CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
£5K TO £10K
AFTER DINNER SPEAKERS
£5K TO £10K
"Fascinating and very entertaining."
Allen & Overy
YOUR FEEDBACK
"We have received more congratulations for the dinner with Sir Christopher than ever before."
Merrill Lynch
EXTERNAL LINKS
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SPEECH TITLES
A New age of diplomacy?
Superpowers old and new
The US - European relationship
BIOGRAPHY
Sir Christopher Meyer was posted to Washington as British Ambassador towards the end of the Clinton Presidency. After an extended five year term, he returned to the UK and went on to chair the Press Complaints Commission.
Whilst in the States Christopher became deeply involved in several critical situations, from trade disputes to the aftermath of 9/11 and the 'war' against terrorism. He gave over 200 speeches, visited 44 states and 120 cities, and formally introduced Prime Minister Blair to President George W Bush. Christopher's subsequent account of life behind the scenes, DC Confidential, caused a huge amount of controversy.
Prior to his role in the US, Christopher served as Ambassador to Germany; press secretary to John Major; speechwriter to three Foreign Secretaries, and head of the political section of the Embassy in Moscow. He also served in Madrid and Brussels.
Christopher is a wonderfully engaging speaker. Whether talking about the axis of power between Europe and America, the 2008 Presidential race, ambassadorial etiquette or the history of pop music (his favourite topic) - he speaks with enormous authority and a subtle mixture of refinement and irreverence.
Sir Christopher speaks Russian, French, Spanish and German - with varying degrees of ability. In 1998 he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, by Her Majesty The Queen.
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SEVEN PILLARS OF DIPLOMATIC WISDOM
by Sir Christopher Meyer
Diplomats have a reputation for cunning and deviousness. This is a little unfair; although I will admit that a little creativity and imagination always come in useful. But diplomats have sometimes been their own worst enemies by making their profession seem more mysterious than it really is. In reality the rules of diplomatic negotiation are perfectly straightforward...
Just remember, before going into a negotiation:
1. Draw your bottom line and never go below it.
2. No agreement at all is better than a bad agreement.
3. Reciprocity rules: An agreement that favours one side over the other is unstable.
4. Attention to detail: Learn everything you can about your opponent.
5. Understand the political limits of what they can agree to.
6. Even if you speak the other side's language, stick to English (you get more time to think during interpretation).
7. Always have a sandwich in your briefcase.