Alan has chaired both national and international organisations that champion the interests of professional speakers and have organised the global speaking summit 2022 in Dublin, where the world's professional speakers come together to learn from each other.

A friend of mine introduced me to Allan in 2019, and  I have watched and learned from him. he has touched so many lives and leaves them stronger and better for it. I absolutely had to have him on the podcast to share some of his wisdom around crisis and, more specifically, how leaders should communicate in a crisis.

Crises are not planned, not desired and definitely not easy. A crisis needs to be a place where you are on your “A game” yet can also be a crucible for change, and for changing you. When we look back at the war in Iraq, the financial crisis of 2008, the coronavirus and the war in Ukraine, we see changes and choices that may have been postponed for years coming to effect.

I think Winston Churchill said it best. He said “never let a good crisis go to waste”. How often do we see a crisis as only a hindrance instead of an opportunity, a place to look for what can and should change and should have changed? How can we use change as an impetus, as a burning platform that scrambles people to start working on the next future?

In this, communication is critical. Be authentic, stand for what you believe in and find the future after the crisis, remember to create hope. As leaders, hope is one thing that distinguishes us from those that we lead.

After the crisis is something we, as leaders have to take very seriously. Building for a future after a crisis and leading through a crisis is very often just finding the next step. What is your next step in your crisis?