Written by co-founder Dan Shaikh in October 2021, celebrating five years of Speaker Slam®.
The very first Speaker Slam® event was October 19th, 2016. I had no idea how my life would change from that point on. I was on my path to be a future Senior Business Analyst at some mid-sized company in tech. It was a path that didn't excite me, but it's what I studied. What else could I do?
I had been on a journey to find my passion for a while, from doing five new experiences a week to trying to finish my bucket list by 25. I was a student ready to say yes to adventure.
Jerk Chicken and a Deadline
Rina and I met at CSI Pitchmasters. We connected over our mutual love for personal growth and jerk chicken. We laughed harder than anyone else together.
I had approached her to do something as part of my Landmark Self Expression and Leadership Program. Out of everyone I reached out to, she was the only one who said yes and was committed to doing something by the deadline the program set. We pulled it off with a debate workshop. Good enough, but it wasn't what fueled us.
We knew we wanted to do something for the local speaking community that wasn't Toastmasters. We started going to different events in the city. Our late friend Maria Racelis was running an event called Share, Love, Celebrate. Sitting in the audience together, we were inspired. We could do something like this. It was possible. We just had to differentiate ourselves.
Just a year prior, I had been involved with an organization called Passion Search Competition. So it was fresh on my mind when I blurted out, "What if we do a competition!"
Rina's eyes lit up and she blurted out, "Speaker Slam!"
Two Months to 100 People
It feels like a blur after that moment. We messaged each other non-stop. I was talking to her more than I was seeing my girlfriend at the time. We were intense. Some things never change. One of the best things about us together is that we are solution-oriented and find ways to get things done.
- We needed a website. I had one from my days running a bucket list experience directory called BookItList.
- We needed a logo. Rina knew how to get things created fast and cheap from her years as a business owner.
- We needed a venue. I had said yes to a hip hop karaoke event that year and knew it was exactly what we needed.
- We needed speakers and judges. Rina knew people in the speaking community and connected with them instantly.
- We needed volunteers. We had years of cultivating a Toastmasters group that supported us from day one.
- We needed a timer clock. I asked a club I had just joined to borrow it. It was one hell of an ask, but Rina encouraged me to do it. Her gentle nudges.
All of a sudden, within two months, we were putting on an event with 100 people in attendance. Suddenly I was on stage as a host.
Average Skills, Right Circumstances
I had no experience in the industry before that. I had a tech background, loved to video edit, and dabbled in comedy through improv and stand-up. I had a hunger for personal growth and an attitude that said yes to things outside my comfort zone.
These skills and experiences on their own didn't spark possibilities of success, but collectively it all clicked. The things I was average at wouldn't get me very far, but together in the right circumstances, they made me valuable.
It was in the doing, and in listening to the call of where my heart was guiding me, that led me to my purpose.
Grateful for all the memories we've made along the way and the stories we've breathed life into.
Read how the story continued in The Evolution of Speaker Slam®.