Motivational Speakers

The right motivational speaker can make a powerful contribution to a conference. 

Our speakers help their audiences to define their goals and objectives, overcome fears and obstacles, and achieve a level of determination and self-belief  that brings success.  Through is they will be able to achieve greater levels of motivation.

The audiences may vary from 5,000 sales executives with 15 nationalities in the audience, to 100 members of a not-for-profit organization, to 15  company board members at a strategy meeting.  In each case the choice of motivational speaker will be different.  The client may want a speaker with a track-record of success in their particular industry;  or they may want someone from a completely different background , whose compelling and memorable story will engages, challenge and motivate the audience.

News from our speakers:

Motivational speaker Sir Ranulph Fiennes has had to abandon his second attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest, due to exhaustion.  He had hoped to reach the 8,850m summit at 0330 BST and raise £3m for the Marie Curie cancer charity, but had to turn back after contending with heart problems and vertigo,  Sir Ranulph, from Somerset, suffered a heart attack during his first unsuccessful attempt to scale the mountain in 2005.  Sir Ranulph Fiennes has never conquered Mount Everest and was making his second attempt on the peak despite suffering from vertigo and heart problems and currently being in remission from prostate cancer.

Motivational speaker Pieluigi Colllina discusses Management in the Financial Times.  The most famous football referee in the world talks about the stresses and decision-making during a high-pressure football match.

Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London, is now available to speak through The London Speaker Bureau.   He can speak on London as a Global City, Urban Regeneration and Globalisation. 

Our leading motivational speakers consistently receive overwhelmingly positive feedback.  We have been in operation for nearly fifteen years, so we have had the opportunity to get to know some of the greatest speakers in the world, who have an unrivalled gift for connecting with, and inspiring their audience.  They can cover a wide range of topics, such as

Peak Performance
Mindset Change
Sharing A Vision
Self-Belief
Maintaining a Positive Outlook
Overcoming Adversity
Risk

Some of the great motivational speakers are explorers, adventurers, climbers.  These men and women have inspired audiences with their courage and determination and thair ability to overcome setbacks and disappointments.  They provide compelling accounts of their adventures, and give the audience insights and inspiration to take back to the workplace.  Some examples -

Motivational speaker Robert Swan became at the age of 33 the first person to march to the North and South Pole.  His 900-mile journey “In The Footsteps of Scott” across the treacherous Antarctic ice cap to the South Pole stands as the longest unassisted walk ever made.  He is also an excellent teamwork speaker.

Motivational speaker Ben Saunders is the youngest person ever to ski solo to the North Pole, a challenge described by Reinhold Messner as “ten times as dangerous as Everest”, and holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton.

Motivational speaker Neil Armstrong: as the commander of Apollo 11, with colleagues Mike Collins and Buzz Aldrin, he completed the first landing mission to the moon.  David Scott led the Apollo 15 mission, described as "the most complex mission in the history of exploration", which was the first scientific exploration of the Moon. This Mission spent three days in Space and included the first motorised journey on the Moon.

Bertrand Piccard  won, with Wim Verstraeten, the first transatlantic balloon race (Chrysler Challenge, 1992) and then initiated the "Breitling Orbiter" project. Captain of the three attempts, he succeeded with the Englishman, Brian Jones, the first (and as of today the only) non-stop round-the-world balloon flight. Together achieving the longest flight in terms of both duration and distance in the history of aviation: 45,755 kilometres in 19 days, 21 hours and 47 minutes (capturing a total of 7 world records).

Ken Hames has been responsible for a remarkable series of documentaries on BBC TV, Beyond Boundaries.  In its fourth series, broadcasr in Spring 2008, ten young disabled people led by Ken set out on their toughest challenge yet - to cross Ecuador and the treacherous Andes in just four weeks. This is an extraordinary example of determinationt, teamwork and overcoming the most daunting obstacles.   In Mission Africa, broadcast as a 15 part series on the BBC in 2007, Ken brought together a team of craftsmen (plumbers, carpenters, electricians, interior designer and architects) who gave up 6 weeks of their lives to help develop a remote community conservation initiative in Kenya. 

Motivational speaker Bear Grylls became, at the age of 23, the youngest Briton to climb Mount Everest.  This record was then broken by Jake Meyer, who, at the age of 21, stood on the summit of Mount Everest, becoming at the time the youngest Briton to conquer the world’s highest peak as well as the youngest man in the world to complete the 7 Summits, breaking several climbing records on the way.

Motivational speaker Major Phil Ashby is a motivational speaker and a true hero.  As a United Nations peacekeeper, Phil and three other Western soldiers found themselves cut off in a small compound in hostile territory, surrounded by rebels who taunted them by throwing the blood-stained uniforms of fellow UN workers over the walls. After four days of physical and psychological bombardment , Phil took the decision to risk being killed trying to escape rather than be taken alive. So, under cover of darkness, he led his team over the wall. They were surrounded by rebel troops and outnumbered by at least twenty to one and were completely unarmed. Their chances of escaping alive were very slim. Despite trekking day and night for almost a week without food or water, Phil found the courage and strength to lead his colleagues on a daring and dramatic race to freedom through the hostile jungle. He was awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his actions.

Motivational speaker Wing Commander Andy Green is the fastest man on Earth. Driving Richard Noble’s Thrust SSC (SuperSonic Car) in 1997, Andy set the world’s first and only supersonic land speed record at an astonishing 763 mph, driving literally ‘faster than a speeding bullet’.

Motivational speaker Miles Hilton-Barber has an extraordinary story.  He completed the toughest foot-race in the World - the Marathon Des Sables, a 150 mile Ultra-Marathon through the 120 degree heat of the Sahara Desert.  In April 2000 he climbed to a height of 17,500 feet in the Himalayas. He then successfully conquered Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa at 19,340 feet. A few days later he took part in the unique ‘Highest and Deepest 2000’ Project on Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain.  For any person this would be an impressive record, but it is all the more astounding in that Miles has been blind for 20 years. He relies on his friend and sighted guide, Jonathan Cook, to help him achieve his goals.  Other speakers who have overcome disabilities include Chris Moon , who lost his lower right arm and leg in Mozambique, having volunteered to take part in mine clearing ,and Victor Vermeulen, who was a star cricketer in South Africa, until he broke his neck while swimming and is now a quadriplegic.

It is not only men who have achieved these remarkable feats.  We have a great selection of women motivational speakers and female motivational speakers.

Some examples:

Motivational speaker Ellen MacArthur, who in 2001 became the youngest person ever to sail around the world single-handed in the Vendee Globe Race. 

Motivational speaker Martina Navratilova, arguably the greatest female tennis player of all time.

Motivational speaker Alex Phillips: As skipper of the yacht “Quadstone” in the 2000 BT Global Challenge, known as “The World’s Toughest Yacht Race”, she developed a group of amateurs into a high performing team and gave them the motivation to achieve  victory against the odds through some of the harshest conditions on this planet.

Motivational speaker Penny Mallory became National Ladies Champion Rally Driver in 1993 and went on to be one of the country’s top rally drivers and a successful TV presenter on Channel Four ("Driven") and ITV ("Used Car Roadshow")

Motivational speaker Debra Searle become the youngest and only the third woman in the world to have rowed the Atlantic Ocean solo. 

Sahar Hashemi is a business motivational speaker and the co-founder of Coffee Republic, now one of the leading chains of coffee shops in the UK.  In her book “Anyone Can Do It: Building Coffee Republic From Our Kitchen Table” she outlines her remarkable story

Motivational speaker Jo Gambi entered the Guinness World Records for the fastest female ascent of the Seven Summits. Jo also is the second British woman to ever climb Everest’s North Ridge. 

Catherine Destivelle, from France, is probably the greatest female climber in the world today and certainly one of the most daring, often climbing without a rope, or any back-up support.

Motivational speaker South African-born Cathy O:Dowd is the first woman ever to climb Mt Everest from both the south and north sides.

Sports motivational speaker Tanni Grey-Thompson’s 13 medals, eight medal placings in the London Marathon and her comprehensive set of British and World records make her achievements second to none in the disability sports arena. 

Motivational speaker Jo Salter became Britain’s first female fast jet pilot flying the Tornado GR1, and then one of five women fighter pilots in the world. According to Harpers and Queens magazine, she is “One of the 50 most inspiring women in the world.”

Some of the best-known international motivational speakers are from the United States.

For more than a quarter of a century, motivational speaker Anthony Robbins has served as an advisor to leaders around the world. He is a recognized authority on the psychology of leadership, negotiations, organizational turnaround, and peak performance.  His books are worldwide best-sellers, titles include Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Life  and Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement

Motivational speaker Stephen Covey is the author of the best-seller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  They are:-

Habit 1 - be proactive
This is the ability to control one's environment, rather than have it control you. Self determination, and the power to decide response to stimulus and circumstances.
Habit 2 - begin with the end in mind
Covey calls this the habit of personal leadership - leading oneself, towards what you consider your aims. By developing the habit of concentrating on relevant activities you will build a platform to avoid distractions and become more productive and successful.
Habit 3 - put first things first
Covey calls this the habit of personal management. This is about organising and implementing activities in line with the aims established in habit 2. Covey says that habit 2 is the first, or mental creation; habit 3 is the second, or physical creation.
Habit 4 - think win-win
Covey calls this the habit of interpersonal leadership, necessary because achievements are largely dependent on co-operative efforts with others. He says that win-win is based on the assumption that there is plenty for everyone, and that success follows a co-operative approach more naturally than the confrontation of win-or-lose.
Habit 5 - seek first to understand and then to be understood
One of the great maxims of the modern age. This is Covey's habit of communication, and it's extremely powerful. Covey helps to explain this in his simple analogy 'diagnose before you prescribe'. Simple and effective, and essential for developing and maintaining positive relationships in all aspects of life.
Habit 6 - synergize
Covey says this is the habit of creative co-operation - the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which implicitly lays down the challenge to see the good and potential in the other person's contribution.
Habit 7 - sharpen the saw
This is the habit of self renewal, says Covey, and it necessarily surrounds all the other habits, enabling and encouraging them to happen and grow. Covey interprets the self into four parts: the spiritual, mental, physical and the social/emotional, which all need feeding and developing.

Motivational speaker Deepak Chopra  an Indian medical doctor and writer, has written extensively on spirituality and diverse topics such as wellness and spiritual contentment.  The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfilment of Your Dreams.

Sports motivational speakers:-

Sir Steve Redgrave has proved himself to be one of the greatest greatest Olympic athletes of all time.  He found the motivation to win gold medals at five consecutive Olympic games. Gold in the Coxed fours in Los Angeles in 1984, gold in the Coxless pairs in Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000).

Sir Matthew Pinsent is one of only four athletes to have won Gold medals in four consecutive Plympic games.

Austrian Nicki Lauda has been Formula One racing World Champion three times.  He then went on to be a very successful businessman, founding LaudaAir.

Motivational speaker Marcel Desailly, from France, is respected as a world-class footballer.  He won the Italian league and the European Champions League with AC Milan, the English FA Cup with Chelsea, and the World Cup and the European Championship with France.

Motivational speaker Johann Cruyff, from Holland, is widely regarded as one the greatest players ever in the history of football.  He was named three times European Footballer of the Year (1971, 1973, 1974) and was an outstanding player for Holland, Ajax of Amsterdam and FC Barcelona of Spain.

Carl Lewis

Lance Armstrong

Sean Fitzpatrick

Peter Shilton

Sales motivational speakers

An outstanding motivational sales performance can rest on a number of factors, including:-

Self-Belief
Communication and Listening Skills
Goal-settting
Customer Service

Some of our leading sales motivational speakers are:

Geoff Burch , the "funniest business speaker in the country" whose witty yet informative books on business, sales and motivation include The Writing On the Wall

Adrian Webster is fuelled by a desire to try to gain a better understanding of what really makes exceptional people tick he set about researching some of the UK’s most successful people. His real-life experiences, raw energy and sense of humour combine to create a thrilling roller coaster style that is completely original, hilariously funny and brilliantly effective. 

Motivational speaker on Teamwork 

Any individual who has achieved success business, sports or in their personal lives will readily point to others who, either directly or indirectly, have helped them achieve their success.  They understand the importance of teamwork.  They make clear to the audience how a team that works together will achieve greater success than any individual.  They put their experience into a business context and help companies improve their performance through better teamwork and communication. They stress the importance of appreciating the role of each individual member of the team, and making sure each member of the team understands the role they have to play.

Teamwork speakers include:

Mark Gallagher combines the high-octane world of Formula One racing, with high-performance in business.  Having worked for the Jordan, Jaguar and Red Bull teams, and now the Managing Director of the Irish A1 team, Mark shows, in a highly entertaining presentation, how to build teams and what it takes to be a winner in a successful team.

Sir Clive Woodward was the manager of the England rugby team which in 2003 won the Rugby World Cup.

Dominic Alldis is a jazz pianist, conductor and motivational speaker. Since 2000, he has been using music to create powerful learning experiences for people in business, particluarly for team-building, leadership and communication.  By exploring the orchestra and the conductor, the jazz band and improvisation, the composer and innovation, he introduces a dynamic vocabulary for discussing leadership, teamwork, creativity and personal development, inviting participants to explore new ways of thinking about business practice. 
 
Motivational speaker Alan Hansen was one of the most successful British soccer players of all time, and is an excellent speaker on team-building and teamwork. He is the only person to have won all of the honours available at club level at least twice and captained the Liverpool side to historic double victory in 1986.

General Patrick Cordingley commanded the land forces, the 7th Armoured Brigade, comprising of 12,000 soldiers, during the first Gulf War. His huge tank formation led the British and American attack which breached the Iraqi defences in February 1991. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery and leadership.

Teamwork Training Programmes; Teambuilding Programmes and Excercises; Training for Teams

Many speakers have developed Teamwork Training and Teambuilding Programmes, using the experiences developed in their particular field, such as Sports, Exploring, Mountaineering and Adventure, Military Service or the Arts,

This takes the learning beyond the simple keynote speech.  The client has the opportunity to discuss their particular needs and objectives with the speaker, who will then plan a bespoke teamwork training programme.  This may last half a day, a full day, or longer, depending on the requirements and objectives of the client.

Working in teams, the delegates will be set a series of tasksa and objectives.  They will help the delegates appreciate the importance of teamwork, how to communicate better, and how to work towards a common goal.

By learning from an outstanding individual, who will be able to use their success as a point of reference, the delegates will be able to understand the principles much more easily.

Leadership Speakers

Many people claim that leaders are "born, not made".  They point to the many great leaders throughout history, from Alexander the Great, through to Ghandi, Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela, and many others who have earned their place in history through their outstanding leadership skills.

They will probably not have received leadership training in the way that most people understand the term. However, what is beyond doubt, is that these and other great leaders will have sought to understand themselves and other people.  They will be curious about other people and hungry to learn. 

They will have a powerful vision or mission. They will communicate that vision to others clearly and consistently.  Any group working under good leadership will understand the common goal, will be passionate about achieving it, and they will understand their individual role in achieving it.

Through constant learning, they will acquire the skills to:-

• Develop a sense of belief and self-confidence, that they can share with others.
• Communicate a vision or common purpose that others will share, and set goals,
• Build and inspire teams to work towards a common goal.
• Draw performances and achievements out of team members that they did not know they were capable of.
• Delegate and encourage individuals to set their own performance targets that lead towards the common goal.

A few rare individuals will have an innate understanding of these leadership skills.  However, almost anyone can learn these skills and put them into practice in their personal and professional life.

Our leadership speakers can also create leadership training programmes.  These are designed specifically for individuals , for a group, or for an entire organisation.  The speakers will be able to immediately inspire the delegates with their own successes, while at the same time sharing key leadership skills that the delegates will be able to take away and put into practice. 

We can also provide individual one-to-one leadership coaching.