Main Event Agenda
View the PDF programme
Friday 16th October
08:30
Tea, Coffee & Registration
09:15 - Main Stage
Welcome to the Speaking Business Summit 2026
MC Welcome
Steve Bustin is an emcee, speaking coach and keynote speaker. He is a Fellow of the PSA, holds the Professional Speaking Award of Excellence (PSAE – UK Speaker Hall of Fame) and is a former Board Member and National President of PSA UK&I. If he’s not on stage, you’ll find him in his garden.
PSA UK & Ireland President - Alastair Greener
9:50 - Main Stage
As speakers and trainers, connection is everything. With the audience. With the booker. With the client. We work on it, we practise it, we build entire careers around it.
But what if we’re missing one?
The most meaningful connections in our lives, the ones that actually change things , probably happened when we weren’t trying at all.
Why is that?
This keynote explores the one thing standing between us and deeper, more genuine connection. It’s closer than we think. And once we see it, we can’t unsee it.
Regular faces in the PSA will know Heather as the MC holding the room together between speakers, reading the energy, keeping things moving. What many haven’t yet seen is what happens when she steps into the speaker’s spot herself.
For over 30 years, Heather has been taking complex neuroscience and turning it into something audiences remember. She’s built a reputation for holding a room and getting audiences to lean in, laugh, and leave with something they’ll actually use.
10:25 - Main Stage
How Can You Increase Your Surface Area in This Noisy World.
How much of your good work is the world actually seeing? If your work stays hidden in conversations and closed circles, the opportunities stay invisible. In a world overflowing with ideas, content and people competing for attention, being good at what you do is no longer enough. How do you get noticed without becoming part of the noise? How do you create connections that travel beyond the room?
Welcome to the Surface Area Effect. What is it? How do you use it? Let’s shake it up.
Pravin Shekar is an outlier marketer who uses marketing psychology and unconventional thinking to turn visibility into business growth.
He helps good ideas, valuable work, and distinctive organisations become easier to notice, trust, recommend, and choose. Pravin has built businesses from scratch to multi-million-dollar revenues. He has published 25 books, spoken in 31 countries, and creates tools that spark bold thinking and decisive doing. His work has been recognised by the American Marketing Association and through the Ginny Valentine Award. He is the recipient of the Lifetime award from the PSA India.
When he isn’t speaking, writing, or building something new, Pravin is a poet, photographer, cyclist, and explorer of the unusual.
10:55
Tea & Coffee Break
11:25 - Breakout Rooms
Workshops: Choose your topic
3 rooms, 3 streams
Connecting
with
Their Audiences
11:25
We all face unexpected pressure. Your keynote is cut from 40 minutes to 20. The previous speaker covers your topic. Technology fails. A ‘difficult’ audience challenges you.
The greatest challenge is not the situation; it’s staying connected with yourself.
In this highly interactive workshop, you’ll discover how to rise above the drama applying my C.A.L.M.™ Method to real speaking scenarios. This is a practical framework developed from leading under pressure in the military healthcare and refined through coaching leaders and speakers.
You’ll leave with a practical process to connect with impact as yourself and inspire every audience, whatever happens.
Dr Lizzy Bernthal is an international keynote speaker, executive coach and award-winning resilience specialist. During 25 years in the British Army to Lieutenant Colonel, she led healthcare teams across 18 countries, including landing in Afghanistan under enemy mortar fire.
Today, she helps Execs and their teams ditch the ‘corporate body armour’ of people-pleasing, perfectionism, impostor and fitting-in to lead with courage, clarity and conviction. Lizzy created the S.O.A.R.™ and C.A.L.M.™ methodologies and is the Amazon No.1 bestselling author of The Courage to Be You. Her work has featured in The Times, The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Psychologies and Business Influencer.
Twenty years ago Bob launched MD2MD, a business leader peer group organisation that he grew to 100 members. In the process facilitating over 800 meetings of business leaders and engaging in close confidential conversation about business challenges with over 300 different business leaders and hosting over 500 workshops with over 200 different professional speakers.
He is now semi-retired but remains passionate about the practical leadership challenges of adolescent businesses by accidental business leaders. He says he has learnt so much the hard way and from so many real leaders that it is his duty to share those insights widely. Which he does through writing for and speaking to as many operational business leaders as possible. Enabling them to deal even more effectively with the challenges they encounter leading their business.
12:25
Lunch
13:25 - Main Stage
MC Welcome Back
13:30- Main Stage
Three professional members from across the regions who won the Semi-Finals will compete for the accolade of Professional Speaker of the Year 2026.
James Perryman works with businesses and leaders to help them discover their potential and increase their performance. Those businesses include the likes of Red Bull, O2, AO.com, Crystal Palace FC and Aston Martin F1. He brings energy, focus and inspiration, built upon a 20-year career consulting and delivering change, engaging with leaders and influencing a culture of growth and development.
James is a Fellow of the PSA, and in addition to professional hosting and speaking at events, he is sought after to run courses focussing on communication, management, leadership, high performance and customer excellence
14:05 - Main Stage
PSA UK & Ireland Chair - Yvonne Emery
14:20 - Main Stage
As the winner of the Professional Speaker of the Year in 2025, Duncan Bhaskaran Brown takes to the main stage to deliver his new talk.
In May 2026, Duncan morris danced 187.5 miles along the Thames Path in seven days, setting a world record and proving everything he knows about behaviour change works — not just in theory, but on blistered feet.
Duncan is an expert in behaviour change working with leaders from business, the public sector and charities. He has also helped thousands of people stop drinking and smoking. His approach combines rigorous science with compassion, hard-won personal experience and the occasional dance move.
14:45- Main Stage
Does your speaker profile say you’re dynamic, engaging, authentic, or highly interactive? Perhaps you promise actionable insights and transformational experiences. Then your dating profile may as well say: “I love travel and I’m fluent in sarcasm. Swipe right if your wild weekend involves coffee, the farmers’ market and Netflix.”
It’s the speaking industry’s “I love long walks on the beach.” Iconic brands don’t win with more polish. Your expertise may get you considered, but it’s the human behind the message that audiences connect with, remember, and rebook. Flip the script on your speaker brand with Keka, so more clients eagerly swipe right.
Keka Das Gupta is a 50x Award-Winning Marketing Strategist (Confidence Builder for Brands and Humans) What do Nike, Disney, IKEA, American Express, Mercedes-Benz and Santa have in common? They’ve all called upon Keka to help build their brand strategies. (Yes, even the guy in red. Keka serves as Santa’s official speechwriter and co-PR director for the Original Santa Claus Parade in Toronto.)
Keka has twice won the “Oscars of the PR industry” among 50+ national and international honours. Today, she helps leaders reclaim the legendary brand inside them. After all, have you ever met a brand with low self-esteem?
15:15
Tea & Coffee Break
15:45 - Main Stage
MC Welcome Back
15:50 - Main Stage
Legends Stage
Steve Bustin will lead a panel of PSAEs to share their experience and knowledge as well as what they are doing with their speaking businesses in 2026 to stay relevant and booked - with Dr Lynda Shaw, Paul McGee, Penny Haslam & Steve Head.
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Paul McGee is a founding member of the PSA and former President of the North West region. Paul credits the PSA as being the catalyst in helping him build a successful speaking business. He is the proud creator of the SUMO brand, a Sunday Times Bestselling author and despite now being 62 years old is still excited to explore how to communicate his message in a continually changing world. His website for more information is www.theSUMOguy.com
Penny Haslam is a former BBC personal finance and business journalist, who regularly presented on live TV and radio in the UK. Credits include BBC Breakfast, the News Channel and Panorama. Her broadcast career spanned 20 years, producing and reporting for BBC Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live. She is a multi-award-winning motivational speaker on the topics of communication and confidence – her content is useful, thought provoking and entertaining, with one audience member describing her as “the female Michael McIntyre who speaks to business!”.
Through her training and coaching business, Bit Famous, Penny works with leaders and managers in large organisations to enable them to communicate with confidence. She has written two business books: Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous – How to power up your profile and get known for what you do, and Panel Discussions – The Ultimate Guide (finalist, Business Book of the Year Award 2023). Penny’s third book, Workplace Confidence, will be published by Wiley in 2027.
Accordion Content
16:25 - Main Stage
Learn from CAPS 2026 National President the art of connecting with prospects in a way that builds trust and drives business. Discover follow-up systems, CRM strategies, automations, sales funnels, and mindset shift that Nathalie used to elevate her business to high-income-earner level. Turn conversations into paid speaking engagements and long-term clients.
Nathalie is a Certified Speaking Professional CSP®, Recipient of the 2025 Top Executive Coach award, 2023 Most Empowering Confidence Coach in North America, 2024 Philanthropic Award and 2021 Canadian Presenter of the Year, Author of 19 books, including 13 international no.1 bestsellers.
17:00 - Main Stage
AI is transforming the way we research, create, market and deliver our work. But while technology can increase efficiency and open new opportunities, it can never replace the trust, credibility and genuine human connection that underpin lasting success. This session explores how to strike the right balance between AI and HI (Human Interaction), ensuring technology enhances rather than erodes professional relationships. You’ll discover practical strategies for building deeper trust, creating stronger client relationships, encouraging referrals and collaboration, and developing the Relational Intelligence that will help you stand out and thrive in an increasingly AI-enabled world.
He was recently listed as one of the most influential executive coaches in the world in the prestigious Thinkers50 rankings and is recognised globally as a leading authority on professional relationships, trust and influence.
A PSA Hall of Fame speaker and Fellow of both the PSA and the Learning and Performance Institute, he is the author of six books, including ‘Connected Leadership’ and ‘The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring’. His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review and through his regular column for Psychology Today.
17:30 - Main Stage
MC Closes
19:30
Dinner
21:00 - Friday Night Fringe
With Alan Stevens, Susan Heaton-Wright & Sam Warner
Dress - Casual
Saturday 17th October
09:15 - Main Stage
MC Welcome
Helping teams stress less & perform better for over 35 years, Pam Burrows won a European Health and Safety award for reducing stress in the workplace. A qualified Nursery Nurse, Social Worker & Master Practitioner in NLP, she blends a wealth of knowledge with practical techniques. Her interactive & energising talks empower wellbeing and behaviour change.
Pam is also an experienced, energising MC. She is a Fellow of the Professional Speaking Association & author of three books; Burnout Buster, The CARE Wellbeing Model and Pushing On.
09:25 - Main Stage
AI now writes talks, posts and proposals for everyone. Whatever becomes abundant stops being an advantage — so scarcity moves to what nobody can download: someone who carries the risk with you.
From two Dolomite walls, forty years apart: what real connection costs, and why clients still pay for it..
TO FOLLOW
10:00 - Main Stage
Frederick Afrifa is a global keynote speaker and author who shares the exact steps he used to go from a shy, overlooked delivery driver to a sought-after speaker for major institutions worldwide.
In this keynote, he reveals how to turn individual client wins into high-value, repeat institutional bookings. Attendees will leave with a clear, actionable framework to position their expertise, build internal champions, and scale multi-department contracts, creating a sustainable, profitable speaking business.
Frederick Afrifa is a global keynote speaker, author, and TV personality who helps leaders communicate with clarity and confidence under pressure. After moving to the UK at 12 with no English, and working as a delivery driver, he transformed his life through communication. He now works with major institutions including Coutts Bank, LSE, and King’s College London, helping them embed high-impact communication strategies across departments. His approach turns individual client success into sustainable institutional partnerships, and he is known for his authentic, human-centred, energetic style and actionable frameworks.
10:20 - Main Stage
TO FOLLOW
TO FOLLOW
10:55
Tea & Coffee Break
11:25 - Breakout Rooms
Workshops: Choose your topic
3 rooms, 3 streams
Connecting with
Your Clients
11:25
In a digital age, how do we truly connect with our audience? This workshop explores how the digital landscape is reshaping the speaking industry, and what it means to be a ‘speaker’. Zavier unpacks the importance of resonating across generations – particularly with digitally native audiences – plus timeless, quick-fire tips for crafting an unforgettable, resonant experience.
Connecting
with
Their Audiences
11:25
In an increasingly digital and homogenised world, even your Nan can create keynote content at the press of a button. What people value more than ever is human connection, original perspectives and the personal touch.
But connection is only the entry point. How do you create an audience experience that feels intimate, captivating and unmistakably you?
In this interactive workshop, Sarah will deconstruct the psychology and craft behind audience magic. You’ll experiment with the three ingredients of Stage Alchemy: Pull, Performance and Personality, creating moments that get you remembered, referred and booked again.
So Nan and the digibots can never replace you!
Connecting
with
Each Other
11:25
Every speaker, trainer and coach knows how much real connection matters. But when everyone’s busy, time’s rarely on your side to nurture it. In this interactive workshop you’ll practise closing the status gaps which can stifle rapport, optimising your listening, and resetting your own state on-the-spot when things go sideways — on stage or off.
You’ll leave with specific techniques for getting prepped, and making the most of every moment you have with an audience, client or participant, ready to use in your next interactions.
Sue Evans helps businesses to achieve ambitious targets in key metrics, without breaking their people or the bank. Combining backgrounds in Engineering and Hypnotherapy, she’s landed £multi-million improvements in several global businesses, by getting people engaged and involved — even when time, attention and status stand in the way.
12:25
Lunch & Networking
13:25 - Main Stage
MC Welcome
Ben believes the body is the one language that crosses borders. By combining the power of movement and energy with great scripting, he reads a room, creates connection and unites diverse audiences. With a background in fashion, embodiment coaching and public speaking, Ben brings an unusual eye for detail and a deep understanding of presence. Whether hosting a global conference or guiding a speaker on stage, he combines warmth, precision and energy to create moments people remember.
13:25 - Main Room
Ask the Experts
Choose three experts each delivering 5 minutes of content, followed by 10 minutes of taking questions from you around the table. Ask The Experts to be announced on 2nd October.
Speak More
Jackie Barrie
Copywriting
Denise Fay
Start with Strategy: Building a Winning Marketing Strategy
Penny Haslam
How a Value Proposition Can Supercharge Your Speaker Business
Speak Better
Dave James
It's More Than Just Slides - Creating Presentations With Impact
Vicky O'Farrell
The Art of Storytelling - Creating Characters that Connect
Simon Day
Exploring the Art of Rhetoric
Speaking Business
Bruce Whitfield
How to Run a Speaking Business
Shelley Bridgman
Why your audience want to Know your Purpose
David Hyner
The Value of a Mastermind Group
14:25 - Main Stage
MC Welcome Back
14:30 - Main Stage
Professional speakers make a living creating connection – but how often do we allow people to connect with the person behind the performance? Drawing on his journey from corporate success and executive loneliness to rock bottom and recovery, Nick Jonsson explores how vulnerability became the foundation for rebuilding his life and relationships.
Through deeply personal stories and lessons from his Five Steps to Holistic Leadership, Nick challenges speakers to move beyond polished performance towards real human connection – with their audiences, their clients and each other. Because the most powerful connection we create may begin not with what we know or say, but with the courage to be truly seen.
Nick Jonsson is a #1 international bestselling author, professional speaker, Certified Master Coach, counsellor and psychotherapist, and founder of Limitless Executive Solutions. His book, Executive Loneliness, brought global attention to the often-hidden isolation experienced by senior leaders. Drawing on his own journey from corporate success through addiction, isolation and recovery, Nick now speaks internationally about vulnerability, connection, holistic wellbeing and what it means to live and lead authentically. Recognised among the Global Gurus Top 30 Coaching Professionals, Nick is also a Top 2% world Ironman athlete and mental health advocate, committed to helping people move beyond the mask of success and build more connected, purposeful and Limitless lives.
15:05 - Main Stage
From Peru to Kenya, Bangladesh to Indonesia, young people are toppling governments and reshaping politics. They are not uninformed; they are informed and disrespected. This keynote shows speakers how to shift from patronising to partnering: honouring audience intelligence, naming generational fracture, and building connection rooted in respect, not performance.
15:20
Tea & Coffee Break
15:50 - Main Stage
MC Welcome Back
15:55 - Main Stage
The exclusive screening of the winning video from the inaugural Virtual Speaker of the Year 2026.
16:05 - Main Stage
After 25 years on global stages, Lesley Everett PSAE has discovered that success is rarely built by the moments we celebrate. It’s built by the experiences we almost overlook.
We often try to connect with the next opportunity or the next client while overlooking the most important connection of all—the one between the experiences that have shaped us and our brand.
Through unexpected insights and powerful reflection, Lesley invites you to look back with fresh perspective, recognise the patterns within your own journey, and move forward with greater confidence. Sometimes the greatest connection we make is with the path that has been preparing us all along.
Lesley Everett is an Executive Brand Coach and Consultant trusted by C-suite executives and senior leadership teams to sharpen their leadership presence, strengthen their influence and build reputations that create real business impact.
Creator of the internationally recognised Walking TALL methodology, Lesley has spent more than 25 years taking her work into boardrooms and onto stages across 28 countries, working with some of the world’s most respected global organisations and coaching hundreds of senior leaders.
A four-time author, her latest being The Growth Code, Lesley received the Professional Speaking Award of Excellence (PSAE) in 2010, served as Global President of the Global Speakers Federation, and is an Honorary Fellow of the PSA UK & Ireland.
16:40 - Main Stage
If you want to really connect with your audiences, Hall of Fame speaker Michael Kerr recommends leaning into his 3Rs of professional speaking: Be relentlessly Relevant, get Real, and don’t be afraid to sometimes be a little Ridiculous!
Michael Kerr is a Canadian Hall of Fame speaker on workplace culture, leadership, and humor in the workplace. He is a past president of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and a proud member of the speaking community for 30 years. Michael’s books include, The Jerk-Free Workplace, The Humor Advantage, and Small Moments, Big Outcomes: How Leaders Create Cultures That Fuel Extraordinary Results.
17:10 - Main Stage
MC - Closing
19:00 - Gala Dinner
21:00 - Awards
Dress - Black tie/cocktail dresses/whatever posh frocks you fancy
