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Active Listening Talks: Reevaluating Fan Creation in the AI Era

In recent years, the advancement of artificial intelligence has revolutionized various aspects of business, particularly recruitment, public relations, and fan engagement. The emergence of AI allows for rapid generation of digital content, including recruitment advertisements, social media posts, proposals, and videos. Consequently, the traditional approach of investing heavily in budget and quantity to capture attention has become outdated. In this environment, job seekers and customers can glean insights about a company long before making direct contact, thanks to platforms like OpenWork, job review boards, and social media postings by current employees.

The Changing Landscape of Engagement
As we’ve seen, captivating design and clever catchphrases no longer resonate as they once did. The key question remains: what drives people to connect, engage, and ultimately become fans? To explore this crucial inquiry, our recent event, Active Listening Talks (ALT), focused on the theme of fan creation.

Inviting Voices of Change
ALT has brought together leading figures such as Yuka Tanimoto from Forbes JAPAN, education commentator Tomoko Orian, and Ayako Komaki, CEO of Sanrio Entertainment, to address societal shifts through the lens of listening. The fourth installment took this concept further by concentrating on the art of building fandom.

Many organizations face challenges such as ineffective recruitment, low employee retention, and difficulty in product differentiation. A common factor among these firms is their disproportionate investment in external messaging while neglecting to nurture a sense of community among internal stakeholders—employees, their families, existing customers, and potential job seekers. In this event, practical insights and strategies were shared in an engaging dialogue format to tackle this pressing issue.

Featured Guest: Tomoko Shirai, CEO of CHEERS
Tomoko Shirai, whose personal experiences with illness in her childhood have fueled her passion for addressing disparities in children’s experiences, founded CHEERS Inc. in 2022 after launching educational and childcare services in 2016. In five years, CHEERS has collaborated with over 1,100 companies and 51 municipalities, providing over 36,000 families meaningful, free experiences. CHEERS focuses on transforming employees and their families into dedicated fans through emotional engineering and experience design workshops.

Facilitator: Eri Oka, CEO of Lively
Eri Oka, a graduate from Kanagawa University of Health and Welfare and a licensed occupational therapist, founded Lively in 2020 to emphasize the value of listening in personal and professional settings. Through her paid dialogue sessions that engage over 100 individuals monthly, she demonstrates how simply being heard can uplift people. Her company offers online active listening services and corporate training programs without relying heavily on advertising, focusing on organic growth through trust and word-of-mouth.

Two Opposite Approaches to Fandom
CHEERS implements strategies designed to engage large corporations and municipalities, while Lively caters to individuals and communities. Despite the stark contrast in targets and approaches, both companies share a foundational principle: the importance of listening. This singular focus creates a unique opportunity for dialogue, allowing for a deeper understanding of fan creation from diverse perspectives.

Themes for Discussion
During the event, attendees explored various topics such as:

• - The only way to rise above the crowd in the AI era
• - CHEERS' effective sales strategies that prioritize giving over receiving
• - Traits of those who seem to listen but truly do not
• - Techniques to enhance listening skills and build emotional connections
• - Understanding the intersection of emotional and experiential design in today's competitive landscape

Target Audience
This event caters to recruitment leaders, HR professionals, organizational developers, sales executives, marketing heads, CMOs, branding experts, entrepreneurs, and those in interpersonal support roles like professional coaches and career consultants.

About Active Listening Talks (ALT)
ALT is a series of live dialogue events organized by Lively that aims to update societal norms through the lens of active listening. By engaging with top professionals, ALT explores the intersections of listening and various fields, shaping new narratives for society, organizations, and personal lives.

Event Details

• - Name: Active Listening Talks Vol. 4
• - Theme: Engaging Fans Through Listening: What makes certain companies attract so many fans? Why do specific products continue to sell?
• - Date: May 28, 2026
• - Time: 11:30 AM doors open / Event from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
• - Location: Sendagaya Community Center, Shibuya, Tokyo
• - Speakers: Tomoko Shirai (CEO, CHEERS Inc.) and Eri Oka (CEO, Lively)
• - Capacity: 30 people (first-come, first-served)
• - Participation Fee: 3,000 yen (tax included)
• - Organizer: Lively Inc.
• - Registration: Lively Peatix

Press Inquiries
We welcome media representatives for coverage. For interviews with speakers or venue access, please reach out to the contacts below.

About Lively Inc.

• - Name: Lively Inc.
• - Location: Fujisawa, Kanagawa
• - CEO: Eri Oka
• - Services: Active listening service ‘LivelyTalk’, corporate training, coaching, organizational support, and more.
• - Website: Lively
• - Founded: 2020

Contact for Inquiries
Lively Public Relations
Email: [email protected]
Corporate Site: Lively