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The Dread of Public Speaking

Many people dread public speaking – Megan Washington has good reason to do so For many, the fear of public speaking is one of the foremost causes of anxiety and stress.  Sleepless nights, cold sweats and panic attacks and yet there is often actually very little to be afraid of and the fear itself can […]

The importance of getting outside

Outside is where the meat of our life lies. Serial explorer Ben Saunders wants us to go outside! Not because it’s always pleasant and happy, but because that’s where the meat of life is, “the juice that we can suck out of our hours and days.” Spending time outside is one of the surest ways to […]

Leaders – Inspiration and Trust

How do great leaders inspire action and make you feel safe Simon Sinek has delivered two TED talks on leadership, both of which are equally thought-provoking and inspiring. Two words are synonymous with those talks: ‘Trust’ and ‘Why?’    

Breaking Through to the next Level of Leadership

“First rule of leadership – everything is your fault.” Wise words from Hopper (A Bug’s Life).  We have all worked with great leaders and been inspired by them and then there have been those whose leadership style can be described at best as being modelled on that of Vlad the Impaler.  Leadership is about inspiring others […]

Diversity unites us

What is it like to raise a child who’s different from you in some fundamental way (like a prodigy, or a differently abled kid, or a criminal)? In this quietly moving talk, writer and speaker Andrew Solomon shares what he learned from talking to dozens of parents — asking them: What’s the line between unconditional […]

The 2015 Leaders’ Debate

For the frist time in British general election history, 7 party leaders take to the same stage to debate, discuss and generally jockey for position in the public eye.  Each one has a clear set of objectives – things they need to say and do and things they need to avoid. What are the dangers […]

Happiness inspires productivity

Shawn Achor is the winner of over a dozen distinguished teaching awards at Harvard University, where he delivered lectures on positive psychology in the most popular class there. Based on his research and 12 years of experience at Harvard, he clearly and humorously describes how to increase happiness and meaning, raise success rates and profitability and […]

The Power of believing you can improve

All to often we are faced with a problem which is seemingly too hard to solve.  What do most of us do?  Give up? Procrastinate?  Avoid?  We are conditioned by a system that has tuaght us to pursue the best grades at all costs and so for many the ability to set about strategising is […]

The power of doing nothing

When is the last time you did absolutely nothing for 10 whole minutes? Not texting, talking or even thinking? Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of doing just that: Refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. Reassuringly there is no need for any […]

Wiring a Web for Global Good

In 2009 and article appeared in The Guardian which named Gordon Brown as being one of the most boring public speakers around.  Yet in the same year, when asked to speak on a topic dear to his heart, one in which he clearly believes and to an audience who are away from the &lsqulsquo;calm of […]