The Agile Speaker

In this final episode of How to Resolve Conflict , Maryanne is joined once again by mediator and leadership expert Drew Drummond to answer real questions about handling conflict in everyday life and work. From dealing with people who take everything personally to knowing when (and how) to step into tension, this Q&A brings together grounded self-awareness and practical strategies. Drew shares...

Self-Care in Conflict: Tools to Help Manage Stress and Stay Calm Navigating conflict can be emotionally draining—but it doesn’t have to come at the cost of your wellbeing. In this episode, Maryanne and Drew share three practical strategies to help you manage stress and stay grounded: Self-Monitoring, Having a Hill Road, and Finding a Trusted Other. Through personal stories - from dog walks to cold...

Navigating Conflict: Avoidance or Management? Is conflict something to fear - or an opportunity for growth? In Episode 2, Maryanne and Drew explore the difference between avoiding conflict and managing it effectively. They challenge common perceptions, showing how conflict, when approached with perspective and patience, can be a positive and empowering experience. You’ll learn their adaptable 4-st...

How to Resolve Conflict: Understanding Personality Traits Resolving conflict isn’t about finding the “right” answer - it’s about fostering understanding, ensuring everyone feels heard, and moving forward with mutual satisfaction and calm.  In this episode, Maryanne and Drew explore four key personality traits that can be used as tools to navigate conflict effectively. You’ll discover how recognisi...

In this episode, we explore how a lack of self-trust, not just confidence, can contribute to stress and anxiety in various situations like job interviews, career changes, or returning to work after family leave.  We also touch on how menopause can affect self-trust with symptoms like brain fog and low mood.  Joining me is Antonia Siegel, a mindset and behavior change coach from Healthy Habits, to...

In this episode, we get hands-on! Antonia explains to us how breathwork can regulate the stress hormone and reduce stress levels. She takes us through a powerful breathing technique that can help to control the stress we feel and get us into the right headspace before presenting. If you found this episode useful, please like, share and subscribe! Even better, why not write a short review to help u...

75% of the population fears public speaking. Avoiding it isn't always an option though and imagine the opportunities you could miss if you aren't able to fully engage! We can take control and we always have a choice. In this episode, Maryanne and Antonia discuss Imposter Syndrome and practical techniques to control your stress levels. They chat about their experiences and what works for...

If you're a company with Scottish connections, looking to scale up then you might want to listen to this podcast. Ken Whipp is the Programme Director of Scale Up Scotland. Their ambition is to support fellow entrepreneurs to build world class, scalable businesses by sharing experience, access and networks to drive dynamic growth. Maryanne has delivered workshops with their cohorts and enjoyed...

The World Health Organisation deems stress to be the health epidemic of the 21st Century. In this episode, Antonia and Maryanne discuss what stress is, where it comes from and how it manifests itself within us. If we can understand our stress response, we can find ways to manage it. Healthy Habits If you found this episode useful, please like, share and subscribe! Even better, why not write a shor...

Caroline Barelle is a force of nature. She is also the CEO and Founder of Elasmogen, a biopharmaceutical company in Aberdeen, Scotland. Elasmogen is rapidly progressing a pipeline of next-generation, differentiated soloMER products for the treatment of solid tumour cancers and auto-immune inflammatory diseases. She has won the Scottish Life Sciences Award for Rising Star – Extraordinary Talent, En...

Converge has supported 600+ entrepreneurs, since it started in Scotland working with staff and students at universities. 300+ companies have been created, 1000+ high value jobs and £320m+ follow on funding has been raised.   I chatted with Claudia about some of the challenges founders have when taking to the stage for the first time to pitch their business to investors. https://www.convergechallen...

I chatted with Hayley and Emma about the programme we delivered, the impact it's had on their speakers, as well as on the Marketing Team who support the speakers at these events. https://www.smartestenergy.com/en_gb https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-t-773b8212/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-smeaton-1073b935/ If you found this episode useful, please like, share and subscribe! Even better,...

As Head of EIE Programme Delivery & Investor Relations, Danny Helson has been involved in EIE since the start. He shares some great stories about some of the 500+ companies who have been through the programme. $1.5bn investment has been raised so far, teams have grown, they have scaled internationally and some have successfully exited. For more information on the events, accelerators, programm...

From being an Agile Speaker to a Conscious Speaker.... Ana Gallardo shares some thought provoking takeaways in this episode. Ana is currently Head of Startup Infrastructure at the Scottish Government and was formerly the Entrepreneurial Development Team Leader at Scottish Enterprise. Scottish Enterprise have organised and funded many programmes to help businesses and their people grow. Maryanne ha...

In Episode 3 Maryanne chats with Ewan Anderson, Marketing Director at Eden Scott. Whilst Ewan's full time role is with Eden Scott, he is involved with several organisations including Snowsport Scotland and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. This means he is communicating with a diverse range of audiences, using different tools on a regular basis. Ewan describes the very personal journey he...

In Episode 2 Maryanne chats with Barbara Mills, Deputy Programme Director of CivTech. In just a few years, the CivTech Programme has grown from an interesting experimental idea delivering a handful of projects a year to a programme with over £40 million of Scottish Government funding behind it and a significant contributor to the Programme for Government National Strategy for Economy Transformatio...

In this episode Maryanne chats with Callum Murray, CEO of Amiqus about his experiences of presenting - raising investment, building up an impressive client list, growing his team and presenting to the board. For more information on the events, accelerators and programmes we mentioned during this episode, here are the relevant websites: https://www.eie-invest.com/ https://www.scottishedge.com/ http...

A video call is different in many ways to a face-to-face meeting. In the final episode of this mini-series, Maryanne and Colin discuss tactics to make your video call run more smoothly: how to run the call, maintain focus, manage the meeting and ensure everyone gets something out of it. They cover areas such as useful software tools, feedback signals, body language, following up and recording call...

Online meetings can be intense and draining. In Episode 2, Maryanne and Colin give you tips to help run your online meeting to time whilst ensuring that you cover the necessary content. They talk about the etiquette of online calls and how it can differ from face-to-face meetings. Effective use of screen sharing and best practice use of your slide deck to impart information and retain focus in an...

Our first episode looks at the logistics of video conferencing. What is the best software to use? Are there any limitations? Should you consider specific equipment? We deal with the practical aspects of setting up your meeting as well as how your image comes across on screen; are there any hacks to present yourself well? If you found this episode useful, please like, share and subscribe! Even bett...

In this final episode of season 2, Maryanne takes you through her 5 top tips for getting your Elevator Pitch right. She discusses the most common mistakes she comes across and how to avoid the pitfalls. If you found this episode useful, please like, share and subscribe! Even better, why not write a short review to help us spread the word. Thank you for listening.

In Episode 3, Maryanne talks about how best to put your pitch together in order to make a positive impact on your audience. Which elements should you include - or indeed leave out - so that your audience remembers who you are, what you do and that they want to follow up? How can you ensure that what you say is clear, concise and relatable without compromising your credibility? Do you need to consi...

Preparing your elevator pitch - where should you begin? In Episode 2, Maryanne guides you through the 6 elements of any good pitch. She shares golden nuggets on how to prepare well in order to pitch with clarity, relevance and agility whoever your audience might be. If you found this episode useful, please like, share and subscribe! Even better, why not write a short review to help us spread the w...

In this first episode of Season 2, Maryanne discusses the high-stakes game of the Elevator Pitch: it's something we're all doing frequently but it can be hard to get it right. Whether it's at a conference, an exhibition stand or a dinner party, we use the Elevator Pitch formally and informally so it's important to make it work for your audience and work for you. How do we creat...

In the final episode of the series, Maryanne addresses handling questions (Q&A): the area that often feels the most out of our control. She shares tips on planning the questions you would like to be asked and best practice in formulating your answers. You can turn Q&A into an opportunity to take control, demonstrate your credibility and ultimately be a more agile speaker. If you found this...