Jessica Ridley

Do you struggle with convincing others to take action on your ideas? How do you keep people engaged during a presentation?

In this session we explore techniques to educate, engage and connect with your audience at a deeper level, speaking with authenticity and building trust in the process.

You will gain the skills and confidence to be a more effective communicator in your professional and personal life.

Many businesses underestimate the power of storytelling. Customers want to connect with people, not just products and services. Our senses and emotions are engaged when we hear a good story and this can leave a lasting impression.

Jessica discusses how to craft a simple narrative that will bring your brand to life and not only win you business, but build a community that will want to follow your journey.

Video conferencing platforms and virtual events became critical for doing business during COVID lockdowns, with many of us working from home. But presenting to a computer screen is VERY different to presenting in person. There are extra technical factors that can make it a stressful experience if you don’t know what you’re doing and can only exacerbate the fear of public speaking.

As a skilled broadcast presenter, Jessica shares tangible tools to deliver confidently to camera, keep your audience engaged - and handle Q&As like a pro.

Billionaire Warren Buffet says, ‘“The one easy way to become worth 50 percent more than you are now is to hone your communication skills - both written and verbal”.

Everyone can benefit from learning how to get their message across clearly and succinctly. Good communication brings people closer, solves problems and increases engagement.

But with technology the main vessel keeping us all connected, are we now relying too heavily on emails and texts for conversations that we should be having face to face?

Presenting to an online audience down the barrel of a camera is vastly different from presenting to a physical audience. You don’t have that instant feedback, you don’t have the energy of the room to bounce off and you can't rely on traditional engagement skills.

If ten years in TV news has Jessica anything, it’s how to appear confident and feel comfortable in front of the camera. Also how to build excitement and get people on board with an idea.

'The Virtual Speaker's Toolkit' covers:
- What it takes to run a great virtual meeting
- Setting yourself up for success in your home ‘studio’
- DIY lighting, camera angles and tips for the professional edge
- How to look confident and comfortable in front of the camera.
- Ways to engage, educate and convince your audience
- How to get the most out of a Q&A discussion

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the constant demand for immediate responses in today's workplace? Do you find yourself constantly checking emails, texts, and social media, even outside of work hours?

In this session, Jessica shares her own lived experience working in adrenalin-fueled news journalism roles, where she was trained to keep on the pulse of breaking news. She thought being constantly accessible and online made her a more productive and valuable worker, but it contributed to burnout, brain fog, and a lack of work-life boundaries.

This timely discussion is about addressing urgency culture in the workplace and some of the strategies to correct bad habits, set technology boundaries, and protect our mental health.

Do you wonder who dictates which stories are worth reporting, and why? Or how the news agenda has evolved over time? This lively and interactive discussion about the world of news explores these questions and more.

We delve into what's currently capturing the mainstream audience's attention, how the news impacts society, and strategies for anticipating the news cycle and positioning your brand as a thought leader around a hot topic.

Everything is far more impactful when told from someone's lived experience. The best way to illustrate that you are a human-centric organisation is by telling great stories of the people whose lives you are positively impacting, in their own words.

This session explores ways to bring data and facts to life through storytelling - ultimately helping you connect with the audience in a meaningful and authentic way.

It’s estimated the average person will watch 100 minutes of online video a day in 2021. Studies show we retain almost 95% of a message when we watch it, compared to just 10% when we read it.

Jessica discusses creative ways to start making video content right now, whether it’s for social media to increase brand awareness and attract new clientele, or for internal communications with employees.