Conversations

I have been trained by Marta to be a certified. The reason I spent my time and money to obtain this certification is WCR.
I would like to bring this to all the WCR boards as my gift back to WCR for all that WCR has done for me.



These snippets from Marta in an article regarding Inspiring Conversations.
What if you could reduce the length of time by half that it takes to develop trusting relationships in your network?
"Networking is about making connections beyond the mental level," she explains. "When I wasn’t allowing this to happen, and had my own strong agenda, most of these relationships died in 1 or 2 steps." Today, Marta seeks to make connections with people and remain open to where the relationship leads, "but when we meet we create a space that is expanding. This opens new possibilities, something about me or the world around me that I haven’t realized just yet."
Marta Dabis understands the power of conversations and the need to be mutually engaging, respectful and attentive in order to “connect” and build a trusting relationship that goes beyond the superficial supplicant of one another’s needs.
The problem lies in the time it typically takes to build trusting relationships in which people truly care about one another, not just about the business but about the person, too. When relationships develop this personal quality, the quality and quantity of the business referrals also increase. Almost every business networking group understands this at some level, but few manage to achieve it for the majority of member relationships.

It’s All About Conversations
Think about your networking conversations; how do they go? I remember all too many where I, as well as others, have engaged in conversations that, no matter what was actually said, feel something like this:
"Hi, I’m Mark. How do you like me so far? OK then, let me tell you even more about myself and what I can do for you."
What have I learned? Not too many possibilities opening up there! We are a nation of advocates. We typically are very good about conveying our own ideas and agendas, not so good about discovering the wants and needs of others. It would be very easy to pick up the phone or go to your computer today and register for a public speaking seminar anywhere in the country, but very difficult to find a "public listening" seminar. Sales people that I train are constantly seeking that magical set of questions that will help them make the sale, yet they have yet to embrace WHY the questions are important in the first place.
Conversations in a Box
Marta helps organizations significantly shorten the trust-building cycle for new members by using what she calls "Conversations in a Box." "Conversations: An Inspirational Game" was created by Barry Auchettl in Ballarat, Australia, and is sold as a stand-alone product. At first glance it is just a game, but it really is a way to engage people and start building trust that is necessary for doing business together. Initially intended to be used as an ice breaker for workshops, Conversations is now being played with individuals, families, schools, groups and corporations at venues ranging from the table at a dinner party to the boardroom.


The whole article can be read at http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/articles/2007_05_greatlakes.shtml

I know that I can help chapters function better. Help the members function better. What this has done for me personally and professionally is wonderful.




VirginiaTatseos ABR,ASP,e-PRO,GRI,LTG,RRC,SRES,PMN
Women's Council of REALTORS 2003/04 Governor