National Storytelling Week Celebrated | Memorable Stories from Speakers’ Visits

In the wise words of Steve Jobs, “The most powerful person in the world is the story teller. The Storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come”.

At Speakers Corner, we have the joy of listening to some of the best storytellers in the world! In celebration of National Storytelling Week, we have put together a list of some of the most memorable stories from speakers who have come into the office, sat on our couch, and have inspired us.

Who will inspire you?

Jude Pullen

Featured inventor on BBC2’s Big Life Fix, Jude is a technologist & physical prototyping expert who’s worked at Dyson, Sugru, LEGO. Jude came in to visit us on the couch and we were completely moved by some of the stories he shared. One that stuck out to us was how he created a prosthetic hand to allow an aspiring hairdresser to pursue his passion. Brought to the point of tears through his one-of-a-kind design, Jude gave a man the possibility of a profession and a new lease on life.

Helena Langdon

As Head of Digital and Communities at Innocent, Helena sheds an entertaining light on Innocent’s approach to social media and customer service. We were captivated from the onset as she shared her highs, such as National Penquins Awareness Day, and the #dogsatpollingbooth which trended at no.1 in the 2015 General Election. Delivered with humour, humility and contriteness, to this day we still recite the stories she shared.

Darren Campbell

Darren Campbell MBE is a British Olympic athlete, sprinter and sports coach and plays an integral part of the coaching team for Cardiff City F.C. Demonstrating the power a story can have on an individual, we cast our minds back a few years ago to when Darren joined us on the sofa. He took us on a roller-coaster of emotions culminating in the victory of the 4x100m Men’s relay at the Sydney Olympics. There had been so many blocks in the road that he had to overcome, we erupted into applause as he described the feeling of winning the gold!

Steve Brown

It was a fresh day last December when Steve, a presenter for Countryfile and captain of the London 2012 Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby team, visited us in the office for a couch session. His energy and enthusiasm was contagious as he shared his story from a troublemaker in school to working his way up to being the regional manager in France and Spain for a hotel report group. All was well in Steve’s life until he tripped and fell from a balcony which broke his back. The rollercoaster left us picturing Steve despairing in hospital, until he had a 2nd calling in life, which was Wheelchair Rugby. It was enthralling from start to finish.

Annie Machon

Former MI5 intelligence officer and famed whistleblower, Annie Machon visited us on the couch and we really didn’t know what to expect. We were drawn into her story, bravery and knowledge on the ins and outs of government. Blowing the whistle led to Annie and David going on the run across Europe and living in Paris in exile. Annie's insider knowledge and connections make her voice worth hearing on numerous topics including world politics, hacking and media. She has a fascinating story, and one unlike any we’ve heard before!

Brendan Hall

We knew from the onset that Brendan Hall was going to have an interesting story, what we didn’t expect was his manner and presence, and incredibly attention-grabbing speech complete with video content. He skippered the Clipper Round The World Race - the only amateur yacht race in the world at the tender age of 27. Managing diverse personalities and skill sets, Brendon’s trust, growth mindset and empowerment created a team he could leave behind as he ran to the rescue of a fellow yacht – twice! The struggles he faced to overcome and win the race had us riding every wave with him. An incredibly memorable story worth hearing.

A great speaker will skilfully enthral their audience as they whisk them off on a memorable journey into the subject matter. At specific points, the speaker will pull the audience back to the key learnings and take-aways for the individual to remember.

A great story provides memories that have longevity and are re-told through the most treasured of marketing channels – word of mouth.

What story will you leave your audience with at your next event?

For further information or to book one of our speakers, call us on +44 (0)20 7607 7070  or email  info@speakerscorner.co.uk .

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