Like Minds 2022 - Episode 13 - Nudge

For the third time, I was fortunate to be the host MC of the amazing Like Minds ideas festival and felt it prudent to share a few key take-homes for those not fortunate enough to be in the room!

By way of explainer, I am fascinated by knowledge and gaining it from experts in many fields. In between every introduction, I was scribbling notes, take homes and nuggets of information from the brilliantly curated group of speakers assembled. My only regret about the day was that there weren't more people there to truly appreciate what we had in Exeter. One would normally have to travel to London to experience such a day!

For those who have never attended Like Minds, I think that the best summation was provided by?Robert Bean - an attendee from a few years ago - who summed it up perfectly:

“Like Minds is an intellectual playground where thinkers, strategists, agents provocateurs, innovators, challengers and mavericks can open up, share ideas and be inspired in a warm, welcoming, global environment.”

Before I get down to it, I must also tip the cap to the maestro Drew Ellis, curator of the event, who dealt with a venue change just one week before the day with aplomb to ensure everything moved seamlessly and that everyone left a better person than when they arrived!!

Now, to the speakers

First up Was Paul Sloane with a cracking opener entitled 'think like an innovator

In a whistlestop tour, we heard from a variety of innovators who employed various techniques to ensure they excelled within their field. From Joseph Lister (who you should know about) to George Odon (whose story is one you almost certainly don't!) we were treated to a sequence of folk whose actions can certainly help inspire innovative thought

The key pointers were...

• Challenge Assumption
• Do the opposite
• Take an outsdiers point of view
• Think big, think small
• Fly, Crash, Adapt (my personal favourite feedback loop as inspired by Paul Maccready)

Next on the log was media presenter, entrepreneur and all-round pocket rocket Arti Halai

Her presentation on presentation was a fantastic explainer of how to be your best when presenting and, coming from someone who has reported for the BBC on many iconic moments, couldn't have been delivered by a more qualified practitioner. With the key pointer being around Prep, Practice and Proper design of content, I took a lot away that I'll be employing myself when front and centre

After Arti was the hugely impressive James Poulter CEO of Vixen Labs

Following a funny tale about French tycoon Francois and the punchline 'we deal with it tomorrow' he took a deep dive into the increasing importance of voice in our relationship with tech. He explained how the next tech revolution will be around voice and, at Vixen Labs, they are at the spearhead of it! The key take-home - internet search will be less about keywords and more about questions

After a break, we were treated to the first really interactive speech by my good mate Vikki Barnes who wanted to create a legion of positivity deviants!!!

Starting on with the peculiar topic 'fear of happiness' and segueing into 'foreboding joy', we soon became aware of just how important our own prefrontal cortex is for deciding our own happiness! If you can focus on happiness, no matter how mechanical it feels, you'll soon find yourself in a much better state. This was rammed home with an impromptu dance-off (won by Ben Sterling and his B-Boy style)

The Beauty of Like minds is the freedom to have presentations on contrasting ideas back to back where the audience is open to take pearls from both viewpoints. This was never more obvious than during the fifth and sixth presentations from Gordon Glenister and Quentin Milligan respectively about B2B influence and Contacts without connection respectively

Gordon's keynote focussed on personal brand and how best to amplify your message online. Coming from a specialist in the influencer marketing world who has not one but two podcasts on the topic, he made a lot of good points. The key levers of content are to make it entertaining, educational and inspirational. Consistency and reliability are also vitally important if you want to grow your following, impact and revenue!

Quentin on the other hand gave a very sobering talk about just how damaging social media can be when it takes control over the user! With reference to the attention alcohol and the anxiety increasing nature of our various apps, he made some very important points about how to ensure you are in charge of your socials and not the opposite. Heading into the lunch break, the two different speeches certainly encouraged lively debate!

Following the break, I for one was feeling a bit frazzled at the volume of information already in my head but I was soon re-enthused by a mega keynote from the 'burlesque businesswoman' Paulina Tenner with her 'lessons from a stripper' talk.

As a retired sportsman with a lot of experience in a hyper-masculine environment, her opening comments about the benefits of tantra and embracing the feminine was certainly a challenge but one I was keen to further understand!! Paulina explained how she got involved in burlesque dancing as an embodied hobby that allowed her to become a better leader. Personally, I was most inspired by the line 'through vulnerability comes a freedom for others to open up too'. Her slides accompanying the speech certainly livened up the room too!

Following on from such a powerful speaker we were treated to a chat with another equally impressive individual who had a CV that I was intimidated by before she had said a word. Any trepidation was soon dissipated as Dr Sally Basker (creator of the UK Atomic Energy Authorities' business development strategy and responsible for a billion-pound B2G sale in South Africa) took us on a tour including the valley of death!

As the CEO of the Exeter Science Park, Dr Basker gave a fantastic presentation on the pioneering work she is at the coalface of to make the greater Exeter area a real hotbed for S.T.E.M research, development and innovation.

As Like Minds is an ideas festival (and not just a sequence of keynotes), we were then treated to a panel debate around the current skills shortage led by Hannah Prevett, deputy editor of pretty much every publication associated with the Times newsgroup!

She was joined by Sawsan Khuri, David Chamberlain, Mike Blakely, Dean Breyley and Andrea Hodges. I have to admit that I was most impressed by the contrarian point made by Sawsan about how one plus one doesn't always make one but won't be sharing that as I've already got permission to use myself in future chats!!!!

For the final speech of the day I was joined on stage by David Murray and online by covid positive Guy Rigby for what became a fascinating Q&A around their inspirational Atlantic crossing aboard the Entrepreneur

As the oldest crew to ever complete the crossing, their tales of adventure on the high seas were of special relevance to this amateur rower and I have to admit I was somewhat self-indulgent during the conversation.

I was also however hugely disappointed to find out my supposedly edgy question about the toilet facilities was the most commonly asked over the course of their speaking tour!

Before we finished for the afterparty, all of the delegates were treated to the man that is Dan Pritchard hosting the Tech SouthWest pitchfest and then we all had the chance to attend one of five workshops. and I was lucky enough to jump in with Elliot Kay and emerged as more of a giraffe then when I went in (you had to be there!)

Getting to the bar for my first drink of the evening, I was joined by a fair few delegates who were equally enthused and inspired by what had taken place. Once again, Like Minds had delivered and I for one cannot wait till the 14th edition next year!

FURTHER READING

Paul Sloanes 'Think like an innovator' https://tinyurl.com/y3wxc67e

Arti Halai 'Positivity' https://tinyurl.com/2yh2u8mk

James Poulter https://vixenlabs.co/voice-consumer-index

Vikki Barns 'Free Happiness' https://tinyurl.com/mu9m6ts5

Paulina Tenner 'what the business leader learned from the stripper https://tinyurl.com/2r22v7bc

Elliot Kay 'Be More giraffe' https://tinyurl.com/4de8a3j5