How to plan a theme for your business event
Need help booking the right speaker? Read my guides
Need help booking the right speaker? Read my guides
Questions to ask before you book a motivational speaker
How to make your corporate event more engaging and interactive
How to choose a speaker for my event
How to book the right motivational speaker for your event
10 reasons why Penny Haslam is a great choice to speak at your next event
Read the Latest blogs
Read the Latest blogs
How to plan a theme for your business event
How to plan a theme for your business event. This comes up a lot in my work. Over the past few years I’ve become a bit of a sounding board for clients who are puzzling over event themes, often while deciding whether I should speak at their event or not. I love those conversations — they’re creative, energising and full of possibility. But I’ve also spotted a few common missteps. The same pitfalls crop up again and again, and they can take the shine off what should be a brilliant experience. So I thought it was time to share my take on how to get it right. I’ve worked at hundreds of events and met thousands of people — from organisers to audiences — so I’ve seen what makes them buzz and what leaves them feeling flat. You know the kind: one event has everyone punching the air on the…
How I became one of the UK’s most in-demand female motivational speakers
Hi, I’m Penny Haslam, one of the UK’s most in-demand female motivational speakers. In this talk, recorded live at PSA Impact 2025 (the Professional Speaker Association UK.) I lift the lid on how I’ve built a speaking business that’s not just successful but sustainable. I share the lessons I wish I’d had at the start, the missteps I made and the simple tools I use to stay focused, booked and sane. You’ll hear how I went from a best-kept secret to one of the UK’s leading female motivational speakers – without burning out. If you’re just starting out as a speaker, levelling up or just wondering why the bookings aren’t flowing, you’ll find clarity, ideas and a few laughs along the way. There’s no magic formula, just practical strategies, delivered with honesty, a bit of daftness, and the odd shimmy. Grab a pen and enjoy.…
27 Ways to work on your personal brand
27 Ways to power up your personal brand How to squeeze the juice out of every opportunity and work hard once (not all the time) Let’s start with why this matters. If you’ve ever done a thing – a talk, a panel, a podcast appearance, a guest article – and then… just moved on with your life, you’re not alone. Most of us do it. We put in all the effort, show up, say the thing, smile for the camera, and then poof – it’s gone. But what if that moment could work harder for you? What if you could take the visibility you’ve just earned and stretch it – across platforms, audiences and even time? Drawing on advice from my book Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous and the keynote of the same title, Find a speaker on personal brand and raising your profile as an expert, here’s my…
What is an example of negative self-talk?
What is an example of negative self-talk? In this extract from Penny Haslam’s Confidence Keynote, she explains negative self-talk and her ICE technique to combat it.…
What are the steps to self-confidence?
What are the steps to self-confidence? There are many ways to build self-confidence. I’ve identified three core steps that can help build self-confidence. I’m going to share them with you today.…
What is most powerful way to build your confidence?
The first step towards feeling genuine self-assurance is accepting a simple fact: No one feels 100% confident all the time. People who seem invincible have their moments of uncertainty too, and people who tell you otherwise are living in some sort of fantasy.…
Penny’s confidence download
Penny Haslam’s confidence downloadHere’s a re-cap of some of the ideas I share in my sessions, plus some more for you to consider and share!Confidence at work? It’s not soft, it’s strategicAll too often, confidence is seen as a personal burden to bear, something you have to work out on your own. But I believe we need to get over that idea, because confidence and self-belief is actually a people problem that we can all work to resolve. It’s not soft, it is strategic because when your place of work is full of confidence and self-belief, what can you do? Pretty much anything right?Get my awesome LinkedIn newsletterMy best advice on how to build workplace confidence for you and your team. Sign me up!Follow Penny Haslam on LinkedIn1. Self-talk masteryIf you are thinking to yourself, ‘what’s self-talk?’ well that’s self-talk. It’s the voice inside your head that can be useful, but…
Set your work and personal goals for the year ahead
Episode 37: Penny Haslam Podcast – Set your work and personal goals for the year aheadIt’s not succeeding (or failing) at the goal that is of importance. It’s more about the progress toward the goal. Think about what you want and then schedule little pockets of time for small steps towards it. Setting your work and personal goals – Transcript “I really need to get out there more. I’ll do that next year.” Yeah, most of us just go around carrying this thought in our head about what we’d like, but we don’t pin it down. So this is about taking those thoughts in your head. The ambition, the focus, the requirement, perhaps, and pinning it down so you can achieve more through the year. Quite often we get to the end of the year and go, oh, I didn’t achieve that new years’ resolution, that goal, that ambition. So, therefore,…
10 ways to Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous right now
1. Ask to have a coffee with someone who’s already a little bit famous You might have seen someone in your sector speaking, on the media or using social media in an engaging way. Find out how they got started and if they have any tips. 2. Tell your friends, family and wider network That you’re looking for opportunities to ‘get out there’ and could they connect you with event organisers who are in need of decent contributors. 3. Volunteer to speak Check out different networking events and, if they have speakers at meetings, put yourself forward with some ideas that would be of interest to their members.It’s in the PodcastEpisode 29: Penny Haslam Podcast – 10 ways to Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous right now.4. Join and get involved with an industry association Join an association, network or institute. It’s a great way to meet professional like-minded people…
Dust off your old dreams
Book Penny to speakArrange a no-obligation discovery callDo you have a dream or ambition that you’ve almost forgotten about? This time on the Penny Haslam Podcast, I discuss why it’s important to find the confidence to dust off your old dreams. What was that dream you’ve packed away? Today in the podcast, what was your old dream that you’ve packed away? Go on, get the loft ladder out. Go on, dust it off and let’s have a look at it. I had a good thought on something this week, I was running a workshop on Zoom (Penny Haslam’s Confidence Workshop) with a group of nine staff members. One of the exercises was to think about something that you perhaps dreamt of doing, or had in your mind is something that you wanted to achieve at some point.The Impact, Influence and Confidence ProgrammeA 4-part programme that enables your talented women to…
How can I stop procrastinating?
How can I stop procrastinating? Spending time “colouring in” often shows up as something on your list of stuff to do, that isn’t getting done. You just carry it across to the next list. It gets to the point where it would be quite alarming if you actually completed it.…
Use my FACE to plan your content
You might have seen me speak at an event recently, or been at one of my interactive sessions to Make Yourself A Little Bit Famous®, like the one featured in the photo. I show my FACE model……
Who wants to be famous?
Occasionally, when I’m speaking, there will be someone in an audience, or a delegate on one of my courses, who will scoff at my phrase ‘Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous’. I know, who would do such a thing?…
Run for mayor! What does that mean?
Exposure can feel, erm well, exposing, can’t it? Getting attention for what you do – whether you’re a business owner, an ambitious employee or a leader who has to get out there and represent your organisation……
Three steps to visible & confident leadership
If you’ve been occupied fighting fires and planning out a million different scenarios for most of the year so far, it might be time to revisit your visibility, as a leader. For many, working life has dramatically changed this year. When it comes to connecting and communicating with staff you simply can’t ‘walk the floor’, hold meetings, take questions, have corridor conversations, be seen at ‘town halls’ or deliver presentations in person anymore. And this situation is here to stay, for the foreseeable. But you still need to show up as a leader. The need for you to be visible to your people in imperative. You need to share your vision, the direction of travel, the highs and lows. Your teams and colleagues need you to be accessible – and above all, human. It’s time to embrace new ways of being seen – and get comfortable and confident with it…
Penny Haslam – Author
Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous – By Penny HaslamPower Up Your Profile And Get Known For What You DoDo you shy away from the spotlight for fear of feeling like an idiot or looking like a show-off? Do you see others out there, attracting the kind of attention you wish you could get?If so, you need to Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous! If you want to be a best-kept secret, then step away from this book. But if you recognise the value of raising your profile for your business or career, then step up – because now is the right time for you to make yourself a little bit famous. Visit the Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous microsite for more details and FREE resources!Have you got the book?Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous – by Penny HaslamVisit the book websiteIn today’s noisy market place, it’s crucial you…
Buy yourself some confidence
Probably because I talk about confidence at business conferences, the word itself tends to leap out at me on a regular basis.Yesterday, I did a double take when I went past a cash machine……
Choose words like a male scientist? Now that’s a novel idea.
Most sectors suffer from whopping great gaps between what the boys do and what the girls do and how much they earn (still! I know, it’s like 2020!)……
Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous – 27 Tips from my no longer forthcoming book… Tip #14
Last time, I shared tip #13 that suggests asking people for testimonials, or recommendations on LinkedIn. But you write it for them……
Discussing my book, Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous on the BBC
I kicked off 2020 with a media appearance myself funnily enough, which had me doubly excited-slash-nervous. I’d been invited onto BBC Leeds, to be interviewed by Stephanie Hirst, about my new book, ‘Make Yourself a Little……
Notebook needed
I hope you got a new notebook or lovely pen this Christmas, a small but wonderful gift for creativity and getting organised. I got sent a pen, made of wood – I know, how very eco! I mention this……
New Year’s resolutions?
Another question for you: what are your New Year’s resolutions? Mine? Just keep on keeping on because New Year’s resolutions are bad for you. How contrarian! I know it’s popular to goal set and get clarity……
Who’s on your bus?
One of my speaker coaching clients, Rachel Haslam (no relation, but equally fabulous), says you’ve got to work out who’s on your bus. Yes, your bus, as in public transportation, buses, trains and trams etc……
Wanted: ambassador for your brand
Did you know the reason I left my telly job at the BBC in 2013 was to become a ‘sleb’ brand ambassador? I had been asked by WeightWatchers to work alongside Patsy Kensit and that bloke off……
I made myself a #bitfamous on LinkedIn
I shared a stupid video on LinkedIn a couple of weeks ago – me opening a box of books – and nearly broke the internet with more than 15K views. Bonkers or wot. If only we had that much interest……
Are you free on 4th November?
I promised to keep you in the loop of a very special event to celebrate the publication of my first book Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous – How to power up your profile and get known for what you do. And I’m a gal……
What’s your walk-on music?
I met a friend while I was out walking the dog this week who told me she’d just been for an audition but had got nervous and a little intimidated by the other performers – the competition. I said she needed some ‘walk on music’ to……
A ‘journey’ of discovery
I thought the place was familiar. Last week I chaired a leadership conference at the same venue I’d delivered my first ever keynote. I had an ‘ooh, that was then, this is now’ moment of joyful back-patting. Always worth thinking about……
What’s wrong with me?
Nothing. Nothing at all. And I was reminded of this by reading this article by Lisa O’Neill, an Australian motivational speaker. Her article points to the fact that we tend to focus on what’s wrong with us, rather than highlighting……
Boost confidence by being better at feedback
Feedback is a funny old thing isn’t it? So funny I rolled around on the floor laughing many times when I worked at the BBC, having been given ‘feedback’. Actually I didn’t, although sometimes I cried, but not from……
This year’s essential jacket
Do you want to be one of the first people to see my new jacket? Yesss, of course you do! I got it this week and it’s far better than any clothing item I’ve ever had. What do you think? It’s the most thrilling bit of the whole process so far……
School’s Out for Summer (sing along!): five easy jobs for the summer
Are you receiving just a handful of emails every hour as opposed to the normal deluge? Are there fewer people in your office at the moment? Have things gone a little bit quiet?…
Plan the work, work the plan
I’m currently feeling overwhelmed. Scratch that, since setting up in business six years ago, I’ve felt overwhelmed ALL THE TIME. Not always with huge numbers of clients knocking down the door, but with ALL THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE……
Tricks of the trade
Years ago, I found myself in a car park outside the BBC’s Television Centre, in front of a large broadcast camera, reporting on a story about a flood. It was fake news because I was actually taking part in a practical exercise for a rare BBC trainee……
Erm…
I received an email with an agony aunt style question this week, from someone who’d attended one of my half day sessions for boards, about stepping up as ‘brand ambassadors’. She wanted helps with a common problem……
A spoonful of my own medicine
It’s all very well me going on about ‘getting out there’ and telling you how to be brilliant if you’re on a panel, or speaking or if you get asked to go on TV and radio. But I’ve got to get my head around raising my own profile……
Smart engagement for Maria
Last week I ran my one-day ‘Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous at Work’ workshop, at a big company. I set up a choice of activities in the afternoon, you could take part in a panel discussion, deliver a short talk or make a video on……
“Confidence comes from knowing you’re doing the right thing.”
“Confidence comes from knowing you’re doing the right thing.” That’s what the writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie remarked recently in Radio 4’s The Confidence……
Sometimes I can live without my own teabags…
Now, it’s embarrassing to admit, but I take my own teabags with me whenever I travel abroad. Not only do I hate the ubiquitous presence of Liptons (who have conned the world into thinking that’s actually……
Say it, if self-belief eludes you
Once a month I travel to York, to work with my client, JRF, helping build its profile and get out there more. So, for a couple of hours on the motorway I get to tune in to the radio and you can’t go wrong with Radio 4’s Desert……
Speaking up in meetings
Making yourself a little bit famous isn’t just about speaking on big stages or leaping around in front of the cameras on TV and radio. It’s about being seen in the workplace too. One of the best ways to get visibility for your personal brand profile……
How to get noticed by the broadcast media
Being interviewed on TV or radio is good for you: it helps build your brand profile, drives business to you, and provides big career kudos. The minute you are seen or heard on air, you are deemed more expert than you were……
Look back in awe
I have little phrases, we all do, that I thoroughly enjoy repeating in the right circumstance. A favourite of mine is: “don’t look back……
Why YOU are the best shot for building your brand
What I’m seeing time and time again is that YOU are the best person for building your brand. What brand you get profile for is up to you – it might be your organisation’s brand, the ‘brand’ of your team……
Have a go, you might like it!
Major Cobb was my husband’s school army cadet commanding officer, whose pep talks have stood him in good stead throughout his life. At the start of my husband’s army cadetting, when he was 14……
Do you Work Hard Once (WHO) or Work Hard All the Time (WHAT)?
When I heard about the WHO concept for the first time (the acronym, not the English rock band, formed in 1964) it made a lot of sense. Work Hard Once means putting……
How to plan your content. Fancy whittling?
The attendees on our latest smartphone video course admitted they were held back from ‘getting out there’ because they didn’t have a plan. They struggled to think of what they might talk about.…
What do you want?
“What do you want?” is a big, short question. When I worked for the BBC as an employee on Radio 4, I never stopped to ask it of myself and as a result I felt stuck and directionless. When I took voluntary redundancy……
Make Yourself A Little More Confident
We wouldn’t dream of talking to our friends in the same way we talk to ourselves would we? (Maybe you’ve just been asked to speak somewhere, and you just keep saying to yourself……
Use FACE to showcase expertise
You might have seen me speak at an event recently, or been at one of my interactive sessions to Make Yourself A Little Bit Famous®, like the one featured in the photo. I show my FACE model……
Leaders! There’s no badge for burnout
My Brownie Guide handbook didn’t deal with mental health. There was certainly no badge for it. Making a bed (House Orderly), laying out a tea tray (Hostess), and jumping over a……
Press Release: Penny Haslam named as UK’S Professional Speaker of the Year 2016
The business journalist and former BBC broadcaster, who now delivers keynote speeches to business audiences, Penny Haslam……
Listen up to Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous
When you’re carving out a role for yourself as an expert contributor on TV and radio, it’s vital that you listen and watch as much ‘output’ as you can. It helps you work out where to ply your……
