Question Everything

Last Saturday I had the great opportunity to be part of a great discussion with Nicholas Maxwell, thanks to Alexandros Pagidas. After the lecture and Q&A I got the chance to talk with Nick about education, philosophy and science.

What hit me through our discussion is how important asking questions is. We need to always ask questions about everything we experience and use. Being a geek this is quite natural to me and I always question assumptions and try to understand how things work.

This is also very important for inspiration. When you are working on something, ask every question you can think of. Question every assumption, every process, every idea and everything in between. Through your questions you will start discovering connections and you will be able to come up with new ideas.

Ask questions, listen, understand and create. Everything you need is there, so get inspired.

Posted by Harry Mylonadis 

What You See is What You Get

How many gates and barriers do your clients need to cross before they speak to the people that do the work?

It used to be fine to have levels upon levels of management in order to manage the creation of work. Different people for sales, for account management and it built on from there.

With all the progress we've made in other parts of our work lives it's difficult to understand why we should keep those old ways of working. Not only does it cost more, it's not personal. The client might never meet the person that actually did the work. That's fine if you are producing widgets, but if you are making things that change people's lives then you need a personal connection.

From my experience, it works best if you involve your team in the first interactions with your client. Give them the chance to create a trustful connection. Your client will love the attention you give to them and the security that comes from knowing who you are working with.

Posted by Helen Amygdalaki // Lelou 

What's the Story?

When talking about your brand or company, do you tell a story? If not, how do you connect with people emotionally?

We grow up listening to stories and throughout the centuries, storytelling has been the most effective way of passing on information and emotions. In the last few decades, storytelling has lost its allure. People have started thinking that just using facts and figures can persuade people to trust you and buy from you. Unfortunately this doesn't work.

In order to build trust and a connection you need to connect emotionally. Whether you are speaking to your people internally or to your customers, you need to tell stories. Stories about what you stand for, what you're fighting for and how you are changing lives.

To tell a story effectively, you need to understand what makes a story effective. Just reciting a series of events is flat and boring. You need to bring all your passion and talk from a personal view. Shout about what you are fighting for and show what you stand for.

Storytelling is the most effective and engaging way of communication. If you understand it, it's guaranteed to help you build connections with people.

Posted by Helen Amygdalaki // Lelou