The Speaking Club: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking

Most speakers spend years learning strategies. How to find speaking gigs. How to craft a keynote. How to market themselves. How to build a speaking business. But what if one of the most important strategies isn't something anyone can teach you? In this episode, I'm joined by intuition coach Jenny Carell to explore the role intuition plays in making better decisions, recognising the right opportuni...

Have you ever listened to a speaker share a deeply personal story ... and instead of feeling moved, you felt worried about them, a bit awkward and like the life had been sucked out of you? On the other side of the coin, you might have been in the room with a speaker who share the most harrowing story and yet when they've finished you feel moved, uplifted and energised. So what's the difference? In...

You've spent loads of time and energy landing a gig.  You deliver a fab talk.  You meet a few people and get some compliments.  Then you leave... relying on your talk to land you more opportunities. Jonathan Dunnett believes that's a huge waste of your time.  With a background in competitive intelligence Jonathan has worked with organisations to leverage data and insight to gain the edge in the ma...

If you're using speaking to grow your business, at some point someone is going to ask for your speaker reel. And yet… most speaker reels completely miss the point. Many speakers think a reel is simply a montage of clips stitched together with dramatic music and audience shots. But event planners aren't just looking at footage. They're asking themselves: "Can I picture this person on my stage?" In...

Why do so many change initiatives fail to create real buy-in… even when the strategy makes complete sense? In this episode, I'm unpacking something I call 'The Altitude Gap' — the psychological disconnect that often happens between leaders communicating change and the employees expected to live through it. Drawing on my experience in HR, leadership communication, direct marketing and storytelling,...

A lot of speakers think their job starts when they walk on stage. But what if a huge chunk of your impact, and your future bookings, are being created long before that moment… and long after it ends? In this episode of The Speaking Club, I'm joined by former Disney leader and customer experience expert Vance Morris to explore what happens when speakers start thinking differently about customer exp...

There are a lot of brilliant speakers out there. But not all of them get recognised booked. Not all of them get recognised. And not all of them get the opportunities they're capable of. So what's the difference? In this episode of The Speaking Club, I'm joined by Elliot Kay, organiser of the Speaker Awards, to take a look behind the scenes of the awards and at what's really going on in the speakin...

Most speakers don't have a pricing problem. They have a value communication problem. In this episode of The Speaking Club, I'm joined by pricing expert and speaker David Abbott, creator of the Platypus Pricing Process, to unpack why pricing feels so uncomfortable — and what to do about it. Because whether you're pitching a keynote, a workshop, or a programme… If your price isn't landing, it's rare...

You can have a brilliant idea. A powerful story. A message that genuinely matters. But if your pace is off? Your audience either can't keep up… or they've already checked out. In this solo episode of The Speaking Club, I'm diving into one of the most overlooked, and most powerful, elements of delivery - pace. Pace isn't just about slowing down. It's about control ... it's about emphasis, and it's...

In a world where everyone is "networking", why do some people effortlessly build powerful relationships while others struggle to be seen or remembered? My guest today, Lirone Glikman, has spent more than a decade studying and teaching the art of global relationship-building. She's worked across 28 countries, advises leaders and organisations worldwide, and is the bestselling author of The Super Co...

Most speakers start their talks by explaining what they're going to say. Unfortunately, that's exactly why audiences stop listening. In this quick tip episode of The Speaking Club, Sarah Archer shares why the obvious opening weakens your talk and how creating curiosity from the first sentence can dramatically increase audience engagement. You'll learn why unanswered questions create attention, how...

Navigating a world where change is happening at break neck speed and uncertainty is the new norm, finding clarity, calm and purpose in the chaos can seem like a daunting task. But my guest, Carlo Mahfouz, is here to guide us through that landscape with his insights from his book, "Reality Check."  As an engineer turned thought leader, Carlo's journey highlights the powerful combination of analytic...

In this Quick Tip episode, I'm exploring something that can either elevate your speaking game or trip you up - speaker archetypes.  Here's some of the ones you might have come across... Storyteller. Teacher. Provocateur. Authority. But if you've ever found yourself feeling slightly "off" on stage, even when your content is good, this episode might explain why. In this episode, I'm exploring the pr...

Sue is an award-winning non-fiction publisher and founder of The Right Book Company. She is a passionate advocate for helping business professionals transform their ideas into impactful books.  For business speakers who create a book, doors open wider, their platform expands and their light shines more brightly than they could ever have dreamed.  As a speaker herself, Sue has spent the last 20 yea...

Sarah Fox is a lawyer transforming the way people do business. After decades dealing with huge deals in the construction sector, she realised that long, complex and bad contracts were costing time, money, deals and relationships.  Sarah advocates for short, simple contracts starting with just 500 words.  She inspires people across industries to streamline deals and enhance customer relations with...

In this quick tip episode, I'm letting you in on one of the most overlooked — but totally game-changing — parts of any talk: the segue. It's that moment between a killer story and your next point where everything suddenly feels… awkward. Where the energy drops, the audience blinks, and you find yourself muttering: "Anyway… moving on." 😬 Yeah. That bit. Whether you're telling a personal story, lan...

Chris Voss was the FBI's lead international hostage negotiator… but these days, he's helping CEOs, speakers, and sales pros negotiate million-pound deals, win high-stakes conversations, and get results — without pushing, pitching, or people-pleasing. In this episode of The Speaking Club, I'm joined by the author of Never Split the Difference to explore how you can use his real-world-tested negotia...

I first came across Adele Bates when I was judging the Storytelling category at the Speaker Awards—and her talk really stood out and grabbed my attention. It was powerful, authentic, challenging and captivating.  She didn't just tell the story. She performed it. Her talk built drama and connected emotionally to the audience, leading you to see a new perspective.  Based on that performance and the...

Nicola S. Morgan is a dynamic speaker, trainer, and author who helps individuals and organisations transform chaos into calm, and emotional strain into sustainable strength. With a background in education and behavioural change, she specialises in resilience, emotional wellbeing, and effective behaviour strategies—skills she's delivered to thousands of professionals across schools, public services...

"Just breathe" is one of the most common pieces of advice given to speakers and performers who feel anxious about stepping onto the stage (be that online or in person) — but what if the way you're breathing is actually making things worse? Breathing might seem like an automatic function, but the truth is, most of us are doing it wrong… and it's costing us calm, clarity, and confidence. My guest, M...

"Finding your voice" might sound like a personal development cliché, but for speakers and leaders, it's the secret weapon that too many overlook.  As a speaker your voice is your most important tool and mastering how to use it to its fullest effect is one of the most impactful things you can do. This isn't just about sounding 'nice', your voice is also a signal to your audience about your confiden...

In this quick tip episode, I'm lifting the lid on how a speaking judge thinks and giving you the good, the bad and the ugly based on judging 55 speaker award entries … in one sitting (yes, I needed snacks!) I was honoured to be a judge for the Speaker Awards again this year, covering Best Storyteller and Best TEDx categories — and I want to share what I saw behind the scenes, to help you sharpen y...

The business world is changing fast. AI is reshaping how customers search, buy, and connect — but most companies are still stuck in old habits, missing the human magic that actually builds loyalty. At the same time, too many businesses are confusing efficiency with excellence. They're chasing five-star reviews that may not mean what they think they do, and ticking boxes while their customers quiet...

Let's be honest — most speakers spend a lot of time crafting their talk, but when it comes to what they wear on stage? That's often a rushed afterthought… or a full-blown panic. Are you second-guessing whether your outfit actually helps or hinders your message? Ever watched back your talk and thought, "What was I thinking with that jacket?" Or maybe you've stuck to the same 'safe' outfit for years...

I see so many business authors and experts set out to use speaking to have more impact, step firmly into the thought leadership space, and monetise their message, only to get frustrated when they struggle to get the results that they want.  Some struggle just getting their talk together, unable to work out which bits of their book 'baby' to put in and leave out.  Others manage to create a talk, on...