It’s often said that the real experts are the ones that can make the complex easy to understand, and Ros Atkins is an expert on making things easy to understand … so I guess that would make him the expert’s expert!  As a journalist, and BBC News' Analysis Editor, Ros Atkins has presented and reported[...]

Waking up paralysed in 2014 completely turned Jamie McAnsh’s life upside down.  He lost his job, and his independence, but he was determined to forge a new path and purpose for his life.  That included becoming a top disabled athlete, and fulfilling his dream of climbing Mount Everest in 2022. What he realised was that[...]

One of the most important parts of your talk is the opening, because you have to grab the attention of your audience and show why the talk is relevant for them. What I’ve noticed recently with some of my clients, is that their ‘hook’, (or ‘lightning bolt’ as I call it), is good, but they[...]

Still one of the most prolific tools around, Powerpoint can literally make or break your presentation, depending on how you use it. That’s why I wanted to get Philippa Leguen de Lacroix on the show.  She started life employed as a graphic designer, and was increasingly tasked with creating powerpoint slides for the different organisations[...]

This quick talk tip is in response to a situation one of my client’s found herself in, that could be an obstacle for you too.  In this show I’m covering: Why you need to be able to flex your talk.  Why it works How I used it and you can see it in action Tips[...]

It wasn’t until I embarked on my marketing, influencing and sales odyssey, that I discovered the concept of ‘audience sophistication’ as I call it.  It’s something I’ve often shared with marketing clients, but although I used it myself in my talks, I’ve not taught it to speakers until recently.  And the feedback when I have[...]

As a speaker you need to be like the director of a movie, using your talk content and delivery to captivate the audience. Your talk should contain moments that challenge them, make them ponder, create desire and yearning and move them towards your intended destination. All in a way that feels natural and aligned. In[...]

As you may know in addition to teaching people how to become awesome speakers, I am a writer, and that’s how I first discovered Jo Gatford. I was writing my second play, and needed some concentrated time to focus on getting it written, queue Writers HQ. Jo Gatford is an award-winning writer of short and[...]

Adding the label of speaker to your bio is becoming more common, but calling yourself a speaker and actually being able to deliver your message in a way that educates, inspires and motivates are two very different things.  There are lots of people boring the pants off audiences, when they don’t need to, and this[...]

Ross O’Lochlainn is a former engineer-turned-copywriter who has blended his talent for problem solving and building systems with his ability to engage an audience with his storytelling flair.  The result of this combination is a new way of looking at marketing that is getting incredible results. Ross was so confident in his model that he[...]

It’s hard enough to cope with the grief that follows the loss of a friend or family member, but add in the pressure of being responsible for the eulogy for the person you cared for and maybe some anxiety around public speaking, and you have a recipe for huge overwhelm. If you find yourself in[...]

The ‘path of most resistance’ - that is essentially what Catherine Weetman faces as a specialist in the area of regeneration and the circular economy.  She talks to organisations about the need to ditch outdated business models and go beyond current thinking. She also challenges current practices around product life cycles and materials, and shares[...]

As speakers we are using stories to affect our audience. At the bare minimum a story will entertain. When you begin to infuse the story with emotions, fears and desires that your audience shares then it becomes engaging at the next level.  But if we truly want our audience to shift into action then our[...]

To be a great public speaker you need substance and style. I’ve seen many speakers who are very showy, but their content completely misses the mark, and I’ve seen speakers with a great message to share, but who fail to communicate it in a way that engages their audience. I want anyone I work with,[...]

Many people suffer from performance anxiety and it can get in your way if you want to speak to grow your business - but stage fright can have a whole other level of impact if your business is performing. That is the situation that singer-songwriter Elisa De Napoli found herself in. She spent a number[...]

Do you have what it takes to become a successful speaker? There are a lot of people who want it, who dream of holding the audience in the palm of their hand and getting all the rewards that come with it… but so often they never progress from dreaming to doing. So what makes the[...]

Iain Cahill is a qualified accountant, with over 30 years’ experience creating and investing in businesses as well as providing financial mentoring to other Business owners and he’s on a mission! In the early 90’s Iain Cahill started a company in the catering industry with his sister, a while later he took a break to[...]

A load of old rubbish, or the secret to unlocking everything you’ve ever hoped and dreamed of? Those are the two sorts of reactions that you get when the subjects of ‘Manifestation’ and ‘The Law of Attraction’ come up.  Like many, I watched ‘The Secret’ and was ever so slightly skeptical that if I visualised[...]

After graduating with a degree in interpersonal communication, Brett Hill ended up becoming a technology expert, before bringing the two strands of technology and communication together to create a distinguished and successful career as a technical speaker and storyteller.  Alongside that career, Brett has spent many years studying and practicing mindfulness in many forms.  He[...]

Your elevator pitch is one of the first and most important marketing assets you need to get together. It’s also likely to be the first bit of public speaking you do related to your business.  Considering both the significant positive or negative impact it can have on your business, it’s surprising how few people invest[...]

Fredrik Haren is an international speaker on creativity and change and the author of ten books, including ‘The Idea Book’ which was included in ‘The 100 Best Business Books of All Time’.  For the last 2 decades Fredrik has been travelling the world to learn as much as he can about creativity from people who[...]

The inspiration for this show comes from what is happening in March 2020, but I hope that this episode will stand the test of time and you’ll find what I’m sharing gives you food for thought and inspiration whenever you’re facing an obstacle that’s slowing you down, stopping you or getting in your way. I[...]

Diane Banister is the CEO of Intelligent Dialogue, and she has spent decades helping companies develop their customer service and get incredible sales results. In this episode I have brought her on to help you look at selling in a new way, so that you can get more gigs or grow your business. The truth[...]

Shelly O’Donovan, CEO of the Authentic Influence Group is back to give us more insight and tips about non-verbal communication. She is an expert in body-language and facial expressions after switching from over 20 years in the public policy arena. She has worked with corporations to shape their strategy and building bridges between the commercial[...]

In business today, it’s a fairly established principle that you have to start small in order to grow big...that you have to find a ‘niche’. But that rule doesn’t just apply to business, it applies to anything you want to build a business or movement from. Whether you’re a speaker, author, expert, inventor or charity[...]

Getting and keeping attention is something we all want to be good at, but for many of us it’s a necessity for our career or business growth. The problem is there are some fundamental principles about attention that we need to be aware of to avoid some massive mistakes with our pitches and presentations. If[...]

Regardless of whether you’re a motivational speaker who wants to inspire people to take action, an educational speaker that wants the audience to think in new ways, a corporate leader who wants their employees to buy into change, or someone who uses speaking to sell their products or services… to achieve your goals you need[...]

When I met Peter Cheese, I knew he would make a wonderful guest for the show. He is an expert in people and change management, with a distinguished career at one of the biggest consulting firms in the world, followed by Chief Exec positions at two of the leading people organisations in the UK. On[...]

Sophie Devonshire is a business leader, entrepreneur, brand specialist and author who has worked around the globe including roles with Procter & Gamble, Coca Cola GB, Leo Burnett and Interbrand. She is much in demand as a speaker on contemporary leadership topics, business acceleration, brand transformation, the relationship between work and family life and the[...]

Simon Fanshawe is funny, authentic and passionate about making the world a better place. He trained as a lawyer and promptly abandoned a career in law and became a comedian. Simon was doing stand-up comedy from 1982 to 1992, when it began to transition from safe jokes about your mother-in-law performed in men’s clubs to[...]

This month has been loosely themed around performance, and I’ve had an idea for months of doing an episode on ‘Framing’. This concept is used in many art forms, and is basically another story, situation or structure that allows the original story to be told, or better understood by the audience. You will have come[...]

Like many successful entrepreneurs, Warren Cass has tasted both success and failure, and he has many stories to tell. Acknowledged as a networking wizard, Warren believes his super power is bringing people together, and in his book ‘Influence’ he aims to share strategies for networking in the 21st Century. In this episode Warren talks about[...]

The Hero’s Journey storytelling model has been popular since the 1990’s following its adoption by the movie industry, as a blueprint for blockbusters. It is now being widely used in business and sales, because of the power and impact it can have on customers and employees, and conversion rates! There are a few different models[...]