Michael Dodd is an international speaker, author and one-time journalist who helps audiences communicate (even) more effectively.

On the way to becoming an Australian Broadcasting Corporation political correspondent and foreign correspondent, Michael was trained to ask what became known as “blowtorch-on-the-belly” questions.

Now he shows audiences the golden formulae for giving great answers to such questions.

This can involve interviewing audience members on stage - before helping them upgrade their answers so everyone can understand how to do the same.

Michael was a political correspondent in Canberra in the 1980s.

He covered federal election campaigns for the ABC - travelling around Australia with the prime minister and opposition leaders.

Michael has interviewed 7 of those who have served as Australian Prime Minister.

He’s written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald, The Melbourne Age, The Canberra Times, The Australian, The New Zealand Herald and The South China Morning Post.

Michael served as ABC London Correspondent and ABC Berlin Correspondent and has filed reports from across Europe.

He covered Eastern and Central Europe before, during and after the 1989 anti-communist revolutions with reports for ABC, Radio New Zealand and the BBC World Service.

In Gdansk, Michael interviewed the leader of Poland’s Solidarity Free Trade Union Movement - Lech Walesa - shortly before he and his supporters triggered the overthrow East European communism.

In Prague, Michael questioned the revolutionary playwright -Vaclav Havel - during Velvet Revolution in Czechoslavakia ahead of Havel’s rise to become the country’s democratically-elected president.

Michael is one of the contributing authors to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation book “Correspondents Report: Despatches from ABC Foreign Correspondents”.

Michael presented the BBC Five Live documentary called “Back Up From Down Under” about Australians living and working in the UK - featuring his interviews with Germaine Greer, Kathy Lette, Sir Lynton Crosby and Sir Richie Benaud.

As a foreign correspondent, Michael was frequently interviewed as a commentator on Sky News, BBC and Al Jazeera. He’s done hundreds of televised newspaper reviews.  He has presented BBC 5Live’s “Global” programme.

During John Howard’s prime ministership of Australia, Michael presented BBC Radio 4’s Profile programme about him. (This programme remains on the BBC website).

As an international communications-booster, Michael has spoken on six continents.

He’s been awarded the ‘New Speaker Of The Year’ title by the Academy For Chief Executives.

Michael has been a Senior Lecturer in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Westminster. His post-graduate students won a series of awards from the UK’s Broadcast Journalism Training Council and from the BBC.

Working with UK Trade & Investment, Michael has helped audiences inside British embassies and high commissions around the world.

Michael’s book “Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work” - is published by Wiley.

The Express newspaper declared that “Every briefcase and bookshelf should have a copy”.

Michael is a Fellow of the Professional Speaking Association of UK and Ireland.

He’s served two terms as President of the association’s London Region.