Takeaways from IBEI

This week, I had the pleasure of working online with 40 postgrad students of the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internationals (IBEI).

It took me back to my own International Relations studies, many moons ago, when Europe was still divided into East and West…

The world is now a very different place.

The IBEI students, from across the globe, have chosen their studies to help them answer a calling.

A desire to make a positive difference in the world, be it through public policy, security, international development or international relations.

And the speeches they crafted and shared were testament to their passion to make change happen.

With courage, confidence, and creativity.

It was a pleasure to be a small part of that journey. 

Here are some of the insights sparked:

🔎    Shift the spotlight to the audience – they are the protagonists here.

🧡 Appeal to the emotions. A logical approach and knowledge of the subject are not enough.

🔱 Call on the magical rule of three to break complex content down into digestible pieces.

🪝 Capture, and re-capture the audience’s attention using hooks and rhetorical devices.

⚡ If you want to bring about change, call your audience to action and make that action specific, and do-able.

We concluded with a fun piece of storytelling to open a window onto the person behind the professional.

It was a Zoom room filled with a mosaic of optimism. And hope for the future.