What does the word ‘conversation’ mean to you – a face-to-face interaction or an online exchange? Has the digital age redefined what we understand a conversation to be? And what implications does that have for the future of interpersonal communication?

You’d expect different answers to these questions from different generations – baby boomers, Gen X, Y, etc. But what better way to get to grips with these issues than through a Funzing talk (and discussion), facilitated by our speaker Andrew Thorp?

At 54 years of age Andrew Thorp is firmly in the Baby Boomer camp but he’s an avid user of digital platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. However, as a renowned storyteller and communication skills trainer he believes passionately in the value of face-to-face conversation (“breathing the same air”).

After exploring some of the most important principles of effective conversations, Andrew will invite you to voice your views on one of the more relevant topics of our age. Do you share the concerns of those careers advisors and employers who see this as a shortcoming in the younger generation? Do you agree with authors and academics like Sherry Turkle (Reclaiming Conversation; the Power of Talk in the Digital Age) who claim that we have allowed technology to play too dominant a role in our communication behaviours? Or is it just a natural evolution and nothing to worry about?

Expect and lively and stimulating evening.