---
title: "My three inspirational communicators"
url: https://www.simonwakeman.com/blog/2008/08/22/my-three-inspirational-communicators/
description: "Consultant and fractional COO for scale-up businesses. I help founders, leaders and investors in scaling businesses create sustainably high performing organisations."
published: 2008-08-22T07:46:22+00:00
modified: 2026-04-11T16:25:09+00:00
author: Simon Wakeman
---
# My three inspirational communicators

## My three inspirational communicators

Chris Norton’s [tagged](http://www.chrisnorton.biz/2008/08/meme-inspiratio.html) me in the “inspirational communicators” meme that’s doing the rounds at the moment. I have to admit that I’ve been quite lax on this, having originally had an email from [Andy Wake](http://newwavepr.blog.co.uk/) who started this back in July.  
The idea is to “list the three communicators living or dead who have most influenced your way of thinking professionally and perhaps personally too. Who do you think the real innovators are? Who’s been most responsible for kicking the industry forward? And just who are the communication PRunks?”  
![Richard Branson](https://www.simonwakeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/images.jpg "Richard Branson") [![John Lennon](https://www.simonwakeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/images1.jpg "John Lennon")](https://www.simonwakeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/images1.jpg) [![Lord Sebastian Coe](https://www.simonwakeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/images2.jpg "Lord Sebastian Coe")](https://www.simonwakeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/images2.jpg)  
So my top three are:  
[Richard Branson](http://www.virgin.com/AboutVirgin/RichardBranson/WhosRichardBranson.aspx) – one of those people with a natural and consistent sense of public relations and its value in a business context, as well as someone who hasn’t been afraid to challenge the establishment (before arguably becoming part of it) – a born publicist.  
[John Lennon](http://www.johnlennon.com/) – someone who showed the power of words and music combined both with [the Beatles](http://www.thebeatles.com/core/home/) and as a solo artist.  
[Lord Sebastian Coe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Coe) – a topical one this week, but someone from his time as a world-class athlete, through politics to his current role heading up the organising games for the [London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games](http://www.london2012.com/). Having seen and heard him in media interview action on TV and on the radio, as well as face-to-face, he is a consumate interpersonal communicator – a skill I wish I had as much as him.  
So that’s my selection. From here I tag [James Barbour](http://jamesbarbour.org), [Jane Smith](http://smithandsmithpr.typepad.com/smith_smith_pr/) and [Tom Murphy](http://tpemurphy.com/blog).