I was born in England. There are no elevators there, only lifts. In lifts we avoid talking. We also avoid eye contact. Everyone knows eye contact is a leading cause of conversation.

However, when I am not in England I enjoy finding short, snappy ways to describe what I do. I like these to be meaningful for the person I'm talking with, so I don't have a 'set speech'. I will usually find a way in that is relevant to a shared experience we have - something the other person has said, the place we're in, some current event I trust they'll know of.

The last time this happened was last night. I knew the person was a biologist and social activist. I mentioned creating an eco-system within which conflict and crime were harvested for greater community resilience and how this was empowering for marginalized groups. She smiled, took an overnight bus and will be at the Facilitator Practice tomorrow in São Paulo.