Elaine Rumboll

I have had a bee in my bonnet for a couple of months now regarding the implications of You and Them colliding in the marketplace of words. If blogging is now becoming an arena as easily accessible for corporate messages as for individual thoughts, what then happens to Tone? The Cluetrain Manifesto is clear that the tone used by Business needs to change but what does this mean for the way we engage and what will the impact be on the way individuals communicate their messages. Will these become more formal and business messages become more chatty? As we become increasingly subject to the tyranny of increased partial attention disorder, messages have had to become increasingly stickier. If You and Them start sounding the same, will this create a downturn interest in reading blogs or will there emerge a different tone to distinguish both? I would really love to have your thoughts on this as it is a topic which I think could have far reaching implications for the way we market and meaningfully engage.

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I am currently in the process of attempting to hone what it is that impacts on the way leaders manage. Obviously this is informed by the context in which they lead. But it is no longer a context which can just be cut and pasted. I have been working with my partner, Dave Duarte on identifying and understanding what the issues are which will inform and drive a new leadership style. These have been my BETA conclusions and I would love the input from others especially as we have to present these findings next week to a bunch of senior executives of a not insignificant organisation.  

They relate to five arenas: 

• Community Based Economies – the articulation from commodity to product to service to experience as the base of a community driven experience
• Beta Testing – the realisation that consumers are forgiving and that we are Allowed to play in the arenas that may not immediately yield the Perfect but at least there is an allowance for the exciting which with their input may well become the important – God gets in through the cracks.
• Social Networks – Getting away from the old adage which says we need to know everyone and instead focusing on those nodes of a network which really influence well and with the least effort
• Ecological Innovation – Drawing on lessons from the environment which not only make us feel good but which genuinely harness profit in a way which does not strip mine the environment
• Attention – The realization that the exhausting attempt to keep up with everything serves no one and attempting to use tools which hone our understanding of what value really means for our significant engagement in the world.

 

We are attempting to use these five places as a way to harness a different and important 21^st century sensibility. I would welcome your insights.  

 

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So it’s finally happened. The You (2006 Time Person of the Year) has collided with Them (2007 Unofficial Time Person of the Year) to create Us (2008 Potential Person of the Year). http://huddlemind.com/2008/02/04/social-media-2006-2008-the-years-of-you-them-and-us/

But what does this really mean for Business? Does it mean that user-driven content is going to change in any significant way? Judging by the extremely challenging task of just getting organisations to harness the value of Web 2 is challenge enough. If we have truly moved into an age where products and services are meaningless in and of themselves and it is only the power of the conversations we have around these products and services (albeit about their functionality or the way they impact on our lives) that drive consumption, what does this mean for the way in which we approach our organisational strategies? I don’t have answers to any of these questions but I think that the impact of US could have far reaching consequences for the way we engage both inside of and outside of the firewall.

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So, the course is finished, and by tomorrow evening the final group exhibition will be on.  The artists who are exhibiting tomorrow have put together a short catalogue of what they do, providing some reference material of their work. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this course, both in lecturing and in participating as a student.  It has been a life changing experience for me, and very special to be in a class full of talented individuals, with a direct, honest and heartfelt approach to their work, and in communicating with others. 

This is the start of continuing the network…

Thank you all for the impact on my life course,

Elske

Sticky Ideas Catalogue

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The Group Exhibition for this course is planned as a collaborative fun event, with selected visual art, jewellery, ceramic art, performance art, installations and screenings on display for one evening (30 November 2007).  The thrust of the event is to have a final get-together where all delegates will have a chance to show their work to their classmates, and to increase their network.

A catalogue of exhibitors will also be loaded onto the blog soon.

See you there, Elske

Open the invite to see the details.

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Hi there

This is a copy of the presentation I gave yesterday at the Animation SA and Cape Film Commision (CFC) Funding and Distribution conference. It involved findings from  running the programme and recommendations to the film industry. Hopefully they take up the challenge!

Findings from the Business Acumen for Artists Programme

Thought you might find it interesting. Thanks to Padriac for his input. Please also add your insights and comments. E

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Hi

For your final session next Monday, one of the requirements for achieving your DP is that you present your product or service, structured with the following considerations in mind:

• How is this product/service going to create value?
• For whom is this going to create value?
• How will you make money from this and/or why should someone finance this?

You have three minutes for your presentation bearing in mind as Mark Twain said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead”.

If you have only three minutes to present, this will mean that you will need to be Totally articulate about the value creation of your product and what makes it something worthy to engage with.

You may present your product/service in any format you like.

Enjoy the experience of crafting this - you never know, you may use it in an elevator one day! Elaine

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MA Theatre & Performance (UCT); Dip. Acting (Drama Centre London)  www.robustphysicaltheatre.co.zaruth@robustphysicaltheatre.co.za

Tel: 084 2687388 

Hi friends & colleagues, 

This is to inform you of Private Bodywork/Creativity sessions that I offer.   My hourly sessions are a collaborative process in which I work with your body in various ways – strengthening it, releasing blocks & connecting you to it. I devise the creativity section according to your needs, whether this is to develop your craft as an actor/performer or whether it is purely for personal growth and to explore your creativity.  Benefits:Strength & Flexibility Confidence Connection Emotional release Creativity Craft Joy & Expansiveness 

I have different payment structures from R450 – R350 depending on your economic position.  All business needs word-of-mouth, thus please do spread the word!  

Warm regards, Ruth Levin  

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I have several questions about our intentions around the proposed event.  Having been one of the earliest enthusiasts of the idea (ref this Blog), I do hope my questions are not seen as negative. I would like to suggest we have a concept meeting about the event. 

• When was the decision made to use the Obs Festival as a date or a platform?  Is the Obs Festival the ideal time? Will it serve us best?
• Is the average “Obs Festino” the appropriate audience / client for our project?
• What are the objectives of the event?
• Are our objectives congruous with those of the Obs Fest?

Is there perhaps another forum that may better serve us?

What about a very specifically targeted audience made up of ourselves, our lecturers, our mentors and our guests? An evening with shared wine and snacks, shared ideas and deepening and widening an already strong and valuable network.

Jaqueline Dommisse

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