select your topic. This can be guided by the theme of the event, if there it has one. If not, as the case of Marketers Night, then you have an open canvas. It is important to pick an area of your expertise and it adds immense value if it is relevant to the times we are in. For illustration you may decide to talk about AI the buzz currently. You could decide to narrow down to how marketers can leverage AI to build stronger brands. Or you can speak on the effects of AI on the career of marketing.
Once you have settled on the topic you then come up with a title. Here you have two options; a straight forward title, or one that is not‘ kawa’. The second is what I picked from Pastor Chuck. He made me realise that how one frames their title can add value to their presentation or speech. Though he does have a few straight forward topics, most of Chucks titles are simply out of this World, no pun intended. Let us sample a few striking ones.‘ Boars In God’ s Kingdom’,‘ Never Forget The Locusts’,‘ The Pride Reaping Role Of Thorn Therapy’,‘ Crashing Elijah’ s Pity Party’,‘ A Letter That Rattles Our Cage’,‘ None But The Lonely Heart,’‘ God’ s Power When You Are Punched’, Don’ t Miss The Message In Your Misfortune’ and Bringing David to His Knees’.
By not revealing what the message will be such titles arouse curiosity, stimulate imagination, and heighten anticipation of the audience before one starts delivering the message.
This is even more important in our case as your name and topic will be on the invitation card and will be seen long before you stand up to speak. It will precede you like John the Baptist. Thinking of it, it can be a selling tool increasing the participants traffic to the event as they will want to be there as the onion is peeled. This is one example of what we call the‘ mini skirt’ effect. Therefore as you prepare, try a little creativity.
One of the seasoned contributors to Marketing Africa Magazine, Herman Githinji, also gives us a way to title a presentation or speech. Though he was not making a presentation, nor is he a man of cloth, the title of one of his articles is worth a second glance and relevant to this piece. In the Marketing Africa issue, MAL / 58 / 2024, Herman Githinji, in his column Crossfire, wrote an article titled;‘ Struggling In Selling? 7 Fears, Thoughts, And Learnings That Make You Not Thrive’. The title is direct, clear, and concise and one knows exactly what to expect.
Once you have come up with the title I picked something else to help you as you continue to prepare. This is a gem I picked from another man of cloth, Pastor Dr. Erwin Lutzer of Moody Church. He has a series on sermon preparation. Once he has picked the Bible Verse and decided on his topic, he
considers how he will frame the sermon. He is guided by what he calls‘ key’ words. Examples are words like‘ characteristics’,‘ barriers’,‘ stages’,‘ blessings’ and‘ steps’.
Let me use our example of your topic of AI. Instead of saying‘ I will speak about five things of how to you can leverage AI’, consider a key word to replace‘ things’. This could be‘ Five ways’ or‘ six tools’ or‘ four nuts and bolts’, useful in building your brand using AI. These key words unify the message and ensure a smooth flow. I think they also guide in preparation and delivery, making it a little easier.
In the next issue I will look at delivery of the message and how you can make it impactful. I will borrow again from men of cloth. As I wrote in my last article, the only way to improve and adapt in this fast changing arena is continuous learning and one never knows where the lessons will come from.
Robert Wamai is a trainer and advertising consultant, a passionate consumer advocate and believer in the power of brands. You can engage him on this or related matters via email at: Wamairobert51 @ gmail. com.
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