Events & Conferencing Opinion South Africa

Shooting from the lip

This year, I've been invited to shoot from the lip at the IABC Africa Conference which kicks off in Cape Town on Wednesday, 15 October.

If engagement is indeed an art, as the conference title suggests, and then delivering key messages that are polished to within an inch of their lives are an organisational imperative. But engaging, to my mind, is a lot more than putting together complex proposals that talk to organisational strategies, or of oiling the wheels of slick reputation management, or even about labouring over future trends.

It's all about communicating with the very real impact of authenticity, without the noise. No bells or whistles, no jargonised language, no baffling tired minds with science, no policies and procedures.

It's about allowing your audience the refreshing breathing space not to have to wade their way through laborious thinking processes to actually get the picture. Kind of like a perfect breakthrough, exquisite in its simplicity.

I intend to put it to the professionals who will be attending this conference to network and create connections with their like-minded ilk, that communicating an efficient message works best when it is simple, concise and deliciously pure.

After all, once you say something, it's out there and can never be taken back. No action replay, no delete button, no fast forward. So I charge you to make every single word you utter really count.

About Janine Lazarus

Janine Lazarus is a South African journalist and interviewer of top names in the news, public figures and celebrities. Follow @JanineLazarus on Twitter.
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