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Casual Articles - Thoughtful Conversations
Today our choices are limitless to advertise. We can print a flyer, print an add in the paper, advertise on television, give out promotional products branded with your logo or message, place an add on the internet or email. Why is Print still the best?Let's start with an add in the paper. Exposure is good but the cost is high and it is a hit or miss opportunity. Today less and less people read the paper from end to end due to a lack of time and a greater resource for capturing important information. Blink and your costly add goes right into the garbage. Unless you’re willing to spend thousand for a full page color ads, you’re probably not spending your marketing dollar wisely.Email for a while was great. You could purchase a list and send a bulk email to thousands or millions in a few minutes. Unfortunately what seemed like a great idea turned into a great annoyance and soon legislators soon outlawed this method. Today you must get permission from the end user in order to send them email opportunities. While this can be good, usually you’re preaching to the converted. If you want to tap into new markets, this probably isn't that effective.Fax
The Collaborative Conversation focuses on the relationship and is characterised by mutuality, sharing, listening, being with, being for and intimacy. Often it is a mixture of sympathy and small-talk. Rarely are difficult matters carefully addressed. While there are amazingly deep Collaborative Conversations, it is all too easy for them to contain small talk and a level of communication that does m
At first all new businesses start of as an idea. How do you turn this idea into a profitable opportunity? When the idea grips you so much, that you wake up in the middle of the night and hurriedly scribble down some notes, what do you do next? Some of the best business ideas I have had have come at night but usually they are so bold that most of them end up in the "ideas box".What is the procedure to follow when a revelation occurs usually late Friday night, early Saturday morning?Business Idea-Now that you have an idea for a new business, how realistic is it? Does it still sound interesting in the cold light of the day? Does it fit into your lifestyle? Can you dedicate the time and effort required to do the next step...Opportunity Planning-Now that you have decided to take your business idea to the next level, break down each stage into manageable chunks. To turn your idea into a profitable opportunity, create a plan for each "chunk" and allocate time and resources to it. Your plan doesn't have to be extremely complicated. You can deal with hurdles as they arise. This now leads to...ActionSet a deadline for each s
"Words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup, they slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe…" (John Lennon)In spite of this warning against verbal pollution from over 25 years ago the number of words used has increased dramatically in recent years. By mobile phone, fax, email, newspaper, newscaster, politician, teacher or graffiti, words inundate us. The vast majority of words have no lasting value and are produced without thought and received without thought. However, they do have impact and are used to heal, to inform, to kill time, to persuade or to hurt. They also have an end-purpose and are spoken for the benefit of the listener, sometimes for the speaker but rarely for mutual benefit. The Four Conversations
Words come together to create conversations – conversations are defined as words with a purpose. For our purposes here there are four types of conversation:
1. The conversation that takes place for the sake of the speaker (the “Persuasion” Conversation) This type of conversation contains communication intended to bring about the will of the word-maker not the receiver. At its extreme it can easily become a monologue and is the form of language most often used by those in authority or leadership roles where there is a disparity of power. Power within this conversation resides with the speaker, and because this is essentially one way, the level of relational depth achieved is low. We might describe this form of conversation as dictation, or direction, or authority. Its purpose is to realise the intention of the speaker.
2. The conversation that takes place for the sake of the relationship (the “Collaborative” Conversation)
The Collaborative Conversation focuses on the relationship and is characterised by mutuality, sharing, listening, being with, being for and intimacy. Often it is a mixture of sympathy and small-talk. Rarely are difficult matters carefully addressed. While there are amazingly deep Collaborative Conversations, it is all too easy for them to contain small talk and a level of communication that does mo
Have you ever had someone try to persuade you with those old, outdated, offensive tactics? You know the ones I am talking about. Before you are even close to purchasing a product I am sure that you have been asked: “Do you want it in green or black?” I am sure you have also heard: “If I could show you how to become financially independent, you’d be interested wouldn’t you?” This backs you into a corner and you don’t even want to answer the question. You wonder, does this person really think I’m that dumb? You don’t buy from these people. You don’t even like these people. You never go back to their store. Do these tactics still work? Sure they do. It is the law of averages. Eventually you can find someone who will bend to any persuasive technique. Great persuaders are not smarter; they just have the right tools.You have heard the adage, “If you are a hammer, everyone is a nail.” You can't treat everyone exactly the same. You have to customize the presentation to every customer. I want to give you a new set of tools because one tool will not fit all your prospects. You can’t use the old school tactics and force every prospect into the same m
Words come together to create conversations – conversations are defined as words with a purpose. For our purposes here there are four types of conversation:
1. The conversation that takes place for the sake of the speaker (the “Persuasion” Conversation) This type of conversation contains communication intended to bring about the will of the word-maker not the receiver. At its extreme it can easily become a monologue and is the form of language most often used by those in authority or leadership roles where there is a disparity of power. Power within this conversation resides with the speaker, and because this is essentially one way, the level of relational depth achieved is low. We might describe this form of conversation as dictation, or direction, or authority. Its purpose is to realise the intention of the speaker.
2. The conversation that takes place for the sake of the relationship (the “Collaborative” Conversation)
The Collaborative Conversation focuses on the relationship and is characterised by mutuality, sharing, listening, being with, being for and intimacy. Often it is a mixture of sympathy and small-talk. Rarely are difficult matters carefully addressed. While there are amazingly deep Collaborative Conversations, it is all too easy for them to contain small talk and a level of communication that does m
Asking for a raise is difficult under the best of circumstances. Asking for one in today’s economy and business climate is down right brave. However, the fact remains that if you believe you deserve a raise, you need to make the request.Employees and employers are becoming savvy in the art of negotiation. Consequently, a little advance preparation can give you the edge you need in your negotiations. Use my seven-point checklist to ensure you are ready, willing, and able to negotiate your next pay increase.1. Raise or Recognition? Are you sure it’s a raise you want and not just more recognition or better working conditions? It is imperative to have this worked out in your mind before beginning any negotiations. Have an idea of what you expect but be realistic. Large raises are no longer commonplace. Research detailing what is a reasonable percentage increase to expect can be done using general economic business condition. Statistics are available for the inflation rate and general business benchmarks.2. You deserve a raise, why? Have you asked yourself why you deserve a raise? The answer should never be because you want or need one.
1. The conversation that takes place for the sake of the speaker (the “Persuasion” Conversation) This type of conversation contains communication intended to bring about the will of the word-maker not the receiver. At its extreme it can easily become a monologue and is the form of language most often used by those in authority or leadership roles where there is a disparity of power. Power within this conversation resides with the speaker, and because this is essentially one way, the level of relational depth achieved is low. We might describe this form of conversation as dictation, or direction, or authority. Its purpose is to realise the intention of the speaker.
2. The conversation that takes place for the sake of the relationship (the “Collaborative” Conversation)
The Collaborative Conversation focuses on the relationship and is characterised by mutuality, sharing, listening, being with, being for and intimacy. Often it is a mixture of sympathy and small-talk. Rarely are difficult matters carefully addressed. While there are amazingly deep Collaborative Conversations, it is all too easy for them to contain small talk and a level of communication that does m
Every businessperson wants to sell his products and services to as many people as possible. This is the primary aim for which they all work. However, not everyone is successful in this task. Many a times people feel that they are making every possible effort to sell their product but without much success. This has been analysed by behavioural scientists and they have concluded that there are five primary reasons because of which people refrain from buying goods or services. Let's look at these reasons and ways to overcome them, which can be adopted in your marketing strategy to increase sales. 1. Monetary Factor - In a way, any product that you buy is a gamble. Many people feel that by buying a particular product, they are taking a monetary gamble and if the product does not hold true then they could end up loosing their money. You can however, provide them security from this issue by offering some kind of guarantee on the product. This guarantee could be in any form. You can offer them various options such as cash back guarantee, free trial, or chance to exchange their prod
2. The conversation that takes place for the sake of the relationship (the “Collaborative” Conversation)
The Collaborative Conversation focuses on the relationship and is characterised by mutuality, sharing, listening, being with, being for and intimacy. Often it is a mixture of sympathy and small-talk. Rarely are difficult matters carefully addressed. While there are amazingly deep Collaborative Conversations, it is all too easy for them to contain small talk and a level of communication that does m
Every business owner should have a business card, even if you are a work at home mom. If you are in business, you need a business card. The trick to business cards is making sure it is useful and eye-catching. We have already discussed the importance of having a solid brand identity, so now you need to transfer that onto your business card.What is the most important thing about your business card????THE REAL ESTATE…Here are a few suggestions on how to make the best of your business card real estate.1. Make sure your brand identity is reflected on your business* your logo, web address, company email and tagline (if you have one) should be on your card2. Don’t forget to add your company’s general information* mailing address, phone and fax number, etc3. NEVER LEAVE THE BACK OF YOUR BUSINESS CARD BLANK* This is very important. When business cards are left blank on the back, they most often get used as scratch note paper. * Instead of leaving the back of your cad blank, try putting useful information about your company on there.For Instance:* If you have a BLOG, put your blog address on the
The Collaborative Conversation focuses on the relationship and is characterised by mutuality, sharing, listening, being with, being for and intimacy. Often it is a mixture of sympathy and small-talk. Rarely are difficult matters carefully addressed. While there are amazingly deep Collaborative Conversations, it is all too easy for them to contain small talk and a level of communication that does moves beyond gossip or abstract topics like the weather or sport. Participants can also, very often, conspire against addressing topics that may feel unsafe or difficult for one party or another. Instead, they find ways to justify, excuse or deny the importance of certain problems.
3 The conversation that takes place for the sake of the receiver (The “Coaching” Conversation)
This conversation centres on the needs of another person. The Coaching Conversation says: “Let me know what you need, and I’ll help you find the solution”. It is often the conversation of the helping professions where one person facilitates the needs of another. Clearly, there is often a power imbalance between helper and the one being helped. The content of the conversation (unlike the other conversations above) often entails a greater degree of purpose and depth.
4. The conversation that takes place for the sake of growth (The “Thoughtful” Conversation)
This is the conversation whose purpose is to develop the potential of one or both participants. It is a difficult conversation to have if both have not chosen it and if power is not shared. At the same time the conversation has purpose. A Thoughtful Conversation seeks to enter the risky territory that friends avoid and looks at purpose, intention, development and what stops a person from moving on. It’s a difficult conversation as well as a vital one.
The features of the “Thoughtful Conversation” are risk, listening, depth, attention, empathy, integrity, honesty, care and engagement and the philosophy can be summed up with this notion:
“How can I know what I think until I hear what I say?”
By saying it out loud in a co
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