Engage

Let’s say you have a product.  It’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, and you want to talk to potential customers about it.  And so you go and find them on the internet, but for some reason, they don’t want to talk to you. Now what? (Click image to read more)

You get no insight, which is strange because everyone says that the internet is going to revolutionise customer feedback. Your customers don’t seem to know this.

Let’s take another example.  You have a website and you’ve created a forum so that your users can come together to discuss things that are important to them.  Whatever it is, your efforts are foundering a bit.  People don’t seem that responsive and you don’t know why.

So many online communities and courses have tumbleweed rather than connection.

The thing is: yes, you can definitely hold deep conversations over the internet.  But it’s not always easy.  Some of us are natural interviewers and teachers, and we instinctively know what to say and do to encourage conversation.  Others of us find it much harder.

I love online conversation.  It looks natural but it’s down to rules and practice. Asking the right questions, in the right order.

You want to create conversation that’s like a tennis match that goes on for 3 sets, rather than foundering after two games. You want to find the sweet spot in the middle of the racket, that creates a volley that carries on.  Back and forth. Call and response.

So, what do I know about conversation design?

I was a market researcher for 15 years – running focus groups, interviews, phone interviews.  Writing questionnaires that I actually wanted people to answer. Through group after painful group, I learned how to create the conditions where people will open up.  When I started running online groups and online learning, I applied all the things I knew about developing good conversations to the online context.  And I also applied what I knew about online behaviour, because online behaviour IS different in particular ways.

You can create a rewarding, pleasurable, eventful conversation online.

You just need to think a little differently.

What do I offer? I can help with:

  • Facilitation of your online group, workshop or community
  • Conversation planning
  • Scripting and dialogue development
  • Coaching on online dynamics
  • Troubleshooting and makeovers

Curious? Shoot me an email (alison AT thehumanelement DOT co DOT uk), and we can explore
options and give costs.