"What If..."

Attending a conference, I had the pleasure of listening to a Keynote Address by Melissa Higgs, Principal + Architect of HMCA Design in Vancouver. They’re an architecture firm. So, you may think you’re going to hear about architecture and how it fits into our world, right? Not quite.

Melissa’s talk was focused on the “What If?” and I believe there is incredible power in that question.

What If… instead of waiting to respond to an RFP, a company saw a need and creatively worked to come up with solutions to present to a client, with no guarantee of work.

What If… a company did things differently and collaborated with other people and influencers? What would that change bring about? What would the power of collaboration bring?

What If… we opened ourselves up to other disciplines? One of her examples combined the work of a choreographer and how a dancer visualizes a space for a project the architecture firm worked on in Surrey, B.C. The resulting video shows us difference in thought or another interpretation on space. This is a pretty cool architecture firm I want to work with!

Not enough to capture the attention of a business person? How about this…

Her firm, through asking “What If…” in their work and shifting from a conventional practice into a transformed practice has increase the number of employees, increased revenues + profits SUBSTANTIALLY and is looked to as a leader in the industry.

So… What If?

It’s a question I’m asking myself.

“What If…” what I do with stakeholder engagement and community consultation really CAN change the world around me. I’m looking forward to breathing life into the ideas already percolating!

Aleece Laird is an Engagement + Marketing Specialist with Amplify Consulting Inc.

Her mission is to help organizations become greater through strategic stakeholder & community engagement.

Her work helps define who organizations, companies, and communities are and how they're perceived to then develop effective marketing and communication strategies for now and the certain future.

She is now asking herself "What If...?"