By Remy Raitt

“Inspirational speakers can really motivate people to think differently and make smarter choices,” says Justin Ramb in an article for Big Eye Agency. “When it comes to the marketing world, one good innovative idea can mean the difference between branding success and downfall.”

He says events like TED Talks serve as an “idea platform for viewers across the world by delivering interesting discoveries and starting conversation about topics people may have forgot about”.

But it doesn’t even have to be global. A local event with (and for) people who care about and want to learn about how your brand is breaking boundaries can put you in a powerful position.

Sharing is caring (about your industry)

CEO of World Wide Creative, Fred Roed says they started hosting their now infamous Heavy Chef events in the mid-2000s because the industry wasn’t gobbling up what they were serving.

“In order to taste-test the ingredients of digital marketing, we chose topics where we felt light and invited the heaviest speakers on those topics we could find. These quickly and organically evolved into our monthly Heavy Chef sessions which regularly host 200 to 300 people at a time. This tells me that people are hungry to learn.”

Roed says these types of talks are important in South Africa due to the fact that we often lag behind more developed nations. “This means that there is a lot of equivocation and uncertainty around particular topics, which in turn means that the learning and sharing is critical for the South African context.”

“It's a tough gig to do events. It's hard, competitive, complicated, stressful and messy. If you're considering doing events, ensure that it's something that you're doing because you love it - because if you don't love it, you will come well short.”

A talk that will be talked about
What are the key ingredients of a good talk? Speakers who know their stuff is, of course, a good start. Roed says concentrated material is also a wise idea. “It is my belief that the best talks provide a single point; one key learning around which a narrative can be conveyed to make it more interesting and resonant.”

Ben Wagner, head of NATIVE VML Cape Town believes it’s also important how the content is shared: “We pay particular attention to snackable content, that doesn’t overwhelm audience and gives them key actionable takeouts that they can test in their own marketing activities.”

Authenticity is also paramount. “Don't try and sell yourself or your brand. Rather tell your story and make a valuable point. People will respect you for it, and you'll be far more effective at winning people over and make the right connections,” Roed advises. He says crafting a story through your talk will also make it memorable.

Elements to avoid

Roed says a great speaker will keep things focused. He says trying to make too many points could easily sink your speech.

For Wagner, boring PowerPoint presentations should be avoided. Roed agrees: “If you have an audience you should look them in the eye. That cannot happen if you're reading from slides, or if they're distracted by your slides. Your presentation should complement and support your message with simple, visuals - not bullet points.”

Do you host industry talks? What made it a success or failure? Tell us about it in the comments section below.