How To Build Value In Network Economies With Conversation Research

I-Open maintains public archives of over 200 entrepreneur video interviews, a growing database of 2500 images, sound and document libraries across the World Wide Web. This article outlines how anyone can share I-Open interviews to build trust and value in emerging entrepreneurial networks. 

Above: I-Open interview and blog contributors. Click/tap each photo to learn more about each entrepreneur and read their story.

How To Build Value in Network Economies With Conversation Research
By Betsey Merkel

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I-Open records and publishes the stories of entrepreneurial leaders in the "Civic Space" - a space at the nexus of social, economic and environmental disruption. It's the place where no one can 'tell' anyone else what to do. It's a space where there are no bad ideas.

Conversation research builds value in regionally based, open economic networks by sharing ideas and stories about new opportunities. 

I've described a few ways value is created in the examples below:

• Recording interviews builds trust, one-to-one. Story sharing builds trust between the person sharing the story and the recorder. Once published, video interviews continue to build trust far beyond local networks, to viewers in other parts of the world you may never know. Conversation research published at I-Open.org enables civic insights and innovations to leapfrog geographic boundaries and reach entrepreneurs in any part of the world. Access to these stories builds trust and gratitude.
  

• Conversation strengthens mental clarity and encourages constructive habits of idea sharing. Bringing a story forward in your own mind enough to be able to share it in conversation and on camera inspires a level of performance. Recording conversations is a valuable exercise both in idea sharing for the interviewee, and for developing respectful listening skills for the interviewer.

• Shared interviews build local connectivity. Entrepreneurial stories cultivate the social relationships that can form face to face as well as support the development of online connectivity. 

"The purpose of the video interviews is to post them online so that visions can be heard and resources can be shared. Maybe this is part of bringing the healing and spiritual circles together (a.k.a. Networking)." - Pam Fitch, Canton, Ohio

For example, it would not be unusual to overhear at an I-Open Civic Forum, "Hey Richard, I watched your interview at I-Open. I learned a lot I didn't know before! You helped me understand the value entrepreneur immigrants bring to regional economic development!" 

• Civic insights and innovations have the power to transform the relationship between public and private investment. Collectively, the insights of civic entrepreneurs connect the dots between citizen experience and elected leadership representation. By widely communicating stories of civic innovation, business leaders are exposed to a higher volume of ideas, increasing the possibility of sparking transformative product and service improvements.
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• Conversation research generates collective purpose and value. I-Open interviews can be up close and whole brain dives. Viewers get to "know" the people they watch on video. It's not uncommon for an interviewee to share something they may not have expressed before, such as a deep personal insight. More than once an interviewee has shared an entire interview from a new perspective, such as describing how their work is creative and innovative and the value it brings to prosperity building. It's in these moments of whole hearted story sharing that bonds of collective purpose are built.

Communication is critical in network based economies to strengthen entrepreneurial leadership connectivity, humility and integrity of purpose. It's this kind of approach to the collection and publishing of civic insights and innovations that builds value in Open Source Economic Development. 

Now, What About You?

How are you sharing the interviews and conversations of civic entrepreneurs where you live? How are you organizing your communications to generate connectivity and advance leadership culture?

Please leave your comments and stories below!

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Betsey Merkel is Co-Founder, Director and Social Intelligence Lead at I-Open. Betsey specializes in communications for community and economic development. Follow Betsey on Twitter at @BetseyMerkel

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