Award-winning international war correspondent, and maverick ad man Dinesh Watawana made a stirring return to public speeches when he delivered the key-note address at the glittering awards-night of Sri Lanka’s flag-bearer of Takaful insurance Amana Takaful, recently.

Known for his inspirational and out-of-the-box style speeches, Watawana captured the imagination of the audience with a speech titled: How to be a Walking-Talking Commercial.

Employing his famous "What’s in the bag" ice-breaker, the former international correspondent asked the audience to think of what troubled their battle-hardened minds as insurance agents. Highlighting their uphill task in the bitter insurance war, he sent the bag around asking the audience to cast their fears and anxieties into it before they would listen to his speech. The psychological trick, he assured, would turn into a real-life solution by the time he finished and the proof ‘will be in the bag’.

Offering a 7-point plan which would turn them into ‘walking-talking commercials’ which would make them sit up and demand attention in the insurance market, Watawana, whose ad agency partners ATI as its brand and communications strategist, delivered an inspirational spiel laced with heart-rending anecdotes and challenges before concluding his speech by showing the contents of the ‘bag’. "If you passionately abide by my 7-point plan, the daunting journey in the world of insurance would be a piece of cake," he said as he took out a giant slice of decorated cake.