Motivational Speaker, Dave Walsh had his life turned upside down almost overnight. Going from climbing mountains to being unable to climb stairs – Dave was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2014.

Dave’s inspirational journey to find his ‘new normal’ was not an easy one, and since his MS diagnosis, he has suffered from severe bouts of depression. But, Dave wasn’t going to let his diagnosis stop him from achieving his ambitions and turned to his love of sport in an attempt to fight his depression.

Dave’s resilience to overcome the challenges sent his way led him to become Britain’s Strongest Disabled Man in 2021, and he claimed the title of World’s Strongest Disabled Man in 2022 which started him on his journey as an amazing motivational speaker.

As a Motivational Speaker

Dave has since become a popular motivational speaker, sharing his experiences to help others build confidence and achieve success no matter the obstacles. A passionate speaker about men’s mental health and disability equality, Dave is a popular choice amongst corporate clients looking to enhance their team’s well-being and help them achieve.

Like many of our Great British Speakers who suffer from physical disabilities, Dave will agree that the mental health aspect of these challenges often provides and even greater obstacle than the original problem.

5 ways to instil confidence within your team:

In his latest talk, Dave share’s his top 5 ways to instil confidence within your team to achieve your business goals. Hire Dave to present the full keynote talk – contact us at Great British Speakers.

1. Help people learn and develop.
Confidence and competence are closely related. If team members feel that they’re not developing professionally and that their skills are being under-utilised, they’ll quickly begin to doubt their abilities. To increase your team members’ confidence, you should help them improve and learn new skills so they can play a stronger role in contributing to the team.

2. Delegate step-by-step.
A great way to build up your team members’ competence—and thereby their confidence—is to delegate specific tasks that will help them grow in an area they’re interested in. Just be careful that you don’t delegate too soon or too quickly; and don’t leave people to their own devices when they’re in new territory.

When someone lacks confidence and competence it’s far better to gradually give them more responsibility and to stick close by them until they no longer need you. Your job is to help your team members set reachable goals and break difficult tasks into smaller steps. In that way, people slowly but surely gain confidence as they start to master each step of the assignment.

3. Focus on people’s strengths.
As a team leader, you’re likely to have a fair bit of influence over who does what. You can use that to actively build up someone’s confidence by giving them work that they’re genuinely good at and interested in. People’s confidence (and motivation) will generally grow when they’re given the chance to put their skills into practice and show mastery. The question you need to ask is: How well do you know each of your team member’s strengths?

4. Be supportive.
One of the most fundamental ways to boost confidence in your team is to actively support them and build them up emotionally. And one of the best ways to create a strong supportive foundation is to connect with individuals one-on-one. When you do, make space to sincerely listen to their concerns and help them realise how much they have to contribute.

When you get to know your team members at a more personal level (e.g., what motivates them; what really matters to them) you’ll intuitively know how to best support them. Another way to demonstrate your support is to actively praise a team member and provide positive feedback when someone does something well. We all like to feel appreciated and it takes so little to say “Thanks, that was a superb job you did.”

5. Embrace failure.
Another great way to build people up is to let them know that it’s OK to make mistakes—as long as they don’t keep making the same ones. When you remove the fear of failure you make people feel safe. As a result, team members open up and are more willing to contribute and experiment. Knowing that they have the space to learn from their mistakes rather than being penalised for them builds their confidence and takes away an enormous chunk of negative energy and worry.

 A Chat with Dave Walsh – Resilience and Motivational Speaker & World’s Strongest Disabled Man.

Through his talks, Dave Walsh demonstrates and promotes the power of positivity to overcome challenges and reach your full potential and dreams – whatever the setback. Recently Dave joined Great British Speakers director Jane Farnham to talk to us about his Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, overcoming adversities & resilience, and his new title of World’s Strongest Disabled Man.

Book Dave Walsh – Motivational Speaker

With International Men’s Day and Disability Awareness Month just around the corner, Dave is a passionate keynote motivational speaker whose talks are the perfect feature to motivate and empower. With a passion for raising awareness of men’s mental health concerns and disability within sports, Dave is a sought-after keynote speaker who will leave your audience with key takeaways relatable to your event requirements.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email bookings@greatbritishtalent.com to book Britain’s Strongest Disabled Man, Men’s Mental Health Advocate and Disability Awareness Motivational Speaker Dave Walsh for your next event.

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