The Power of Hello is my new motivational keynote about the small workplace behaviours that help people feel valued, work more effectively together and build stronger, more successful organisations.

At first glance, saying hello sounds almost too simple to matter. But in busy workplaces, where people are distracted, under pressure, working remotely across locations or communicating through screens, those small moments can easily slip away.

Someone walks into a room, and nobody looks up. A new starter joins a call, and nobody welcomes them. A colleague speaks, but everyone is half-listening while checking messages.

None of this may seem unusual. Perhaps I’ve just described your workplace. But over time, these tiny signals shape how people experience work. They tell people whether they are noticed. Whether they belong. Whether they feel comfortable enough to speak up, ask a question, share an idea or start a conversation.

And that matters to the organisation as much as it matters to the individual.

I believe there is a pressing commercial advantage for businesses that encourage these behaviours. Because when people know each other, listen properly and feel able to start conversations, work becomes easier. Teams become less siloed. People share knowledge sooner, ask for help faster and make better use of the experience around them.

Small moments of connection can help organisations become more cohesive, more responsive and better equipped to tackle challenges together.

The Power of Hello is not a lecture on manners or a reminder to “be nice”. It is a lively, practical keynote on how everyday communication builds happier, more successful workplaces.

I explore how simple acts, such as saying hello, using someone’s name, listening properly and making time for human connection, can help people feel seen, listened to and valued.

The keynote is designed to be positive, energising and easy to act on. It helps people notice the moments when connection is either built or missed, then gives them simple ways to do things differently straight away.

At its heart, The Power of Hello is about turning everyday interactions into moments of inclusion, confidence and belonging — so people feel more connected to each other and better able to work together.

At the start of my motivation talk, Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous I ask people to raise their hands as I ask, who wants to be famous? By famous, I mean properly Kim Kardashian famous.

There are usually one or two people putting their hands up. On the flip side, I then ask who wants to be a best-kept secret. A few hands also, but still not a popular option. You see most people, quite sensibly, don’t want to be either!

So where should people be on that scale of nobody to star? I explain there is a wonderful middle ground which I call, Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous.

Making yourself a little bit famous is really a way of raising your profile, and getting known for what you do, so people think of you first rather than your competition. By competition, I’m talking about how you can stand out from the crowd in your career or business.