Aubrey Chapnick is a client services executive at Speakers’ Spotlight. In the post below, he recounts a recent presentation he attended by Creative Thinking and Innovation Expert, Ron Tite:
I recently had the opportunity of attending the Professional Convention Management Association’s (PCMA) 2013 Conference in Niagara Falls, along with Kelly MacDonald, the Senior Vice President at Speakers’ Spotlight.
At the conference, Kelly and I had the pleasure of hearing from our speaker, Innovation and Creative Thinking Expert, Ron Tite. Ron’s compelling presentation drew from his background as an award-winning advertising writer, executive creative director, seasoned comic, and Second City veteran, and touched on aspects of digital marketing, web-based content creation, breaking through the clutter of ad space, and how companies can be more memorable in the minds of the consumer. He also put a great deal of emphasis on the importance of storytelling in marketing–something I found I could relate to my experience at Speakers’ Spotlight.
At our agency, we believe that a great story allows an audience to meaningfully connect with what a speaker has to say, and allows their message to be both more effective and more entertaining. Though great content can make for a very informative keynote, when that content is paired with a great story, a speaker is able to take the audience on a dynamic journey full of twists and turns to hold their attention.
Both Kelly and I are avid storytellers, and love nothing more than listening to one of our speakers tell a great story. We believe that by representing not only many of the most informative and leading edge thinkers, but also many of the most engaging storytellers, our speakers’ audiences learn, become inspired, and truly feel a positive impact that they will remember long after the speaker’s presentation is over.
On the way back to the office, I got to hear some of Kelly’s own fantastic stories. If you have the chance to speak with her, ask her about some of them—who knows, you may even want her to be your next event’s speaker!
In closing, I leave you with some questions to ponder: What are some of your favorite stories? How does the joy of storytelling come into play in your own life? What about at your place of work? Hopefully your answers will surprise you, and reinforce the power of storytelling for you.