One conversation at a time

The other day, I approached a marketer I respect to discuss an idea. At the call’s end, when I thanked him for his time, he remarked that he found value in every conversation, particularly during the pandemic. 

That led me to think about the CMA’s focus on connections and conversations. We initiate and facilitate them. Sometimes, we shine a light on them.

Personally, I have derived huge benefit from the conversations I’ve had with some amazing people through Marketing Connected Live – my webinar series with leaders in Canada's marketing community, futurists and forecasters. Check out my new highlights reel.

More importantly, we facilitate conversations throughout marketers’ careers. From students finding their first marketing position to senior marketers wanting to make a big impact.

• We have had fantastic meetups within CMA NXT – our program to help prepare today’s youth for the jobs of tomorrow. We have had compelling town halls and made conversations part of the curriculum within our Chartered Marketer program. These two programs are for people in the early stages of their careers.
• CMA Café, presented by Mastercard, is a great way for marketers at the level of director and up to have engaging conversations in a small group setting. More than 500 of you have participated to date. If you are a senior marketer and would like to host a conversation on a specific topic, drop me a line.
• Our councils, committees and working groups are fertile ground for relationships that last for decades. Thought Leaders Connected is a great opportunity for members of our councils (as well as past council chairs) to get together and share insights.

I know how stressful it can be to have end-to-end virtual meetings. But you can change your experience by taking control, instead of being ruled by technology. Why not embrace the limitation and make use of it to deepen a friendship or start a new one from the comfort of your home? I’ve met dozens of people this way over the past year. The technology isn’t what matters. It’s good intentions that make conversations empowering and positive.

All of our activities are rooted in the CMA’s purpose: to embolden marketers to make an impact. Emboldening marketers sometimes happens one conversation at a time.