Det Orðferð

(“The Word Journey”)

Fair warning: attempting to pronounce the Old Norse may induce memories of “The Swedish Chef” and uncontrollable giggles.

But behind the vowels lies something the Vikings took very, very seriously. Orð — words — were among the most powerful forces in the Norse world: Oaths were binding, curses were real, and a toast brought a roar of approval. A well-chosen word could forge an alliance; a careless one could start a blood feud. Your reputation — your legacy — was quite literally a story told about you in words, and getting those words right was a matter of survival.

Not much has changed. Every interaction your customers have with your product or company is a conversation, a story being told in words — your words, whether spoken by a human or a machine. Those words build trust or destroy it, clarify or confuse, solve a problem or create three more. I've made this journey many, many times, and I've helped others navigate it successfully, too. I know these waters well.

And what follows is your chart for the voyage: the tools, frameworks, and hard-won protocols you need to make your own Orðferð — and get the words right, every time.

So, fellow traveler — where are you in your journey?

  • You know something's not working — the chatbot frustrates more than it helps, the AI sounds like a robot reading a script, or leadership isn't convinced that conversation design is worth the investment. Start here. We'll make the case together.

    Að Sannfæra (“Making the Case”)

  • The decision is made — now you need to know what it costs, how long it takes, and what principles will guide the crew. These are your planning tools: the timeline, the budget, and the code of conduct that keeps the project on course.

    Útbúnaður (“Provisioning the ship”)

  • You're in the middle of a conversation design project and you need a compass. The process overview shows you where you are. The guidebook shows you what to do when you get there.

    Stýrimaður (“The Steersman”)

  • "The deep." Simple, evocative, and it's where the current runs beneath the surface. The intellectual depth beneath the practical craft, the “why” behind the “how”, and the perils and pitfalls along the way (along with ways to recognize and avoid them).

    Djúpið (“The Deep”)