Good ideas need to be understood: what Singapore taught me about ageing and communication
Seyi Marvellous Feyisitan, a psychology masters student at Surrey, visited Singapore for the Gerontology Global Impact Startup Challenge. The team won 2nd place in the challenge and Marvellous tells us about the experience and the unexpected takeaways.
"The more we expose ourselves to new environments, ideas and people, the more we learn about the world and ourselves."
When I arrived in Singapore for the Gerontology Global Impact Startup Challenge, I expected to learn about ageing, entrepreneurship and pitching. I did not expect one of my biggest takeaways to come from a simple question.
During one of the opening sessions, we were asked why people should care about ageing. My immediate thought was that it mattered because of our parents, grandparents and older relatives. Then the speaker pointed out something I had not considered: we should care about ageing because, if we are fortunate enough, we will all age ourselves.
As someone in my twenties, ageing has always felt distant. That comment reframed the entire challenge for me. Ageing was no longer a problem affecting someone else. It was something that would eventually affect every one of us.
I was in Singapore because my team had won a hackathon the previous year, earning the opportunity to represent the University of Surrey and pitch Social Spark at the challenge. Social Spark was built around a simple belief: older adults have valuable stories, skills and experiences to share. Rather than viewing older adults solely as recipients of support, we wanted to explore how they could be empowered as contributors and hosts of cultural experiences. The programme brought together participants working on a wide range of challenges related to ageing. Through workshops, mentoring sessions, site visits and pitch presentations, we were exposed to different perspectives on healthcare, social isolation, care coordination, wellbeing and active ageing. What I appreciated most was the opportunity to learn from people approaching the same issue from completely different angles.
Coming from a non-business background, concepts such as market validation, customer segmentation and revenue models were largely new to me. The challenge showed me that building a solution involves much more than simply having a good idea. One of the most memorable parts of the programme was visiting an Active Ageing Centre. Before arriving, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. What I found was a vibrant community space that felt active, social and welcoming. We observed programmes taking place, explored the facilities and learned about how older adults were being supported to stay engaged with their communities.
What stood out most was the thoughtful use of technology. It wasn't technology for the sake of innovation. It was integrated in practical ways that supported independence and participation. The visit challenged some of my assumptions about ageing and reinforced the importance of designing solutions that work alongside people rather than simply for them.
While the challenge taught me a great deal about ageing, the lesson that stayed with me most was about communication.
Before the challenge, I thought being a good speaker meant sounding intelligent. I assumed that using sophisticated language and carefully constructed sentences would make ideas more convincing. Preparing for our pitch forced me to confront a different reality. Although I believed strongly in our idea, I often struggled to explain it clearly and confidently. I realised that understanding an idea and communicating an idea are two different skills.
Throughout the challenge, I began to appreciate the power of simplicity. The most effective speakers were not necessarily the ones using the most complex language. They were the ones who could make difficult ideas easy to understand. Comparisons, examples and analogies often communicated more than technical explanations ever could.
That lesson has stayed with me long after returning home. Whether I am writing, presenting or discussing an idea, I now find myself asking a simple question: can this be explained more clearly? If I cannot explain something simply, do I truly understand it myself?
The programme concluded with teams pitching their solutions to a panel of judges. Our team finished in joint second place. While I was proud of what we achieved, I also left feeling that we could have done better. Looking back, that feeling was valuable. It encouraged me to think more critically about our assumptions, our validation process and how we communicated the value of our idea.
Beyond the challenge itself, Singapore was a fascinating place to experience. I enjoyed learning about its multicultural history, exploring the city and, as a food lover, spending plenty of time at hawker centres. Experiencing a different culture and meeting people with different perspectives was a reminder that we are often limited by our own experiences and assumptions. The more we expose ourselves to new environments, ideas and people, the more we learn about the world and ourselves.