Max Atkinson

Dr Max Atkinson is an author. He is a former advisor and speech writer for Paddy Ashdown, now noted as a blogger for his commentary on public communications.[1]

Atkinson holds a PhD from the University of Essex and was a research fellow there in the late 60's.[2]

In his book Our Masters' Voices, Atkinson was the first to describe a set of simple verbal techniques that trigger applause during political speeches. A Granada Television World in Action programme showed how he coached a woman with no previous experience of public speaking to use the techniques and win a standing ovation at the annual conference of the Social Democratic Party. Sir Robin Day, commenting for BBC television, described the experience as ‘The most refreshing speech we’ve heard so far.’

In 1985, Atkinson ran a seminar on speech writing in the White House during Ronald Reagan's Presidency. He later became advisor to Paddy Ashdown, then the leader of the Liberal Democrats. Ashdown said: "There was scarcely a single major speech, in my eleven years as leader of the Liberal Democrats that I made without benefiting from Max Atkinson’s personal advice and help."

Atkinson was visiting professor at the Henley Management College for ten years and at universities in Sweden, Austria and the USA for shorter periods.

In 2015, he was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the UK Speechwriters' Guild.

In March 2016, Dr Atkinson became a Fellow of the Academy of Social Science (FAcSS) Academy of Social Sciences for his contribution to social science,

Books

Max Atkinson's books include:

His books have been published in the USA and several translated into other languages, including Spanish and Russian.

References

  1. ↑ de Castella, Tom (11 July 2011). "Was George Orwell a fan of the News of the World?". BBC News Magazine. Retrieved 11 July 2011. The blogger and communications expert Max Atkinson...
  2. ↑ http://maxatkinson.blogspot.com/2010/11/will-any-of-this-weeks-student.html

External links

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