Last week I spoke at and attended the Reinvention Summit. It was a global online conference about storytelling. But it was more than that. It was for people wanting to take a deeper look at themselves, their businesses, their passions, and how to reinvent yourself in this fast changing evolving world.
I loved it. I hung out for every minute I could login into a talk. I’d join what was quickly forming as a community of people from across the globe. We talked in a live chat throughout each talk, adding value to presenters, to each other. Twitter ran hot at the same time.
I confess until now, I had thought the multi tasking, live chat world was really mostly for geeks or dating. But this was something of interest to me personally, and it was a global conversation with energy, that had the intimacy of a group of fired up people face to face in a room.
The conversations bounced, challenged, inspired and moved me. There were specific tips to act on, stories to reflect on, and a community that was pulling threads together for a better more connected world.
When I spoke, I talked about the New Zealand native bird, the Kokako, it’s beautiful song, and it’s place in Maori mythology Quick as a flash, someone in the Netherlands posted a link to a New Zealand site where you could hear the bird sing. I love that. It was playful and enriching.
There was a new dynamic to the conference, it wasn’t static, it was an evolving, revolving conversation, where there was also a tangible, palpable energy and authenticity. I feel I have formed as stronger friendship and connection with participants as I have when I have met people ‘in person’ at an energy rich conference or gathering.
The giving and taking was equivalent, and the live theatre with technical blips just simply added another dimension. Unplugged and live is the new polished performance!
So now I am comfortable with my media ecosystem, this blog, occasional tweets, facebook, I turn up as often in these spaces as I can and want to and do not worry about getting it right. It is organic, and as with a great story, powerful heart felt and inspired narratives trump over planned, calculated and manipulation infested communication every time.