Michael Blastland as speaker

Michael Blastland subjects include all areas of argument that use data and numbers in the news, in politics and in life, from the economy and public spending to business performance and healthcare, crime, education and climate.

He is particularly interested in data and storytelling, data presentation (including animation), evidenced-based policy, the history of public spending and taxation, trends in policy, choice in public services and in public understanding and media use of numbers.

blastland_michael_speaking

Click HERE at ‘4 in Four’ to sample Michael’s voiceover presentation of the The Human Zoo.

Previous Events

Michael has given many public and private lectures and presentations to a wide range of audiences, from book clubs of no more than a dozen people, to private organisations and business, professional groups and sell-out public events of 300-plus.

 

Royal Society of Arts

Healthcare Commission

BBC Business and Economics Unit

BBC creative leadership

Glasgow University

London School of Economics

Annual Conference of Medical Statisticians

The Royal Statistical Society

Wellcome Foundation

Institute of Public Relations

SAS business analytics

Scottish Executive

Young Statisticians

Care Quality Commission

Department for Business

Department of Health

Local Authorities Research and Intelligence Association (LARIA),

Social Services Research Group (SSRG)

Office for National Statistics (ONS)

AQMeN

various book festivals.

Frequent seminars for the BBC in either creative or numerate thinking and analysis, for both senior editorial leaders and programme makers, and for new journalists.

Ad-hoc seminars in statistical communication for postgraduate students and in journalism.

Endorsements

“Brilliant. The best feedback we’ve had.”
BBC College of Journalism

“Excellent. Challenging. Sets people talking.”
Healthcare Commission

“Brilliant. Amazing speaker. Such enthusiasm and passion.”
Young Statisticians

“Fantastic feedback, everyone left on a high.”
Local Authority Research Group

“Inspiring.”
Social Services Research Group

“A mad genius”
BBC editorial leadership feedback

“Inspirational. I wish I could bottle what he has.”
BBC creative leadership

“Just excellent.”
Evaluation Society

“Wow! Really top quality speaker who had given a lot of thought about tailoring his presentation to the audience in front of him.” Audit Commission.

“Michael Blastland blew my mind then rewired 95% of it.  But what about the other 5%?”
Journalist

“The feedback I had from delegates on your session was exceptional.”
Conference organiser

“Just to let you know what crazily good feedback your session had yesterday.”
BBC trainer

“Extraordinary interesting and brilliantly presented – very valuable for me! Score 5++”
Lawyer, business leadership course

“Got every single attendee thinking and thinking”
Medical conference

“I want to say again THANK YOU for all the times you have come in and inspired so many of our students down the years – there have been at least 8 different A-level cohorts who have heard you speak and the things some of them have gone on to do in the field of statistics are amazing – this would not have happened for them had it not been for you lighting a real flame beneath them.”
Secondary School Statistics Teacher

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