After a great session at the Luton Hoo Walled Garden on Sunday 19th July, I thought I'd write another post here. This time I'm philosophising about the symbiotic nature of business.

When I was younger people would mention business to me and all it conjured up was images of men in Bowler hats and pin-stripe suits, wandering up and down London streets with intent purpose, or men in red braces talking loudly into a telephone while stomping around a big office with a sizeable Cuban cigar in their mouth. The stereotypical public face of business, to me at least, was cold and unashamedly harsh, somewhat grumpy and stuffy, and certainly not for the free willed, free spirited and fun loving creatures of the world.

More recently however, having come to terms with the necessity of using the term 'business' in all its many guises, I have noted that many things are made what they are not by their true nature, but by the perception and opinion of those who are viewing that object at that particular point in time. Don't worry I'm not about to embark on a Hawking-esque visionary journey into the world of particle phsycis, but am merely taking steps to point out that....as with my own initial perception of business, the way in which one describes a certain activity, object or event can have dramatic consequence on how that person views that activity, object or event.

Therefore it seems sensible to conclude that an idea, business model or venture is only as good as the opinion of those who are aware of it. Since personal and public opinion is easily swayed by the use of clever terminology, good phrasing and ultimately the social skill of the person directly linked with that product, it is never actually the product which is on sale, but the people involved with it.

People don't really buy products or services, they buy people.

It is with this in mind that I have embarked upon a new strategy of being a thoroughly nice bloke to everyone I meet, whether it's 'business' or just buying some stamps. And by jove it's working! Since the entire ethos of A Different Beat is to encourage people to work more effectively together and to understand each other more, this further underpins the simple points which I make while running my sessions whether it is for school children, businessmen, or community groups - the baseline behind all of human communication is understanding and careful thought. Think about your actions, your words, your standpoint - understand it, then think about how it affects the people around you. This is the basis for effective communication.

Think on!