Speaking, Keynotes & Events

Behind the scenes of Dr Pretty Basra's speaking work, from TEDx to international stages. Explore keynote topics, event insights and what neuroscience-informed speaking actually looks like in practice.

Audience watches a presenter in a pink floral dress on the 100% Catwalk stage at an optics event, with screens and neon signage

What Happens in the Room When a Keynote Actually Works

I've sat in the audience for a lot of talks. Some were polished. Some were technically impressive. Some had slides so beautiful they could have been gallery pieces. And some, if I'm honest, I've forgotten entirely by the time I reached the car park. But every now and then, something different happens. The speaker says something and the room shifts. You can feel it. A collective exhale, or a stillness, or the sound of people writing something down at exactly the same moment be

Dr Pretty Basra

Jun 144 min read

woman wearing floral dress having a mic put on to speak on stage

Why I Bespoke Every Talk - And What That Means for Your Audience

Ted X Doncaster 2025 I get asked this question fairly regularly by event organisers: Do you have a standard talk? And my honest answer is no. Not really. I have topics. I have frameworks. I have material I've developed over years of research, clinical practice, and lived experience that I draw from. But the talk I deliver to a room of independent optometrists navigating ICB changes and the pressures of running a small business is not the same talk I deliver to a corporate lea

Dr Pretty Basra

Jun 74 min read