Today I'm going to let you in on a secret...
What unusual hobby or skill do you do for yourself that has helped or could help you in business? Post your unusual hobbies or skills in the comments or tweet to me @kikilitalien!

What unusual hobby or skill do you do for yourself that has helped or could help you in business? Post your unusual hobbies or skills in the comments or tweet to me @kikilitalien!
Look, we know times can be tough in association marketing (and for your own personal branding, as well!). But Sherron Washington is determined to show us how to transform our challenges into opportunities. Learn how she has continued to build her brand, start a meaningful movement ( #YourWorthIsValued ), and grow her business(es) in the midst of a global pandemic. Find out how what Sherron thinks associations need to know about marketing in today's difficult climate and how she has elevated her ...
Instead of relying on guesswork and opinion to understand why groups of people behave the way they do, today’s technology allows us to analyze and synthesize data. When we truly understand what we all value most, we can unleash enormous passion and power. This is the fundamental disruption of our time: we can now predict and influence what people will do next. David Allison, founder of The Valuegraphics Database, is our guest for this episode of Association Chat podcast. After a career spent dev...
With smaller meetings, limited dine-in, hybrid options, and modified service styles, how can associations design F&B experiences that generate crave-ability for both in-person and online participants? Tracy is the dietary needs expert. Meetings Industry Changemaker. Certified Special Events Professional. thrive! meetings & events is a full-service event and culinary consulting firm that works with meeting planners and food service providers to create safe and healthy food and beverage ex...
Have you embraced your black sheep values? For this episode, I interviewed Brant Menswar who was named in the nation's “Top 10 Motivational Speakers.” He is an award-winning musician and founder of the band Big Kettle Drum, and he’s also the CEO and founder of Rock Star Impact, a boutique agency that helps individuals and organizations to define and live by their values. Brant is the author of the book Rock ‘n’ Roll With It: Overcoming the Challenge of Change, and his next book, Black Sheep, is ...
This episode features my interview with co-creator of the 'Asians Strike Back' Comedy Show which highlights the topics of racism & misinformation, Kyle Marian. Kyle Marian is a comedian, producer, science communications consultant, & former physical anthropologist. She produces & hosts socially-mindful, inclusive, & accessible comedy shows. She and Esther Chen have decided to combat coronavirus-based racism with comedy and science. In response to the racism they were witnessing, ...
From the vaults: Scott and Alison Stratten talked with Association Chat for the Association Chat Book Club in December about their book, The Jackass Whisperer: How to Deal With the Worst People at Work, at Home, and Online—Even When the Jackass Is You . Scott and Alison are co-authors of several best-selling business books, including UnBranding: 100 Branding Lessons for the Age of Disruption , UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging , and The Book of Business (UnAwesome) . They're also co-ow...
“CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent Mo Rocca explains what drew him to highlight stories about historical figures that many people may not know about. Many things have changed because of the current pandemic, but one thing remains true: we could all use a good laugh right about now. In this episode, Association Chat host KiKi L'Italien interviews humorist, journalist, and actor Mo Rocca about the role that humor plays in times of adversity. We talked about encyclopedias (World Book > Encyclope...
Are You Ready for Your "Hire" Moment? What does today's job market look like and how can you best prepare for a potential job change? Join Association Chat host KiKi L'Italien as she talks with executive recruiter and coach Shira (Harrington) Lotzar about how to best prepare for job changes and what to do to make sure you stand out from the competition in a job search! LINKS: meetup.com/Hire-Moment-Mastermind/ FREE group coaching session via Zoom anticipated to launch August 14th, 2020. It's an ...
Join Association Chat host KiKi L'Italien as she interviews founder of TheNewQuo.com Christina Blacken about using leadership and narrative intelligence for addressing culture change and inclusion. Some of the questions discussed during the show: What is The New Quo? Why are stories so important for us to understand when trying to change the status quo? What do leaders need to know about the role that narrative intelligence plays in driving behavior and making change happen? - Is the social cont...
As a medical ethicist, Harriet Washington has a unique and courageous voice and deconstructs the politics around medical issues. In addition to giving an abundance of historically accurate information on ‘scientific racism’, she paints a powerful and disturbing portrait of medicine, race, sex, and the abuse of power by telling individual human stories. Washington also makes the case for broader political consciousness of science and technology, challenging audiences to see the world differently ...
It was their 100-year celebration and they would be in Las Vegas! Everyone was buzzing! Then COVID-19 hit. Here's the NEW plan! For this episode, host KiKi L'Italien interviews Amy Ledoux, Chief Learning & Meetings Officer at ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership about ASAE Annual, their decision to take the Annual Meeting to virtual, to make it free for attendees, and how they are approaching exhibitors and sponsors to provide the greatest value. How are they working with speakers and...
I had so much fun in this interview with the brilliant Max Brooks. Now Max is kind of amazing. You may be familiar with his books, like The Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z, the graphic novel The Harlem Hellfighters, and his latest Devolution...but did you know that Max is also a lecturer at the Modern War Institute at West Point and the Atlantic Council’s Brent Snowcroft Center for Strategy and Security? He regularly explores new ways to attack large-scale concerns , which is a valuable exerc...
In a Forbes article titled, "Why Collaborating With Your Competition Can Be A Great Idea," the author shared research indicating that "coopetition" could be a financial win for the organizations that opt to go that direction. Becoming a collaborator with your competitor can be a challenge, but it might be the best thing you do. For this episode of the Chat, I talk with Tahira Endean and Mahoganey Jones about the ways competitors can work together and why we should all consider it.
The murder of George Floyd was the tipping point for generations of frustration and faith in the social contract citizens have with the police has crumbled. Listen in on this flash chat segment from Thursday, June 11, when Former DC and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey answered my question about trust during the webinar, “Justice and Peace: A Dialogue on Anti Racism and the Future of Policing in America.” If you want to hear more from this interview, please visit the AssociationCh...
What's the future for virtual events post COVID-19? I asked Map Dynamics! Here are a couple of my favorite clips from their full-length interview available on the Association Chat website.
A crisis can come in all kinds of forms, but what do you say to your members when a never-before-seen virus appears and no one knows for sure what will happen next? What is your strategy for talking with the Board? Or working with international chapters? What do you say to members and when? Find out how one association is making these tough decisions during the current COVID-19 pandemic and receive ideas you can apply in your own messaging right now! Find out what's working, what's not, and what...
A crisis can come in all kinds of forms, but what do you say to your members when a never-before-seen virus appears and no one knows for sure what will happen next? What is your strategy for talking with the Board? Or working with international chapters? What do you say to members and when? Find out how one association is making these tough decisions during the current COVID-19 pandemic and receive ideas you can apply in your own messaging right now! Find out what's working, what's not, and what...
Deedre Daniel is the founder of The Interesting Conversations Company®. Prior to starting this company, she spent nearly two decades at GEICO, where she rose through the ranks from call center sales associate to head of the Affinity Marketing division. Her affinity marketing team was responsible for the marketing strategy to members of over 800 organizations. She was a “paid professional schmoozer” with well over 10,000 hours of networking time (and 1,200 nights at Marriott hotels) from over 11 ...
The commercialization of the internet continues, but what does that mean for associations when it comes to the domain they use most? The .ORG addresses our associations use may soon be owned by a for-profit company – and nonprofits, NGOs, and now regulatory officials around the world are in an uproar. We’ll talk about how it all works, the questions that have been answered and those questions that haven’t, and what it means for the future of the internet and associations. Guests Jacob Malthouse ...
Here is the rough cut of the live interview I did with author Nir Eyal last month in DC for the Association Chat Patreon patron book club members! We discovered that the digital file from my mic was corrupted and so the sound is a little fuzzy when I'm talking. That said, it's Nir that everyone wants to hear from and his audio is perfect! As always, a special thanks goes to Paul Gannon and Frank Gannon (Thoughtcast Media) for their time and talents in capturing the video/audio for this special e...
In this episode, KiKi interviews Jane Oates, president of WorkingNation. WorkingNation is a nonprofit campaign founded in 2016 by venture capitalist Art Bilger to expose hard truths about the looming unemployment crisis and bring the country together to create and amplify solutions for a changing economy. An educator and policy expert, Jane was appointed by President Barack Obama as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Labor for Employment and Training in June 2009. Jane led the Employment a...
In this episode, KiKi interviews Philippa Hughes, a social sculptor, creative placemaker, and cultural strategist. Hughes designs art-fueled projects “connecting people who would not normally meet in meaningful, humanizing dialogue.” Her current project, “Looking for America” is on tour and features discussions on what it means to be American. Hmmm...might she have something intriguing to teach association executives who are charged with connecting people and providing a safe place for civil dis...
Host KiKi L’Italien interviews two experts to tell us what we can learn about convincing others from a crisis communications expert and hostage negotiator! Communications expert Adele Cehrs and former FBI special agent and hostage negotiator Chip Massey talks with Association Chat about advanced communications skills every leader needs. Body language can be super revealing. But did you know that FBI hostage negotiators do about 90% of their work over the phone, where body language isn’t even a f...
KiKi L’Italien interviews David Allison about “Valuegraphics,” the focus of his recent book and the research that could (should) change the way you talk to your audiences. David Allison describes Valuegraphics as a replacement system for understanding how groups of people behave. If you are interested in marketing, segmenting, targeting anyone to do anything; this podcast should be of interest to you! David knows how to undertstand, reach and motivate target audiences more effectively and effici...
“How to Get People To Do What You Want” – Listen in as KiKi L'Italien interviews Adele Cehrs and Chip Massey about how to communicate to get what you want and their upcoming event in NYC called Convince Me! "The First 10" features the first 10 minutes of the full podcast. To listen to the entire full-length interview, become an Association Chat Patreon Patron. #assnchat #associations
Are demographics destroying your organization’s future? Generation X, Millennials, and Gen Z is for amateurs. Plus, the stereotypes don't work. KiKi L'Italien interviews David Allison about “valuegraphics,” the focus of his recent book and the research that could (should) change the way you talk to your audiences. "The First 10" features the first 10 minutes of the full podcast. To listen to the entire full-length interview, become an Association Chat Patreon Patron. #assnchat #associations #eve...
In this episode, Association Chat host KiKi L’Italien interviews Rachel Sheerin, an international keynote speaker and trainer who is dedicated to helping us all grow, sell and thrive. At a time when our world needs new solutions for new problems in every industry, collaborating and working together is more important than ever. And associations have been doing this by providing the communities and relationships that have led the way on these innovations for years. But with more competition for ou...
In this episode, the Association Women Technology Champions (AWTC) and Association Chat joined forces for a session on Event Technology Stacks! Events and meetings are central to associations, but often the technology supporting them is anything but centralized. Today, a successful event often requires a cornucopia of systems, from exhibit management systems to registration systems. This is the Event Technology Stack. The quality of your Event Technology Stack can dramatically affect your bottom...
In this episode, Association Chat host KiKi L’Italien interviews Guillermo Ortiz de Zarate about the success of an intrapreneur, creation and innovation from the inside of an organization. As the Chief Innovation and Information Officer for NCARB, Ortiz de Zarate has relied upon agile and lean startup methodologies to project manage big changes to the processes NCARB uses to certify future architects. He has also helped build Lineup, a software platform that helps organizations efficiently manag...