005 - Public speaking and sponsor engagement, with Chris Dawes
The thought of speaking in front of a room of people makes me nervous. I’m quite happy to go on live radio or flounce about in front of a camera but the idea of doing a talk is a little bit daunting. I understand why some drivers struggle so much when speaking to the media and I certainly understand why so many don’t want to add public speaking to their skills list but it’s so important. Rob Hedley even mentioned it in the last podcast.
Listen to this latest episode with Chris to get a few tips on controlling your nerves and structuring a talk but most importantly, listen to why you should be doing all these things and how it could help you to pick up sponsorship.
Find out more about Chris Dawes Comms and Open Dawes Training.
10:40 – Open Dawes Training’s media courses
11:00 – The new MSVR and Gary Feakins Racing Z-Cars Series
15:34 – Check out Formula Academy here
21:20 – No begging bowl words allowed! Do this instead.
If you’re buy abilify looking for more tips, check out the Open Dawes Training Facebook page where you’ll find the Through Open Dawes video series, I highly recommend it.

Who is Chris Dawes
Chris is a motorsport commentator, you’ve probably heard him at the track, on the radio and television too. He also runs Open Dawes Training, a company that provides media training to sports people and public speaking training to businesses.
What you’ll learn
- A bit more about Chris, his commentary work and Open Dawes Training
- Why public speaking and media training are so important to racing drivers
- Why you need to do your talking off track as well as on it
- How to just let your personality shine through
- Why this kind of engagement is important when you’re hunting for sponsors
- Quick fire tips to overcome nerves when speaking to people