Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

The Mind of a Creator

[Leonardi da Vinci - digitized notebook] Most people prefer the use of known and simple words, to cover a lot of ground. Yet when we learn more words, we expand not just our verbal tool set, but also our mind and thinking. Yes, too many words can get in the way, but too few get you nowhere fast. In 2016, Umberto Galimberti, a contemporary philosopher, author, sociologist, journalist, and professor spoke at the Verona Festival of Beauty. Among the many provocations in his 1.5 hour conversation was an observation on how language has changed over the centuries. His talk# was... Read more →

4 Questions with Umberto Eco, Author and Professor Emeritus, University of Bologna

[image via Bologna Inside] Things need to happen step by step, respecting a learning process — excessive greed can undermine a person's goals permanently. As a professor and author, he pushed our minds to the limit. A former student said, “He argued that intuition was simply speedy logic, and Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes were the masters of this semiotic.”# I wasn't so lucky to have him as professor, but I share the sentiment on what it feels like wanting to learn to understand. Umberto Eco (1932-2016) was a semiologist, philosopher, mass media expert and narrator. He was a teacher... Read more →

Why I don't use the Word "Problem" Anymore

The idea that we need to identify what is in the way of our goals is good. But a focus on the word “problem” often becomes the obstacle. Because we get stuck into a “situation, matter, or person that is hard to deal with or understand,” as the main definition suggests. Some languages address the issue with a strong secondary meaning for an important word. Take for example “crisis.” It also means opportunity in Chinese. Instead of getting stuck with a difficult situation, we can shift our attention to what we can make of it. If instead of starting with... Read more →

My Origin Story

Last year I wrote a longer form description of my background and work and never shared it here. Is it important to share our story? When I work with companies, I often explain how your story allows people to connect with you. Your story also creates culture. Businesses talk about their origin story – what got the core team together, how they identified the opportunity for a product or service. Your culture is how you draw energy from the past and day-to-day to create the future. Whether you're a founder who set out to create a solution for a gap... Read more →

How to Build a 21st Century Brand

[source: iab] Direct to source is a protocol of online etiquette that has spread from the late '90s forums / early '00s blogs to services, news, and products. Links turned out to be much more powerful that we thought. They upturned hierarchies, and transformed entire industries – first slowly, then overnight. We're a demanding generation. Thanks to the immediacy of technology and the exposure to ever increasing sophisticated marketing, we expect direct-to-brand / person / entity (that is competent, ready, and willing to help) experiences. Value is about fitness, specificity, ease, speed, and utility. Is the product good enough? Is... Read more →

4 Questions with David Berkowitz, Serial Marketer

David Berkowitz is well known and respected within the marketing community. And with good reason. He's been educating us on emerging technologies in Advertising Age, MediaPost, VentureBeat, Mashable, Adweek and his blog since I can remember. He's also held Chief Strategy and Chief Marketing roles in companies and is all around generous in making connections for others. We met as bloggers in the early days – he starter Serial Marketer at about the same time I started Conversation Agent – and have been in touch since. Our big adventure together was a few years ago in Sao Paulo, Brazil. After... Read more →