nothing will make any sense anyway. Sounds political though, doesn’t it?

    But I am “conversation political.”  And I think we need to make a call for ending the two party political system and go back to a singular party, The American Party.  At least we can all go to a real party, not have to wear badges with our names and affiliations on them, and simply put the words “USA” on the name badges.

    Let’s go back to the daunting task at hand, one by the way that we all should have a voice in-coverage that helps keep USA healthy and alive, thus contributors to the USA.

    House Minority Whip Eric Cantor’s visual “conversation” that stacked the health care papers in front of him actually contributed greatly to the experience of the summit–it ignited a conversation that got reply.

    “You know, when we do props like this, you stack it up and you repeat 2,400 pages, et cetera — the truth of the matter is that health care is very complicated. And we can try to pretend that it’s not, but it is,” Obama said. “These are the kind of political things we do that prevent us from actually having a conversation.”

    Ah, but it did create conversation…at the very least, the 360° conversations continued–for example the Obama/Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., joust after the senator said individual premiums will rise if the Senate bill passes.

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may have said the most important thing that came out of the 7.5 hour health care summit “experience.”  “The most patient man in the world is Barack Obama,” Reid said. “He sat through that and listened to everything and was so patient and responsive. It was a issue-oriented meeting. The president let everybody talk and talk and talk.”

    Now, if the two sides can focus on the real issues, talk, listen, and act–complete the basic principle about a meaningful conversation–we (USA) may actually get somewhere.

    Markets are Conversations, after all…

    What say you?  topic debate? political positioning? two-way conversation? expensive lunch only on tax payer dollar?  What say you?


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