Record attendance at InsureTalk8

More than 800 insurance professionals attended the final InsureTalk webinar for 2020, headline sponsored by Santam. The InsureTalk series was conceived by CN&CO at the start of lockdown to provide information, education and entertainment to insurance industry professionals to help them grow their knowledge and their businesses.

Santam’s Letlhogonolo Tau was, once again, a superb MC, closing off with quote from Bob Marley – “Don’t worry about a thing. Because every little thing is gonna be alright.”

Global future strategist, author, speaker and disruptor, Adbullah Verachia, opened proceedings with an inspiring talk on what lies ahead. He encouraged delegates to shape their own destinies – “We are all painters on the canvas of the future,” he said. “Always push yourself to leave the space you find yourself in.”

(By the way, if you are keen to get hold of an autographed copy of Abdullah’s book, Disruption Amplified, you can buy it via this link.)

Next, Insurance Institute of South Africa (IISA) CEO Thokozile Mahlangu provided her traditional update from the institute.

Health, performance and stress management expert Richard Sutton posed the question, “Where do we start and how do we manage stress?”

“Some of our best work comes out of stressful situations and how we respond to the environment in which we find ourselves,” he said.

A major takeout from Richard’s talk was around resilience – particularly in 2020. 

“We haven’t just been knocked down once, but have had to respond continuously to new and different challenges throughout the year.” 

The healthier you are, he said, the more resilient you will be. Start by changing one thing.

Our live entertainment slot brought in a little bit of beatboxing from Tina and Morgan.

After the entertainment, Zanele Njapha, “the unlearning lady”, promised to challenge us – and she did! Her talk on disruption painted a picture of an exciting future for everyone. She invited delegates to reimagine the future in a positive way, think outside the box (or even inside the box), embrace change and get excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.

Workplace mental health expert Alison Hallett spoke on thriving in an age of disruption. “Conversations around mental health in the workplace are not easy,” she said, “but Covid has pushed the need to have them.”

In 2017, 12% of South Africans were affected by mental illness. In June 2020 the number had doubled to 24%. Most people affected, said Alison, have tertiary education and pressurised jobs. She called on delegates to beware of the consequences of our high performance culture. The most important thing is to take control of what you can take control of, she said, and look after yourself – and your workforce.

In 30 minutes of fast paced delivery, author and keynote speaker Pavlo Phitidis shared a few insights based on observations he’s picked up in business that are leading to increased sales, improved performance and growth across services businesses in SA, the UK and the US. There were lessons in it for everyone!

Big thanks to EasyEquities, who sponsored a R5000 prize into a lucky delegate’s Easy investment account.

Click below to watch InsureTalk8 in your own time. If you’d like to earn CPD hours for watching, drop Llewellyn du Plessis an email (llewellyn@cnandco.com) before you start!

Parting shots from Alison:

How it started…
… and how it’s turned out