Simon Fanshawe is funny, authentic and passionate about making the world a better place. He trained as a lawyer and promptly abandoned a career in law and became a comedian. Simon was doing stand-up comedy from 1982 to 1992, when it began to transition from safe jokes about your mother-in-law performed in men’s clubs to the diverse, political, anything goes stand-up that gets performed in stadiums today. He won the Perrier Award for comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1989, but comedy wasn’t to be where he made his mark.   From 1992, Simon focused on writing and broadcasting, alongside a growing involvement in charity work and advocacy. He was a founding member of Stonewall and one of the architects of bringing equal rights to the forefront of the diversity debate. Today, Simon has an OBE and is in demand as a speaker on diversity, and as a consultant helping businesses use inclusion and diversity as tools to create business advantage.   There are some massive value bombs in this show, particularly around the importance of persona and the relationship with your audience, as well as tactics for making your talk relevant and engaging to increase your impact and bookings.   Enjoy!   What you’ll learn What it was like to be a stand-up comic at the birth of alternative comedy in the UK. How important it is to find your persona and understand your relationship with audience. Why advocacy and public speaking need similar skills and objectives. How you can adapt your talk at short notice. Why passion can be your worst enemy in speaking. How diversity can help meet so many business challenges Why good design is more important for achieving equality than good intentions. The cardinal rule of public speaking. Why having a story is so critical to speaking success.   Resources*   All things Simon: http:/www.diversitybydesign.co.uk simon@diversitybydesign.co.uk @Simonfanshawe   Books mentioned in the Show with Amazon Link: What Works – Gender Equality by Design by Iris Bohnet Germinal by Emile Zola   Thanks for listening! To share your thoughts:                                                  leave a comment below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.   To help the show out: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and review really help get the word out and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes.   *(please note if you use my link I get a small commission, but this does not affect your payment)