​There's no single formula for a great talk, but there is a secret ingredient that all the best ones have in common. TED Curator Chris Anderson shares this secret — along with four ways to make it work for you. Do you have what it takes to share an idea worth spreading?

 JULIEN BIRKINSHAW
is Professor and Chair of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School. He has PhD and MBA degrees in Business from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, and a BSc (Hons) from the University of Durham. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Stockholm School of Economics, 2009.

Professor Birkinshaw’s main area of expertise is in the strategy and management of large multinational corporations, and on such specific issues as corporate entrepreneurship, innovation, subsidiary-headquarters relationship, knowledge management, network organizations, and global customer management. He is the author of eleven other books, including Reinventing Management: Smarter Choices for Getting Work Done (Revised and Updated Edition 2012), Giant Steps in Management (2007), Inventuring: Why Big Companies Must Think Small (2003), Leadership the Sven-Goran Eriksson Way (2002) and Entrepreneurship in the Global Firm (2001), and over seventy articles in such journals as Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, Strategy Management Journal and Academy of Management Journal. He is active as a consultant and executive educator to many large companies, including Rio Tinto, SAP, GSK, ABB, Ericsson, Kone, Petrofac, WPP, Bombardier, Sara Lee, HSBC, Akzo Nobel, Roche, Thyssen Krupp, UBS, PWC, Coloplast, BBC, Unilever and Novo Nordisk.

In 1998 the leading British Management magazine Management Today profiled Professor Birkinshaw as one of six of the “Next Generation of Management Gurus”. He is regularly quoted in international media outlets, including CNN, BBC, The Economist, the Wall Street Journal, and The Times. He speaks regularly at business conferences in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia.

Professor Birkinshaw is co-founder with best-selling author Gary Hamel of the Management Innovation Lab (MLab), a unique partnership between academia and business that is seeking to accelerate the evolution of management.

Sometimes it’s gotta be a celeb right?  For those special times when ONLY a big name will do – here are top talent names who have been doing a lot of public speaking.

Sports Stars are masters of performing under pressure, harnessing immense focus and determination to propel them to exceeding their goals. These principles of peak performance, team building, and motivation extend beyond the track or cricket field, and right into our offices. Read on to learn from the world’s best Sports Stars how we can develop the world’s best employees and have the world’s best companies.

Many business leaders seek keynote speakers to inspire and educate their team on topics such as: team building, leadership, and best practices. Who, could be more informed and qualified to speak on these topics than an Sports Star ? Sports persons build careers around leadership, team building, innovation, and best-practices skills; all in high-pressure situations. Below, we feature the top Sports speakers of 2016 or years past, who will inspire your team, teaching them skills needed to go for the gold at your company.  

Rahul Dravid : former Indian cricketer, who captained the national Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket teams. Described as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. Through mental preparation, his determination to win, and, as his team member says, a willingness to “make habit out of things other people aren’t willing to do,” Rahul has become an expert on talking points such as self-motivation,team building, emotional intelligence, and peak performance. 

Pankaj Advani : 16-time World Billiards and Snooker Champion, Pankaj Advani - the only player in the world to win world titles in all formats of both, Billiards and Snooker. Pankaj The 16-time World Champion in cue sports won his first world title when he was just 18 and is the only person in the world to have ever won both the Billiards and Snooker World Championships in all formats. His ambition, poised demeanor, mental toughness, and relentless drive have proven him to be an expert on such topics as attaining peak performance, self-motivation, emotional intelligence, and peak performance.

Pullela Gopichand : ​There are those who drive themselves to make their passion the reason for their success and there are those whose passion also drives people to achieve success. Pullela Gopichand, is one such person to have done both. He won the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001 becoming the second Indian to achieve this feat after Prakash Padukone. Currently, he is the Chief National Coach for the Indian Badminton team and runs the Gopichand Badminton Academy. Gopichand not only brought laurels to the country, but also coached a young badminton player – P.V Sindhu – to achieve the silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. He received the Arjuna Award in 1999, the Dronacharya Award in 2009 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014.

Anil Kumble : Current head coach of the India national cricket team and a former Indian cricketer who also captained the team. Greatest Indian Spinner of All Time, Former Indian Team Captain & Entrepreneur.
Anil Kumble is without doubt India's greatest Indian bowler of all time - not only in terms of wickets, but also by being a member of the winning team on more occasions than any other bowler in the history of Indian cricket. Be it Test matches or ODIs, Anil has always been a match-winner. 

Paddy Upton : Coach, leader, high performer, academic, innovator. Paddy has achieved coaching success at the highest levels of sport and business, globally. Has successfully coached a variety of elite sport and business teams and individuals to take their game to even greater heights. He facilitated two international cricket teams to the world’s number 1 ranking; won a Cricket World Cup, and led bottom-of-the-log underdogs to Champions League finalists in one 10-week season.He lives his professional and personal life whole-heartedly. Pursuing success, innovation, relationships, health, adventure and enjoyment with equal enthusiasm. Questioning convention and happiest operating out the box, he is constantly searching for new experiences and better ways of doing things.

Sakshi Malik ; It is not over till the final whistle. No one could prove this age-old adage better than Sakshi Malik. Sakshi Malik scripted history by becoming the first woman wrestler from India to bag an Olympic medal and only fourth female athlete from the country to climb to the podium at the biggest sporting event in the world. Sakshi has become an expert on talking points such as self-motivation, emotional intelligence, and peak performance. This Olympic dynamo’s mantra says it all: “You can’t put a limit on anything.”

Sports Stars embody the combination of leadership and teamwork that corporations value in their employees. They are also experts in emotional intelligence, best practices, and attaining and sustaining peak performance. So, when only a hard-working and winning attitude will do, consider booking an Sports speaker for your next event.