Flight Lieutenant John Nichol was first seen by the world as a tortured Gulf War British prisoner of war, beaten and humiliated by Iraqis The famous television appearances which John and his fellow POWs were forced to make were flashed around the world and became an enduring symbol of the first Gulf war. The daylight bombing raid over Southern Iraq upon which John Nichol had embarked had gone horrifically wrong. Hit by a surface to air missile he had been forced to eject over the Iraq desert.

The traumatic weeks of capture which ensued, gave John a unique insight into the human capacity to deal with adversity and change. Partly as a result of his own outgoing personality, partly as a result of the experience itself, John Nichol is now able to present a fascinating insight into what happens when our innermost reserves are tested by external demands.

His account of what happened takes his audience from the highly organised training and teamwork of an RAF jet squadron to the isolation of being shot down and held in solitary confinement. His experiences qualify him to speak with unquestionable authority on not only surviving change and adversity, but also turning it to your advantage. Indeed his physical survival is due to immense reserves of personal strength, flexibility and the capacity to withstand upheaval and uncertainty.

After the Gulf War, Johns military career took him on active service to the Falkland Islands and to Bosnia as part of the UN peacekeeping mission. He left the RAF in 1996 to pursue a career as a broadcaster and writer. He has written for The Times, The Observer and The Mail On Sunday and has published 9 books including the best-seller, Tornado Down. He has been a consultant and reporter for Newsnight, Breakfast News, ITN, World In Action and Cutting Edge.

John Nichol's message is one of optimism, inspiration and personal motivation. His personal triumph lies in having discovered his potential to cope with extremes and achieve goals way beyond his perceived horizons.

At home at either the conference, training course or after-dinner venue, John describes himself as an ordinary guy who just happened to find himself in extraordinary circumstances. His presentation is tailored to the occasion and is electrifying, humorous, and captivating. John leaves his audience in no doubt - that potential exists in all of us.

More recently on the media side of things, John has written travel articles for the Mail On Sunday and comment pieces for the Daily Telegraph and the News Of The World. He has been an expert commentator on various military events for outlets as diverse as the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2, ITN, Sky News, CNN and the Six O'clock News on the BBC.

TESTIMONIALS
''Many thanks for yesterday John, it was first class riveting, entertaining, shocking, inspiring, hugely motivational and above all, entirely fit for purpose. The bosses were delighted. Many thanks for such a smooth, professional performance and for providing a fitting highlight of the day.''
National Grid & Balfour Beaty Safety Conference.

''A few lines to thank you for your input into our conference, the presentation was received very well by all, and I have heard lots of positive feedback around not only the content of what you delivered but in the way that you delivered it too. The enthusiasm and passion lifted the room at the end of what had been a very full day. I would have no hesitation in recommending you as a guest speaker at future events both within and outside of our business.''
National Air Traffic Service

'John Nichol is an outstanding speaker. His story is dramatic and had the audience engaged from the moment he stood up, until he finished fielding all sorts of questions from the floor. Folks immediately got the links between what he was saying and the business challenges we face today - the feed-back from our management teams has been very good and I'm sure John will be well be remembered for many months to come and he'll be a hard act to follow next year!'
President, Trelleborg Offshore

'John Nichol has made a big impression. He exceeded our expectations and has become a talking point within the organization. His presentation was very thought provoking no one can fail to be motivated.'
Vice President sales, Nortel Networks

'In a conference hotel outside Birmingham the audience has worked itself into a lather of exhilaration, their minds worlds away from sales targets. The music surges as Mr. Nichol walks off stage and the crowd goes wild. A straw poll found the consensus among the audience feeling uplifted and able to take on any challenge'.
The Economist

'Your presentation was excellent and very moving. It would have been very easy to stray into glorification of war, self pity or to paint yourself as a hero, you didn't fall into any of those traps, you came over as humble and very honest and earned the full respect of the audience for this approach. The Q and A session at the end was excellent, many thanks.'
IBM Annual Conference

'Thank you for a most entertaining, stimulating and thought provoking presentation last week. There has been great positive feedback from the delegates. You pitched the presentation perfectly and the tone of your talk was just right for an after dinner speech. You will have noted from the duration and intensity of the Q and A session afterwards that you generated a massive interest in our people.'
Southern Water

'John, many thanks for speaking at our leadership conference last week. It was a delight to meet you and hear your unique and inspiring life story. I think you could tell from the extensive discussions after your presentation that our business leaders were truly engaged and curious to learn even more about what you went through. The insights gained from your personal experiences have direct parallels for individuals and leaders in the business world.'
Unum Provident insurance company

'I have seen a lot of motivational speakers and it is an understatement to say that you were a complete hit! To get that level of interaction and attention from our team after nine hours hard graft speaks for itself. Your talk was inspirational and very motivating, as well as incredibly humbling....it certainly framed the day superbly, and will definitely be talked about for many meetings to come!'
UK Sales Manager, B&Q

'Thank you for the excellent seminar on Leading Under Stress we received excellent feedback from the delegates'
ICL

'Thank you for an excellent after dinner speech and for taking the time to speak with us afterwards. Apologies if we kept you talking so late this was totally due to our enthusiasm and interest'
National Sales Manager, GE Capital

'It seems amazing that we have been working together for 4 years I never fail to be impressed by what you say and always learn something new. The effect on the delegates is electrifying and for many you are the highlight of the programme I still meet delegates who remember your presentations and who have taken many of the lessons back to the workplace and into their private lives as well.'
British Telecom Management Training

'Thank you for speaking to our sales force at this year's conference. I think your presentation was inspirational and I know from the delegates, that they felt the same'
Scottish Mutual

'All who attended have said how much they enjoyed your speech and question and answer session. It was fascinating, humorous and very, very interesting.'
Shell UK

'The comments received after the event were most favourable...your speech was interesting and entertaining achieving the right balance of humour and interest and highlighting the links between your own experiences and the subject of the conference.'
Benefits Agency

'We wanted to say a big thank you. We were absolutely thrilled, particularly with the way your presentation fitted the brief'
Telecom New Zealand

'Thank you for providing a first class presentation ... it fitted perfectly with the theme of change and delivered the message in an entertaining and forceful way'
Lloyds UDT

'Thank you for visiting us and presenting in such an excellent way I have had nothing but praise for the interesting way you spoke'
MBNA International