Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

Definition of Passion

I did not write this. Maybe at some point I translated it from Italian. I found it in my grab bag and wanted to share it with you. Today is a day of stories and Celtic tradition, when magic was most potent. What is more potent than magic? Passion. Try on this definition and share yours, if you will. This is magic. Passion is an enchanted prayer. It’s sacred; a profound mystery that transforms through awareness. It is grace that saves. The only sin passion can commit is to exist without joy. When you see, feel the real truth of... Read more →

Getting Your Message Through

How do you get your message through? When the British, with disbelief and sadness, learn of the death of Princess Diane, the then most famous woman in the world, Queen Elizabeth II, retires behind the walls of Bamoral castle with her family. Unable to understand the reaction of her people to this tragedy, the Queen, a masterful Helen Mirren, is shown occupying her days while waiting for it to blow over. Tony Blair is a young and fresh Prime Minister at the time. Portrayed by Michael Sheen as a popular and overconfident leader, Blair gives himself the difficult task of... Read more →

Spectrum of Schemes Worth Understanding

I was approached by an acquaintance several months before buying my open ticket to the US. At the time I was attending university by day, bar tending at night and cramming study, fitness and life into a few short hours per day. Who had time to sleep? The proposal was enticing -- making money fast. Well, call me what you will, I never believed in get-anything-quick schemes. The transaction as it was presented did not feel right. The pyramid scheme I did not join into collapsed a few weeks later leaving several people holding the candle. I would have lost... Read more →

Letter Writing, the Lost Art

How does language create the mind? Language is one of the most sophisticated cognitive skills we possess as humans. It expresses and shapes thought. It contains an implicit classification of experience and is designed to change the neural pathways to the brain, thus changing minds. The changing patterns occur through the use of sounds and symbols. Think about metaphors. A metaphor finds connections between things in the mind and new connections enable the mind to see the world differently. Thus communication may seem like a miracle. And believe me, many times I have marveled at that. Two or more beings... Read more →

Design of Future: Sustainability

What is design for sustainability? It is a conference taking place today at Stanford. It is also a culture, as in Mio, a Philadelphia-based design company founded in 2001 by brothers Isaac and Jaime Salm with the objective of combining business rigor with environmentally and socially progressive design experiences. We met with Jaime and Isaac last June to discuss how to re-imagine the meaning of 21st century urban cool. Sustainability, in Jaime's words, is not a formula, it's a process; one that must be accessible to all as in open source. A sustainable product starts as efficiency and becomes eco-intelligence.... Read more →

Photographic Memory

My visual memory is more developed than other kinds of memory. When I meet someone, I tend to remember their name after I have seen it in writing on their business card. That's why I wait a day or so before I enter information on my Palm; to give myself enough time to absorb the visual and recall it. This morning I came across a visual composed by 4,000 photographs depicting the city of London. Striking, isn't it? The big picture from a distance suggests a sort of pattern by color. The composition up close shows several frames each telling... Read more →

Cosi' Fan Tutti, Not Really - Part II

Developing the system for my growth was the platform that allowed me the opportunity to work in different industries over the years. There is no magic in it, just ingredients. In my previous post I used a description of 3 strengths: Love of learning -- I am profoundly interested in knowledge and people. Sometimes there is a specific go-to-market focus. Malcolm Gladwell called someone who gathers extensive information Maven in The Tipping Point. It means being curious and skeptical. Inquirer editor John Timpane just taught us that skepticism requires the official story to explain itself. Talent for getting the right... Read more →

Failure is Only a Temporary Condition

Testing is part of the marketing process. Doing, being involved, measuring outcomes, reading and learning are all part of this process. Marketing is not a job title, nor it is a static function; it is the sum of all of the elements that represent the experience of what it feels like to do business with you, including: Customer service - How do you answer the phone? What does that conversation sound like? Product/Service development - What does the market need? What are the attributes of the product/service? What is the existing market environment? How do you make it? Does appearance... Read more →

Book Debut Not Quite As Planned

Bob Woodward's third book about Bush and the war in Iraq, State of Denial, was making news a couple of weeks ago. The headlines were not about Woodward's writing, nor were they about his anonymous sources, they were about Simon & Shuster, the publisher, being 'scooped' by details on the new book being leaked ahead of the company's planned promotional release. The New York Times reported the action, which broke some embargoes. Simon & Shuster had to move up the release date, allowing bookstores to stock shelves ahead of schedule. The publisher treated the situation as a change in plans... Read more →

Cosi' Fan Tutti, Not Really - Part I

In the early spring of the year 2000 I learned that the company I worked at was being bought and my job was going to be integrated. How do you like that word? I didn't and I did. At the time I had been a member of several local professional organizations -- I could not volunteer because I had a 78-mile commute each way -- and managed nonetheless to participate at events and contribute to a newsletter. Now what? While reaching out to my friends and peers was one of the first things I did, my priority remained to figure... Read more →