The Universal Language

“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.” – Rollo May

I graduated from High School in the late 1970’s. It was a decade filled with economic strife and social upheaval. The High School I attended was a mixture of ethnicities, but we had two things in common.

• We were all lower middle income - to borderline poor.
• We all loved music.

And, regardless of race, we all listened to everything. From Motown to Rock and Roll and Disco to Pop.

MUSIC was a force that brought us together.

It bridged divisions and helped smooth over disagreements.

After all, if that person who had the Led Zeppelin record also liked your Stevie Wonder album, maybe they were worth getting to know better.

Music is a powerful force and this week’s idea is a way to channel the power of that force for good.

The Idea

The concept is to form musical acts that are a mixture of police officers and the citizens they serve.

Each step of the process is documented and published: on social media, community web sites, etc.

Auditions are open to anyone who lives in the community and any member of the police force.

Members of the final groups are chosen through a combination of a judging committee and votes from citizens.

Having the opportunity to vote gives people a reason to stay interested and a common topic of conversation with friends, family and co-workers.

It also helps them to get to know who the people competing ARE.

That matters and here’s why.

It is easy to dislike or mistrust someone who you see as a member of a group; especially a group that is not like yours.

It is far more difficult to do so when you begin learning things about them.

That police officer likes to fish?

The guy with all the tattoos has three kids he is trying to support?

As you learn about things you may have in common they are no longer so frightening. You begin to reconsider judgements you've made.

Suddenly, they are…a PERSON! Maybe, you could even be friends with them.

The final purpose of this process is to put on a community benefit concert.

So, once the groups are formed a concert date is set and preparations begin.

Everything leading up to the concert is videoed. All the behind-the-scenes stuff - rehearsals, site selection, food and drink arrangements, etc. - ?that we don’t usually see is captured and select segments are posted on the same aforementioned online outlets.

In addition to those segments, there are interviews with the musicians and production people individually.

Not unlike the drama you see on other ‘reality’ shows, this provides viewers insight and connects them emotionally with the players.

UNLIKE the manufactured drama you see on reality shows that is designed to created villains and heroes, this only documents the genuine process.

This is designed to create unity, not division.

In order to give people a rooting interest, several cities around the country should do this simultaneously. Similar to sports teams, people can cheer for their hometown team.

And, just the way sports does, this helps each community coalesce around a common bond.

Just as it did in my High School, MUSIC will connect the communities. The formation of these bands and putting on the shows builds trust and communication and makes it a better place – for all.?

What are your thoughts?

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Need help creating ideas and strategies that will help your company increase sales and margins?

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Expert Tip

The Greatest Hits - So Far

We have had such amazing advice from our guest contributors since launching this Newsletter! So, this week I am providing direct links to a few of the previous Newsletters featuring these Expert Tips so you can re-visit them - or see them for the first time. Either way, you will be pleased you took the time to check them out.

In Random Order they are:

* Katie Mullen: Sales Questions That Get Results

* Blake Binns: Seeking Genuine Customer Feedback

* Adam Rosenweig: The Emotional Intelligence of Self Awareness

* Chris Felton and Dr. Brian Harman: Affecting Change and Building Trust

* James Sanchez: The Story of Inventing Tag Defense

* Grady Gibbs and Nancy Werteen: Leadership and Communication

* Colby Richards: Getting Unstuck

* Lisa Riggs: Key to Successful Entrepreneurship

Would love to know what your favorite Expert Tip is! Share in the comments?

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Want to be considered to contribute an Expert Tip to a future edition??PM me.

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Puzzle and Trivia

To add some fun to our readers' lives, the?Freaking Brilliant Ideas Newsletter?each week features a fun Puzzle and Trivia sheet.

To view or download a pdf version of this week's Puzzle and Trivia sheet, click on the image or go?here.

Can't solve the puzzle? Find the solution and the trivia question answer by clicking?here?or scanning the QR Code on the Puzzle and Trivia sheet image.

These Puzzle and Trivia sheets create?amazing spikes?in traffic to our site. Now, you can provide something fun to your customers and increase traffic to your site, too, by licensing or sponsoring them.?PM?me for details.

This week's Puzzle and Trivia sheet is sponsored by my book,?101 Freaking brilliant Business Ideas: And Ten Ways YOU Can Create Your Own. Find it on Amazon?here.

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See you next week?

About?Bob Sager

The Founder of?SpearPoint Solutions, Bob’s professional background includes over three decades of experience in sales, leadership and training. Combined with creative thinking, he uses that experience to develop business strategies that help organizations increase sales and margins. Additionally, Bob facilitates training on methods of thinking more creatively that organizations can practically apply to all aspects of their business so they can thrive in the modern?economy.?

Among other accomplishments, Bob is the?inventor?of the creative thinking game,?What's the BIG Idea???and?author of the books,?Discovering Your Greatness?and?101 Freaking Brilliant Business Ideas.