10.14.2014 Interview with Penny Mallory
What is the message you hope people take away from your presentations?
My aim is simply to challenge people’s thinking and approach. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut – and sometimes a reminder of what we can do better or differently, is really useful. I want to leave people thinking and feeling optimistic and excited about doing things better, trying something new or following the dream they had parked up in their mind. I believe that operating in a ‘World Class’ way is a choice – it’s not for ‘special’ people – and I demonstrate why that is so.
How are your keynotes unique?
I think my story is unusual and is also very visual which helps to engage an audience, whether they are interested in cars or not (most of us drive after all). Grabbing attention and holding their interest is critical if you want your messages to have an impact.
How do you make a connection between your experiences in sport and your workshops/ presentations?
The parallels between sport (and in my case motorsport) and life/business are easy to illustrate – we all have a direction, a speed or pace at which we operate, we all have critical decisions to make, and we all need to communicate clearly if we are to get what we want. These qualities are all vitally important if you desire success in motorsport, so using the analogies of driving brings a presentation to life with real energy.
Who or what inspires you most?
Strangely the most inspiring people I have ever met are not famous or well known – they are the quiet ones getting on and doing amazing things away from any publicity. The ones who change lives and dedicate so much time and effort to helping others.
Can you explain what your ‘Take Control’ workshop is all about?
Most people prefer to feel that they’re in control of their lives and where they are heading. The Take Control workshop offers ‘9 Special Stages’ to the audience – a kind of route map to getting what you want. It challenges and provokes the audience to think again – think differently – and accept that they are capable of achieving so much more.
If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?
I have had a really long think about this, and I am quite happy where I am…at home in a beautiful part of England, with my children and some friends, about to eat some great food. I can’t really imagine why I would want to be anywhere else…except maybe on safari in Africa!