Speaking | Nicola Morgan

Exceptional knowledge, passionately delivered

I've been privileged to give hundreds of talks around the world to a wide range of audiences. I've also perfected the art of delivering excellent talks online. And I love doing consultancy work, seeking ways to inform your community about how to build brilliant, healthy, successful brains.

NOTE: I do maximum one speaking event a month so read on to find out how it could be for you!

"Nicola is a superb speaker. Each topic is well researched with current and relevant information for the intended audience, whether it be for students or parents."

"The staff body learnt a great deal, but, perhaps even more importantly, they were forced to think and to reflect. This session changed outlooks and reshaped some of our practice. Very impressive."

"refreshingly free of psychobabble"

“She is an excellent public-speaker”
“I would have loved to have much longer”
“the best INSET I can remember”

"…genuinely the very best CPD I have ever attended – absolutely focused on the issues we are dealing with in school right now and perfect for sharing with colleagues, pupils and parents."

"It is really difficult to put into words how powerfully we felt your message"

What you get from me

Whether I do an event for you or do some consultancy for your school or community, my content is packed with science, unusual insights and connections that make human behaviour make sense. I inspire, challenge, engage and inform, so audiences go away with eyes opened and minds buzzing.

My topics:

Adolescent Brains and Lives: teenage brain and psychological changes; stress management; the learning brain; screens, smartphones and social media; sleep; resilience-building.
Wellbeing and Stress Management: how to have the best physical and mental wellbeing so that students can achieve their best.
The Reading Brain: science behind reading; differences between digital/print and fiction/non-fiction; benefits of reading for pleasure; readaxation.
Life Online: positives and negatives of online and screen-based lives; distraction, over-use, addiction, self-esteem, competition, perfection, body image etc.

Why choose an online event?

I’m more likely to say yes
It’s much cheaper for you
You can (within limits) record
I’m very good at them
You don’t have to make me coffee

How to get me to say yes

Read the FAQs below BEFORE you contact me, so you don’t ask me for something I wouldn’t do
Be sure about what you want and why – think of it like applying for funding; persuade me
Understand that I’m not salaried so every email is written in unpaid time – so be clear
Have a reasonable budget for what you want
Ask yourself how you can persuade me that if I’m only doing maximum one event a month it should be yours!

Frequently asked questions

Q: Why should we trust that you know what you are talking about?

I have been studying these topics for 25 years, and read a mass of research, from different viewpoints. I have a classically trained and analytical mind and do not believe anything I read or hear unless well supported by robust research and fitting my existing understanding. If you want a wide range of insights and connections between them, I’m your woman.

Q: How long should the event be?

A session with adults really needs at least an hour and a half if you want to include Q&A and a talk for students really needs an hour. INSET can be anything from 1.5 hours to a whole day. A conference keynote is typically an hour.

Anything shorter than these would be harder to prepare and therefore more expensive.

Q: How big an audience?

As big as you like! I do not charge more to speak to large audiences.

Q: How far will you travel?

For the right event, as far as you like! I live about 70 miles North of London (20 miles from Peterborough, on the East Coast main line) and can reach Stansted, East Midlands, Birmingham, Heathrow and Gatwick airports. All expenses must be covered, but I keep costs to a minimum with the exception of long-haul flights, which would be Business Class. See the International Speaking page for more details but still enquire in the same way.

Note that I charge for travelling time, though less than for time spent actually speaking.

Q: What do you charge?

I compute my fee based on the total time the work will take, including preparation, admin and travelling. I value my time and expertise highly and I hope you do, too. Do discuss your budget with me, as there are often ways to reduce costs.

Please don’t ask me to speak for little or no fee unless there’s an incredibly good reason why I should/could work for little or nothing. If the other adults (caterers, electricians, teachers, tech people) are being paid, you can’t expect a professional speaker with years of expertise to be unpaid. However, if your budget is small and you will make the event worthwhile in other ways, I will do my best to help.

Guidelines for ONLINE events:

A parent talk – £550 – £650 (Lower end is for straightforward topic of ideal length 1.5 hours)
A student talk – c£250 for a Q&A – to £400 for a talk and Q&A (There can be a lot of variation here, depending on what you’re asking me to do – all preparation-dependent. Reduction for 2 talks in one half-day.)
INSET/CPD session – £600 – £750 for a 1.5 hr session or £1000 for a half-day

NB I refuse to use Microsoft Teams!

Guidelines for IN-PERSON events

If you’re less than 1.5 hours in travelling time from me (NN17) add £300 to the above fees
If more than 1.5 hours but I can reasonably get to you and back on the same day, typically add £400 to the above fees
If I would need to stay a night somewhere, add £500 (+ DBB cost)

Expenses for in-person events are extra. See the International Speaking page for anything that might be different for overseas trips.

Q: Can we see your Terms and Conditions?

Certainly. They are here.

Q: How far in advance should we book you?

Don’t delay. My diary is likely to be full six months ahead and I usually take bookings 6-12 months ahead. As my event time is now very limited, asking early will help you!

Q: What should we do now?

Contact me using the form. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t decided what you want: discussion is free!

Consultancy work

I advise organisations about all the topics mentioned above in the Speaking section. You will gain accurate, nuanced information and won’t have to rely on unsupported, out-of-date or flimsy “knowledge”.

My rates and terms

I charge a minimum £900 per day. That minimum tends to apply to work I can do in my office. No VAT. If it involves travelling, the fee is usually more. Very often, a day is all you need.
I charge expenses if you want me to travel. (I am handy for Peterborough and Corby stations and can get to London, Birmingham and Edinburgh easily.)

I work extremely hard for every client, following the brief precisely, and am very straightforward and flexible to work with. Above all, I pride myself on sharp intelligence and perfectionist standards.

What people say about my work...

“Nicola is a superb speaker. Each topic is well researched with current and relevant information for the intended audience, whether it be for students or parents. Her delivery is focused, precise and most important of all, totally engaging. If you are looking for a high-quality speaker who is an expert in this minefield of the teenage brain and teenage stress, it really is a no-brainer!”

“It was one of the best INSETs I have been on. Some simple but powerful messages. What I particularly liked was the fact we were able to use the information for understanding our students better and give them better support, as well as applying it to our own personal lives! I will definitely go back on her website/blog for further reading.”

“Nicola presented to the full teaching staff on mindset, dispositions for learning, and intellectual risk taking. We were very much captivated. Her style is straight-forward, intuitive and no-nonsense. Discussion comes quickly and fluently; she is ready to move in interesting directions as they arise. The staff body learnt a great deal, but, perhaps even more importantly, they were forced to think and to reflect. This session changed outlooks and reshaped some of our practice. Very impressive.”

Nicola Morgan

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