banking

Want to lull me to sleep? First, start your event at 6:30 and go until 8:00 in the evening; I get to work early, so I’m often exhausted by the end of the day. Second, draw the blinds to keep out natural light; exacerbate the soporific effect by dimming the lights (so I can see the PowerPoint slides, sure). Third, serve food – especially heavy, rich food like meat and cheese – before the presentation starts. Between these three, you’re guaranteed to have me – and at least 75 percent of your audience – asleep by the 20 minute mark.

Or not. To my surprise, there’s an antidote to this sedative trio – and his name is Nachiket Mor. Last night, along with 150 or so others, I sat in rapt attention while Nachiket described his latest thinking on banking at the base of the pyramid in a talk entitled The Next Big Step: Revolutionizing Financial Services Distribution in Rural India. Yes, the event started at 6:30, and they served delicious (but heavy) hors d’oeuvres. And since the auditorium was bright in the late-day sun, the organizers drew the blinds and dimmed the lights. But for the duration of Nachiket’s presentation and through the Q&A, the entire audience sat and stood at attention. It was that good.