Conversation Cafe connects diverse crowd
Awkward silence, inappropriate jokes and differing opinions on sensitive topic that might lead to heated arguments, are typically some of the reasons that cause most people to break out into hives or suffer a mild panic attack at the thought of dining with complete strangers.
However, the Standard bank and 99FM Conversation Café’s provides a unique setting in which people from all walks of life laugh over a glass of wine and share their life experiences. By their nature, Conversation Cafés are set up in a calm environment to stimulate calm conversation.
“At Standard Bank we strive to go above and beyond just Banking. We care about our Blue Bankers, we understand their lifestyle and we know that occasionally they need to unwind and engage with their peers in a calm setting that allows for them to listen more and argue less,” Standard Bank’s PR and Communications Manager Surihe Gaomas-Guchu said.
As such the Bank decided to partner with 99FM for the Conversation Café’s to provide Blue Bankers with that platform. The last Conversation Café was held on late last month, under the theme “If you could change just one thing in this world, what would it be”.
“We are very proud to have partnered with 99FM on this Conversation Café’s because it has proved to be an honest process of staying present to your own reality while taking in the reality of everyone else at the table. Although we have a specific topic for each Conversation Café, we allow for our guests to branch out into other topics and get to know each other better as well as share their life experiences,” she explained.
The diverse groups of people ensure that each person airs their views and experiences, with a soothing ambiance to facilitate a calm environment. Gaomas-Guchu noted that these types of events are important because they help guests understand complex or difficult situations from someone else’s perspective and also generate new/innovative ideas.
