Pull No Punches

International speaker. Best-selling author. And Professor of Organisational Psychology and Change. Just three of the accomplishments that sit behind the name, Damian Hughes.

Welcome to our old friend, Matt Manners. Six years ago, Matt founded The Employee Engagement Awards but from June 2020 it all changed. A change he shares exclusively with us as he launches the global organisation, Inspiring Workplaces.We also chat wedding bloopers, 80s-inspired dog names and French law! More importantly, we ask Matt why we need our workplaces to be inspiring, who has inspired him and how will Inspiring Workplaces make a difference.Sit back and enjoy our latest edition of Pull No Punches.

This month, we welcome Sophie Thompson and Dom Barnard, co-founders of VirtualSpeech, one of the world's leading providers of soft skills training on presentation skills and public speaking.VirtualSpeech was born out of a very public dread of speaking in public. Today, the company helps people learn the fundamentals of 'speaking up' by allowing people to practice in virtual reality (VR) scenarios. Very clever, cool and possibly the future of training in a post-Coronavirus world?Why does it tump traditional classroom learning. How does it break down people's fear of public speaking - with incredible results. And how does it support people to recover from debilitating physical conditions - like strokes.As ever, Pull No Punches is packed with lots of extras. Sit back, plug-in, and enjoy May's Pull No Punches.

Say hello to Mikelis Studers, CEO and co-founder of the world's first throwable microphone. Like most great ideas, Catchbox was born out of something boring. A dull University Q&A session. The problem wasn’t the lecture, but the passing of the microphone from speaker to speaker. Clumsy. Time-consuming. And energy sapping. The rest as they say is history.In this podcast, we ask Mikelis how Catchbox is helping people to communicate in these challenging times. We also learn how Catchbox breaks down cultural barriers as well as hearing about their amazing company culture.As ever, Pull No Punches is packed with lots of extras. Sit back, grab a brew and enjoy April's Pull No Punches.

Broadcaster, entrepreneur, public speaker and author, Arti Halai has had three successful careers. In Television, in Business, and as a Public Speaker. And if you recognise the name, it is because Arti fronted ITV’s Central News across the Midlands for eight years. After stints in television for the BBC, ITN News Channel, Carlton, LWT and Mirror Group.Join us hosts as we quiz Arti on her expert knowledge of speaking in public. Specifically, what is the one mistake leaders make when presenting? Who is the best public speaker Arti has seen... and the worst? And hear her three 'top tips' for public speaking and/or presenting!Add in squirts & turds, Pharrell Williams and Arti's many sisters, this is a barrel of fun!

Welcome to our very first podcast. Full. Stop. Pull No Punches has run for the last two years but as a video, so we thought it was time to give it a refresh.So, we asked our friend to help with our soft launch. Say hello to our very first podcast guest, Anna Cleland, founder of Work.Happy.If you're fed up with the annual staff survey, struggling to engage your employees or simply want to do more around wellbeing, this podcast is for you. Learn how Work.Happy. is turning convention on its head by giving people the power to shape their own engagement. And discover why it is vital to give people time to reflect.There are pearls of wisdom to be had, so enjoy! And thanks, Anna.