Lucy Smith

Speaker, Facilitator, Compare

Inspiring audiences & making a difference

Neurodiversity | Managing Change | Resilience

Life Stories | Social Enterprise |

Authentic storytelling that makes a difference

Hi, I am Lucy!

Some people call me the "pocket rocket". I think that is because I have passion and energy to bring out the best in an audience.

I have been working with audiences for almost 25 years in many guises - Lecturer, radio presenter, drama teacher, children's entertainer (I have been a professional fairy) facilitator, compare and speaker.

As a speaker I believe there has to be some substance behind us and I sure have that too. Not being able to settle and always saying "YES" to opportunities has led to a whole lot of experience that informs my work and my presentations.

At my core I am a purpose led social entrepreneur who loves to start a conversation about topics that matter.

I start those conversations with stories some that will surprise and some that will inspire. I talk about some difficult stuff and combine my unique expertise and knowledge.

Relatable, authentic and thought provoking

Lucy x

Neurodiversity

What is your perspective?

I come from a range of different perspectives when I talk about neurodiversity. From pedagogy, organisation development and leadership, research, personal and family and real lived experience. With a a strengths based approach I talk positively and with passion about change and neurodiversity in work, school and community.

I engage audiences to get them thinking and start conversations that will make and does make a lasting difference.

Change Management

Let me meet you at your

bus-stop

In the world of change management, it's not about imposing a new route; it's about understanding where you're starting from.

I have spent a decade working with senior leaders in transformational change where I have learned that change is often an individual journey and we will all join that journey from a different bus-stop.

I combine theory with reality and always have an eye on the future.

Life Stories

The secret change agent

A wealth of stories based on real lived experience with plenty of lessons for the future. Spilling some my secrets on here would be giving away some of my best work which you will want to hear straight from the source.

Oh, okay, let's just say I can talk about resilience, royalty, and some really fun stuff from a career in international law enforcement,

Social Enterprise

Making a difference - the torch that lights the stars

Lighting people up to make sustainable change happen is a big part of what I do. From setting up a community radio station to developing an innovative and groundbreaking conference around digital wellbeing and young people.

I talk the talk and walk the walk when it comes to social enterprise, from grass roots to engagement at the highest levels right up to Downing Street.

What do other people say?

Don't take it from me, here is what others say about working with me.

Work with me

Want to work with me?

Book a call to work directly with me.

Choose from 60 or 30 minutes.

A chance to talk about your challenges, ask questions, work through a problem.

It's your call and your time.

Listen online

Podcasts, interviews and YouTube

Spotify

Apple

YouTube

Find it online

The blog

Tone Tags: What Are They?

disability

May 03, 2024•2 min read

Tone Tags: what is a tone tag and how do you use it?

I must admit, I am very new to the world of tone tags and the massive benefits they could have for people who are neurodiverse as well as people who are not! I was introduced to tone tags by an individual who I provide workplace support for, and they explained to me that by adding a tone tag to the end of a sentence, you can mitigate the risk of the tone of a message being misinterpreted by the receiver.

Tone tags are very simple; it's the addition of ‘/’ followed by the tone you intend the sentence to be read in. To show what an effective addition this is to written communication, here is an example:

“Good morning, I see you were late for work, is everything okay?"

versus...

“Good morning, I see you were late for work, is everything okay? /caring”

For a neurodivergent person, who might experience rejection sensitivity, a message without a tone tag could send them into a spiral of worry, thinking that they were in trouble or that they had annoyed their colleague. The simple addition of '/caring' decreases that risk and therefore reduces the levels of stress that would otherwise potentially overwhelm that individual.

The same effect can be achieved when you want to make a joke or a lighthearted comment, which is something that can be easily misinterpreted over text or email. All you have to do to avoid accidentally causing offense or hurting someone’s feelings is add '/joking' or '/lighthearted' to the end of your sentence. Yes, it really is that simple!

In a world where communication moves more and more online, the margin for error when it comes to getting your tone across increases, so why not adopt tone tags and see what a difference they can make to the way you communicate online! It really is as simple as that, so there is nothing else to say other than: go on, give tone tags a go and see just how helpful they can be. /encouraging