Francois a True Friend using so many definitions for the word.
Francois a True Friend using so many definitions for the word.
"I am starting a new business. A consulting business focused on project management and problem solving."
Francois approached the 3 of us sitting around a tree stump or a table on top of one in the HUB AREA of ACRE - African Creativity Conference outside of Bela Bela, Limpopo, South Africa located 90 kms of so north of Pretoria.
The 3 of us were officially called the WISE ONES.
Ed Wiseman - natural name
Tara Coste - the wise woman
and me
the WISE ASS
For a few years Kobus Neethling had been calling the 3 or us
and occasionally Win Wenger, the 4th the WISE ONES.
He would announce at the opening sessions for the two ACRE conferences
that 1 or more of us was available throughout the two conferences
when not presenting or otherwise engaged.
Francois had taken the suggestion and approached us to talk about his new business.
That is how our friendship began years ago.
During that ACRE Francois attended one or both of my sessions. I know he attended the very last one on Friday morning before the official closing.
I don't recall the actual session name but it was
IDEAS IDEAS IDEAS by the TON in essence.
The session included me sharing 12 to 24 or more Creative Thinking Tools & Techniques for generating ideas individually, in pair or in teams or even large groups.
The room that the session was assigned too was too small, hot and just not right. So I moved the session down outside of the building onto the lawn area called the HUB, the relaxation meeting other delegates area
We did stand up exercise, Relay or running exercises all physical Idea Generating Tools & Techniques I had learned since 1979 or created myself.
During one evening after Francois approached the WISE ONES he approached me with these questions:
Would you mind if I market your programs here in South Africa?
How much longer will you be in SA before heading home?
The first questions typically gets a smart-ass attempt at humor
and an automatic
YES!
The second one that year was until the following Saturday.
During the next couple days Francois talked to delegates about having me do a workshop for them, their staff, the company, their bank during the next week
He ended up selling 2, 1/2 programs that "WE" did at a resort site in I believe Centurian, a smaller city between Pretoria and Joberg.
The following year he spent time marketing me for full day programs in 3 different cities in SA:
Pretoria (Centurian or Midrand)
Joberg
Cape Town
Eventually he combined the people who registered into program in Centurian or Midrand.
That year ACRE was doing a special program for Educators and Administrators at Guodini Resort in some mountains NE of Cape Town and Kobus flex some of us international presenters from Pretoria to Cape Town and back just for it. I did not fly back with the group. Instead Francois had arranged a 3 day trip for us along the Atlantic Coast or Western Cape and back to his home by car.
The next year he sold a one or two day program for a team inside of a bank that worked on highly creative projects for the bank and its customers. That is when I met his friend Francois, my friend also ever since
One other trip Francois #1 "PLANNED" a camping trip for the two of us to the Red Kalahari Desert
far to the east of where he lives and east and north of Kimberly, famous mining city in SA.
Then Francois volunteered one year after ACRE ended to take a Combie/Van of International presenters for the day to a series of Flea Markets north of Pretoria near a famous dam and resort or retirement city
I could easily go on and on about how many different ways Francois has been a great host to me and many others of the ACRE international presenters he was meeting at ACRE or MINDCAMP or other creativity conferences he also became a presenter at.
As I am writing this he is in route by plane from Joberg to London to Toronto to be a presenter and participant in the 15th Mindcamp 90 kms north of Toronto.
As I have learned in my 72 years
FRIENDS COME IN MANY SHAPES, SIZES & TYPES.
Francois Coetzie is especially one of those.
Cre8ng Alan
Wandering Alan
alan@cre8ng.com
http://www.cre8ng.com
"I am starting a new business. A consulting business focused on project management and problem solving."
Francois approached the 3 of us sitting around a tree stump or a table on top of one in the HUB AREA of ACRE - African Creativity Conference outside of Bela Bela, Limpopo, South Africa located 90 kms of so north of Pretoria.
The 3 of us were officially called the WISE ONES.
Ed Wiseman - natural name
Tara Coste - the wise woman
and me
the WISE ASS
For a few years Kobus Neethling had been calling the 3 or us
and occasionally Win Wenger, the 4th the WISE ONES.
He would announce at the opening sessions for the two ACRE conferences
that 1 or more of us was available throughout the two conferences
when not presenting or otherwise engaged.
Francois had taken the suggestion and approached us to talk about his new business.
That is how our friendship began years ago.
During that ACRE Francois attended one or both of my sessions. I know he attended the very last one on Friday morning before the official closing.
I don't recall the actual session name but it was
IDEAS IDEAS IDEAS by the TON in essence.
The session included me sharing 12 to 24 or more Creative Thinking Tools & Techniques for generating ideas individually, in pair or in teams or even large groups.
The room that the session was assigned too was too small, hot and just not right. So I moved the session down outside of the building onto the lawn area called the HUB, the relaxation meeting other delegates area
We did stand up exercise, Relay or running exercises all physical Idea Generating Tools & Techniques I had learned since 1979 or created myself.
During one evening after Francois approached the WISE ONES he approached me with these questions:
Would you mind if I market your programs here in South Africa?
How much longer will you be in SA before heading home?
The first questions typically gets a smart-ass attempt at humor
and an automatic
YES!
The second one that year was until the following Saturday.
During the next couple days Francois talked to delegates about having me do a workshop for them, their staff, the company, their bank during the next week
He ended up selling 2, 1/2 programs that "WE" did at a resort site in I believe Centurian, a smaller city between Pretoria and Joberg.
The following year he spent time marketing me for full day programs in 3 different cities in SA:
Pretoria (Centurian or Midrand)
Joberg
Cape Town
Eventually he combined the people who registered into program in Centurian or Midrand.
That year ACRE was doing a special program for Educators and Administrators at Guodini Resort in some mountains NE of Cape Town and Kobus flex some of us international presenters from Pretoria to Cape Town and back just for it. I did not fly back with the group. Instead Francois had arranged a 3 day trip for us along the Atlantic Coast or Western Cape and back to his home by car.
The next year he sold a one or two day program for a team inside of a bank that worked on highly creative projects for the bank and its customers. That is when I met his friend Francois, my friend also ever since
One other trip Francois #1 "PLANNED" a camping trip for the two of us to the Red Kalahari Desert
far to the east of where he lives and east and north of Kimberly, famous mining city in SA.
Then Francois volunteered one year after ACRE ended to take a Combie/Van of International presenters for the day to a series of Flea Markets north of Pretoria near a famous dam and resort or retirement city
I could easily go on and on about how many different ways Francois has been a great host to me and many others of the ACRE international presenters he was meeting at ACRE or MINDCAMP or other creativity conferences he also became a presenter at.
As I am writing this he is in route by plane from Joberg to London to Toronto to be a presenter and participant in the 15th Mindcamp 90 kms north of Toronto.
As I have learned in my 72 years
FRIENDS COME IN MANY SHAPES, SIZES & TYPES.
Francois Coetzie is especially one of those.
Cre8ng Alan
Wandering Alan
alan@cre8ng.com
http://www.cre8ng.com
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