This semester, I have a public speaking course as part of my program.

Today we had to deliver a personal speech... an experience, memory, or story about ourselves that, in the end, had to somehow relate to the audience.

I spent all night preparing a 3-minute speech with a 5-slide deck.

However, in the end, it didn’t turn out as I expected.

​

Here's the story:

I talked about how I went from being an introverted kid, afraid to talk to people, to someone comfortable speaking with strangers... and now even dating someone quite popular at our high school.

Then I explained the shift in beliefs that helped me change.

I thought I was doing well.

In fact, I was pretty proud of my speech. The story felt meaningful, and the slides looked fine.

But… no one remembered my speech.

No one said that directly, but I could feel it after listening to other speakers and hearing my professor’s feedback.

​

That’s when I noticed a pattern:

The speeches that stood out all had something memorable. A vivid story. A quirky detail. A unique character.

Flooded alley. Journey abroad. Horror movie lover. Car enthusiast. Exchange in France. Diehard Chelsea supporter.

Mine, in contrast, was flat:

Introvert → more confident.

​

What I learned from this:

To stand out, I need to show more of my character. The quirks. The hobbies. The little details people latch onto.

​

And here’s the marketing lesson I took from this speech:

Being "good" isn’t enough.

There are thousands of people online who can tell a decent story, share solid advice, or post valuable tips. But the ones who stick in your memory always have that thing that makes them different.

It could be their weird hobby. Their unapologetic personality. Their obsession with a niche. Or just their unmistakable voice.

That’s what makes people remember.

So when you’re creating content, don’t just share the lesson. Don’t just explain the transformation. Layer in your quirks, your tastes, your little obsessions... the parts of you that make your story uniquely yours.

That’s what makes an audience say:

“Oh yeah, that’s the person who ___.”

Because in marketing (and in public speaking), memorability always beats perfection.

— Chayanon Sangkhamfan