After Dinner Speakers: Laurie Taylor, Gyles Brandreth, Robert De Niro

Before his university career he worked as an actor with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and taught for five years in a London comprehensive school. He also has eight years industrial and sales experience with a major textile company. For the last fifteen years he has been heard on BBC Radio Four in such programmes as Stop The Week, The Radio Programme, News Quiz and Speaking as an Expert. as well as presenting The Afternoon Shift. He can currently be heard every Wednesday afternoon on Radio Four presenting Thinking Aloud, a programme devoted to society and social change, and every Sunday evening presenting Room for Improvement, a programme concerned with the hundreds of ways in which we can improve our knowledge, skills and self-confidence. His many television appearances include Did You See, The South Bank Show, The Late Show, Right to Reply, Everyman and Newsnight. He currently presents Thinking Allowed, a discussion programme, every week on Radio Four. Laurie is the author of fourteen books on motivation, change and communication. He is an outstanding speaker at management meetings on leadership, communication, teamwork, change and developments in e-commerce and IT. He also speaks on future trends in society; the effects of technology on social and business life and how behaviour and popular tastes impact on market trends; revolutionising the workplace; new ways of selling; building employee motivation and understanding customers. He is a natural, dynamic communicator, using humour to break down barriers with his audience, and bring home the important messages he wishes to impart.