by Steven Maddocks | 13 August, 2026 | Client Skills, Emotional Engagement, Marketing, Pitching, Presentation Skills, Storytelling
I thoroughly enjoyed rereading Emily Wilson’s landmark translation of The Odyssey during a recent holiday in Croatia. It felt appropriate as were just up the coast from Odysseus’s home island of Ithaca. It got me thinking about the story templates Christopher Booker...
by Steven Maddocks | 12 August, 2026 | Presentation Skills, Voice
In leading his team to victory against Mexico on Sunday, England captain Harry Kane left everything out on the pitch. Including, it seemed, his voice. He squeaked his way through a post-match interview, much to his embarrassment and the pundits’ delight. What had...
by Steven Maddocks | 12 August, 2026 | AI, Communication, Personal Profile, Presentation Skills
A major report on the future of work foresees a growing role for social and emotional skills in global banking and investment. As everyone in the sector builds out their AI infrastructure, great soft skills – our specialism at MSB Executive – will be even more of a...
by Steven Maddocks | 11 December, 2025 | AI, Authenticity, Communication, Presentation Skills, Storytelling, Trust
The Arrival of ChatGPT-4 The release of ChatGPT-4 in March 2023 marked the moment when AI shifted from a futuristic idea to an everyday tool. Less like a gadget and more like a partner, ChatGPT and other AI Agents (such as Gemini and Copilot) seemed able to reason,...
by Steven Maddocks | 13 November, 2025 | Featured, Performance, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Trust
I have just come off stage after a three-week run at the Hope Theatre in Islington. The show was a success, with great reviews and feedback. Was it perfect every night? No! Was it perfect any night? Actually, no! It’s live performance. Something usually goes a bit...
by Steven Maddocks | 28 April, 2025 | Body Language, Featured, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking
A couple of weeks ago I was at the Institute of Physics. There I watched an excellent presentation given by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society. The audience were hanging on his every word. What did he do to achieve that? Here are the three...
