Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

Super Bowl Edition

If you're looking for the best Super Bowl ads of all time, or this year's line up, links are at the end of this post. But first, a few ideas on how to enjoy the game in the company of family and friends - with a bit of brainy twist. Under the learning to learn theme: Have you ever watched a game with the sound off? You will be able to read lips and body language. Plus it will help you exercise your power of observation. Here's a series of challenges and ways to boost your observation skills and learn... Read more →

On Connecting Well

I've been re-reading William Zinsser On Writing Well and becoming ever so conscious of what I put out here. Hence the shorter posts lately. Learning to tighten form and edit out unnecessary words is one reason to read the book. Understanding that good writing leads to connecting well is an added incentive, if you need one. Words matter. How you string sentences and paragraphs into a cohesive story is a valuable skill. “A badly written message can do a lot of damage,” says Zinsser Having rewritten many of my top posts from past years I can attest to the usefulness... Read more →

Can Creativity be Taught?

Having Trouble Defining a Topic? Maybe you did not spend enough time thinking about it. In this short video, Sir Ken Robinson (@sirkenrobinson) explains why we have such a hard time defining creativity -- when we do not take the time to think about and explore a topic, we have trouble defining it. Robinson's definition: Creativity is the process of having original ideas that have value. It's a process, and not an event. [...] it's normally a process of trial and error. And we don't know quite a lot about that process and how it works, some of the phases... Read more →

What Makes People Different than Machines

I remember the first time we had a big now storm; I was six years old. We dug tunnels for our short selves and soon we had a labyrinth. Was it cold? We could not feel it all bundled up, busy digging and smoothing the white surface, the three of us for once working as a unit, each doing her share. A memory that came back to me as the photo above was being shared on Twitter yesterday. Cities faced difficult logistics of where to put the snow when clearing streets even then. What a bonanza for us! It kept... Read more →

The Long Run

I lost count of the number of people who have told me they intend their business to be or become the Apple of their industry. What never follows is the discipline to make -- operational, structural, etc. -- choices and stay motivated to see them through, or throw them out. “Steve had a remarkable knack for letting go of things that didn't work. If you were in an argument with him, and you convinced him that you were right, he could instantly change his mind. He didn't hold on to an idea because he had once believed it to be... Read more →

A Brief Story of Our Culture

Cinematic Montage from GameOvais on Vimeo. I came across this cinematic montage made using clips from 280 movies from different decades and different genres. You can only imagine how long it took to pull together. Follow the link to Vimeo and you will find the list of movies mined. The clips construct a new narrative --- wonder, connection, challenge, courage, sorrow, exploration, discovery, hope, fight, destruction, belief, and somewhere tucked in there also redemption. A brief story of our culture viewed through the lens of the editors, complete with male celebrity voice overs and Thomas Bergersen's soundtrack. We are naturally... Read more →

Mining Language and the Power of Story

Making Sense: From the evocative power of words to the epic examples of human endeavor we mine language and real world events to create new mind opening experiences -- sometimes life-altering. The Weird Science of Naming New Products. NYT: The oddity is that for all the weight a company places on choosing names, the decisions arise from a process that couldn’t be less corporate. There are no naming metrics, no real way to know if a new name helps or hinders. The field attracts people who are comfortable with such ambiguity. [...] namers are stand-up comics, photographers, rappers, linguists and... Read more →

Google Firestarters: Creativity in a Constrained World

A simple change of words can make a big difference when it comes to experimenting and getting things done, even in highly regulated industries (where I spent many years of my career.) Add “how” to the question: can we do this? We live in a world driven by a super-abundance of choices and connections yet bounded by a scarcity of time and resources. How we respond to these constraints is one of the most important strategic challenges of our time and will be a large determinant of our future progress as people, businesses, and citizens of our planet. Last night's... Read more →

Why it's Important for Marketers to Write Well

There is no question that today's marketers are wearing many more hats than they used to. When I hinted at the many faces of marketing last week, a few people reached out to set the record straight -- there is much more than meets the eye. Yes, I know. Right? Which brings me to the reason why it's important for marketers to write well; because with digital influence and social engagement being still desirable for brands young and mature alike, regardless of what else is going on, it has never been a better time to connect with audiences and customers.... Read more →

Understanding Audiences in a Connected World

If I had to boil down my talk on influence to one action verb, that verb would be understand. Understanding goes a long way when you are looking to make connections because it leads you to the appeal factor. This intelligence, well executed, allows you to have more impact, and beyond the here and now. TNS proposes there are four main personas -- Functionals, Connectors, Observers, Leaders -- each exhibiting behaviors associated with their degree of digital influence and social engagement: 1. Digital influence The first dimension is the degree to which a consumer is connected throughout the day across... Read more →