You can read all the books about a topic. You can watch all the online videos there are about a subject. But the best way to learn is still to learn by doing.
I know, it can get overwhelming at times. You often read about the “next big thing” social media platforms that you must be on if you want to be successful. The most desirable format to produce your content if you want to catch people’s attention, which seems to have evolved from text to audio to video and now experts are saying audio is making a comeback again.
The worst thing you can do is to shut yourself off from these developments. Keep yourself in the know. If you can afford it, you can always hire someone to produce content or run your social media marketing for you. If you cannot afford it at the moment, you got to find ways to do it yourself. But in both cases, I believe it pays to get your hands dirty. So when you are paying someone to do it for you, at least you have a better understanding of how things work and what you want to get out of it.
And I’m speaking from personal experience. Late last year, I purchased what I consider to be a “giant light”. Add it to the other gadgets that I've personally acquired and invested in all for the sake of learning, and I've got quite a collection going on for someone who is not into photography or videography.
You can see some of these pieces of equipment in the picture above: lighting equipment, gopro camera, microphone, camera stabiliser and stands.
Why?
So why do I do this even though I'm not into photography or videography, and definitely not much of a photographer or videographer?
That's because I want to stay on top of my game. It is not even to be at the forefront of things but to at least try and stay in touch with trends.
The media landscape has changed drastically, I can no longer be satisfied with going about my job with just written words. Video, audio and visual content are going to be critical moving forward. It has to be a multi-media platform offering.
While it's understandable that some may be fearful of new developments, spend much time debating its merits, and hold back on real actions, I have always tried to keep an open mind. Always aiming to learn by doing, to test and launch, and then to keep learning and fine-tuning.
I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
Just like me being on social media does not make me good enough to be an "influencer" or a "power profile", I know there is no way I will ever be good or interested enough to be a professional photographer or videographer.
All I am aiming to do is to try and learn, so I can be aware and understand just that little bit more, to understand better what I read, what I say and be able to hold conversations and ask good questions when I meet the real experts.
Unexpected results
What about you? Do you avoid trying or learning something new because “I’ve never done it before”? Or because “this is not how it works in the insurance industry”?
Of course you have to ensure you are compliant with your company policies and regulations. But if you do a search, there are already many insurance advisers and agency leaders who are active on social media and have successfully branded themselves as experts. These are people you can learn from and emulate too.
Back in the days when I was younger, blogging was all the rage. I started one too in the same spirit. I wanted to learn, I wanted to try and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.
Of course I didn’t make it as an “influencer” (which wasn’t even a term then), but I believe blogging helped to hone my writing skills and ensured that it did not become rusty after I left school. And years later, here I am in Asia’s premier insurance publication, very much having a career built out of my passion in writing.
Stay true to yourself and enjoy the learning journey. You never know what you may get out of it or how it may help your insurance career.
And because you are so used to seeing people looking so polished in the content they put up online, here are some of my early video content, where my nervousness was so obvious that it is still painful to watch, to give you the courage to get started:
Future of distribution - First video interview and I shot for the stars with Chris Wei, Global Chairman, Aviva Digital and Executive Chairman, Aviva Asia.
Building your network - My first solo video. I’ve spoken in front of large crowd and I was not half as nervous as just speaking into the camera!
Don't be a "next year adviser"! - A Q&A interview with Performance Breakthrough Coach Jensen Siaw who gave me very good tips and pointers which have helped me to improve since then.
The gurus of today were the novices of yesterday. So find the courage and get started!
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