Any conversation about the current state of communication in sure to be peppered with references to mobile, email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the zillion other ways we “speak” to each other every day. And justifiably so. Texting, video conferencing, and especially social networking have become integral to doing business. You don’t hear a whole lot of talk, however, about the most powerful communication scenario of them all – the one-on-one encounter.

Any business development veteran can relate stories of how this or that deal was closed only after that lunch, dinner, drink or cup of coffee brought them together face to face. But even when people can’t be in the same physical space, collaborating directly with the decision maker can be the difference between a fully realized vision and a built-by-committee mishmash.

We’ve always been inspired by the amazing work and the design-first philosophy of Paul Rand. From the 1930s until his death in 1996, he was a pioneer in demonstrating to the business community the considerable power of great design in their marketing efforts. As his associate Louis Danziger put it, “He almost single-handedly convinced business that design was an effective tool…We went from being commercial artists to being graphic designers largely on his merits.”

Some of Rand’s iconic corporate identities include IBM. ABC, Cummins Engines and UPS. He was an inspiration to Apple head Steve Jobs, who referred to Rand as “the greatest living graphic designer.” Jobs turned to Rand to create the corporate identity for his NeXT Computer.

Growing up in Fidel Castro’s Cuba, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Juan Carlos Formell knew life in a supressed society where commerce and commodities had all but dried up. A world-class musician, Juan Carlos was chafing at his creative and career limitations when he was offered an opportunity to travel with a band on a state-sponsored tour of Mexico. Slipping out of his hotel one night, the musician made his way to family members and a new beginning in New York City.

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” – Stephen R. Covey

I love this quote from the bestselling author of “Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People,” because it points out the big difference between “listening” and really, truly listening. Think about it. When having a conversation with someone, be it business, personal or whatever, most of us are actually only half listening. The other half of our brain is busy formulating a response to what is being said. Unfortunately, this kind of “diluted” listening is the norm.

After posting our last blog, “A Most Important ‘Take Away,” I had lunch with friend/ programmer/social media maven/all-around smart guy Michael Lovett. He heartily agreed with our message and suggested his own “brand pillars” as a logical followup. Check out Michael’s good-as-gold brand-building advice.