Victor Antonio is in the house! His theme today is exerting influence through innovation: techniques to find creative solutions to tough problems, and to get people thinking more openly by means of "transformation mechanisms." Can MELA teams think up 20 original uses for a paper clip? Victor says "Yeesss!"
A paper-clip makes a great stylus for a Blackberry. An electrical circuit breaker. A pointer. A protractor. Something fresh in women's jewelry. New horizons in oral hygiene. A weapon on an airplane. A mouse walking-stick?
Victor says, "Way to go!"
Shifting paradigms is about thinking outside the box. Suddenly, things seem to click in a new way. Look, John Mills has re-oriented his thinking! Mustafa drinks to that.
Mohannad and Randi are as bright and colorful as the reef fish in Sharm El Sheikh.
Elizabeth and Cinderella opt for the classic, black-and-white look. It is a taste they share with the guest speaker...
Amy McFarling, Managing Director of LBi, discusses "Harnessing the Power of Social Media to Support Your Business Strategy." She reviews how the Internet and a constantly shifting communications landscape have changed the way we consume information. The implications for the relationship between organizations and their customers or constituencies are far-reaching.
Social media is a multiway platform where participants engage, converge and collaborate through social interaction (Amy's suggested definition).
Hmmm. Sounds like MELA!
Amer's the man with the microphone. Definitely old technology.
Now meet some of the members of the Modern Equipment Lovers Academy (MELA).
Talking -- even telephoning -- is so passé. Nowadays we text. Basma sends Abdullah a text message asking if he would like to go with her to lunch.
Going to lunch is also passé nowadays. Instead, we eat with our ipads. Peter enjoys a virtual soup and sandwich with his tablet.
Victor makes two central points about how to make a powerful sales pitch. First, concentrate not on how to sell, but why people buy. Second, block your audience's objections by raising them before they are voiced.
No objections from Dania or Rita.
Rapport and eye contact are also important for sales. Salma practices on her apple.
At the evening's parallel sessions, Amy facilitates the conversation about the role of social media, marketing and technology.
The entrepreneurial capitalists examine the ins and outs of financing or selling a business, or taking it public. (Why are there no ladies in this group?)
The third gathering considered how to change an organization's culture. Tariq, Monther and Nader follow the proceedings carefully.
And so, not without sadness, we say farewell to Day Six. Although no reader is likely to acquire great wisdom or fantastic wealth from our humble blog, we offer it to you nevertheless, for the same reason that Victor gave, when he explained why he was willing to share his secrets with us for free... secrets worth millions and millions of dollars. An explanation which he communicated in a silent hand gesture --
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