How giving an Inspiration X talk accelerated my learning

With just two years’ experience under her belt, Match & Wood Communications Executive Jennifer Lohan didn’t expect to land on the stage at MFA EX. Presenting an Inspiration X session at MFA EX Melbourne took the encouragement and support of her agency, and gave her career a boost.

The aim of the four-minute Inspiration X presentations is to present a new or provocative perspective, inspire our industry to change its thinking or behaviour, and address the wide theme of the MFA EX conference: delivering greater effectiveness.

Here’s what Jennifer’s experience taught her.

I thought I was too inexperienced to present at MFA EX

Taking to the stage at MFA EX Melbourne didn’t come about in the most direct way for me. It began when we discussed Inspiration X ideas as a team at Match & Wood. 

At the time, the Inspired Unemployed had joined forces with F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo, and I thought we needed to see more of that – weird partnerships that work because they’re unexpected and drive fan migration. So the concept for my presentation was born.

I’m not a natural speaker and I believed I was too inexperienced to be up on stage. But Sam Enshaw, our Head of Strategy at Match & Wood, strongly encouraged me to do it and everyone at the agency provided the support and guidance I needed to help me get there.

It taught me the value of mindset
I’d love to say I would have done it off my own bat, but I wouldn’t have. What made it possible was changing my mindset to think presenting to a huge audience of industry leaders was something I could do. The importance of mindset in something Sam is always talking about and it took a lot of guidance from him to get me there, and I’m enormously grateful for that.