Conversation as a change agent

I’m a word geek. An etymology nerd. So this morning I went back to basics and sought out the roots of ‘conversation’ in the dictionary. In amongst the obvious definitions – informal interchange of thoughts and ideas, intimate acquaintance etc. – was an interesting, now obsolete use of the term: behaviour or manner of being.

It’s about time that one came back into common currency.

Most brands now understand that a conversational approach helps them to listen to their consumers and engage with them in a personal and flexible way. But it’s the ones who see conversation as a whole way of being for their business, inside and out, who are benefiting the most. WOM is about how you talk internally, quickly and creatively sharing information, links and ideas with everyone from the lowliest admin guy to the swankiest CEO (we love Socialcast so talk to us if you fancy it for yourself). WOM is about how your staff talk about the business in their everyday lives and on social media, maintaining the fine balance between freedom of speech, enthusiastic advocacy, and necessary discretion. WOM is about how you recruit new staff in a way that feels natural and empowering to them. WOM is about how the teenager in your store treats his customers, about the simple functional twist in your packaging, about what you serve in the canteen.

That’s why WOM needs to be ‘owned’ by every department, not just Digital or PR.

As this is already starting to sound a bit Yoda, I may as well go ahead and quote the wrinkled one himself: “Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.” Be conversational; don’t just do.

Brought into the world on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 and filed under Uncategorized.