“Peter was amazing at Qualtrics – he brought an awesome energy to the room that got people fired up, dancing and learning at the same time. It was a great experience from start to finish and I can’t wait to hear him speak again.”
Ryan Smith – co-founder Qualtrics
“Peter was amazing at Qualtrics – he brought an awesome energy to the room that got people fired up, dancing and learning at the same time. It was a great experience from start to finish and I can’t wait to hear him speak again.”
Ryan Smith – co-founder Qualtrics
What are Peter Lovatt's talks about?
“My talks are about thinking and movement.
These are the subjects I know most about – I have a PhD in Cognitive Psychology and before that I was a professional dancer.
We all get stuck in set patterns of thinking, and have beliefs which prevent us from moving forward.
The times I’ve been held back in life have generally been when I’ve got stuck in set patterns of thinking. My thinking became rigid, and this made it difficult to move forward and change my behaviour.
Let me give you a couple of examples.
I used to think that I was a failure and that I was incapable of learning – because of this I didn’t try to overcome my reading difficulties – I thought I was too stupid, and therefore I continued to fail.
As a scientist, working in Parkinson’s disease, I used to think that academic research and scientific papers would tell me everything I needed to know about what it was like to have a life-changing medical condition – because of this I didn’t spend as much time as I should have talking with people about the impact of their medical condition on their daily lives. I knew everything about the science and research associated with Parkinson’s disease, and almost nothing about the very people living with it.
As a business owner I used to think that the business processes I had in place today would work just as well tomorrow – because of this, when Covid struck, I lost 18 months of contracted work overnight – and it took a very long time to recover.
These three examples have one thing in common – it was my thinking that was holding me back.
My talks are about thinking differently.
There is a very clear link between our thinking and our behaviour.
If you want, or need, to change your behaviour then you need to change the way you think.
This sounds like it should be easy – but it isn’t. Changing the way we think, and therefore our behaviour, can be very difficult.
Think of all those people who have tried, unsuccessfully, to change their behaviour.
Think of the people who tried to increase the amount of exercise they do, and those who wanted to lose weight.
Think of the people who wanted to increase their social influence, and those who wanted to increase their sales.
Think of the people who wanted to fix a broken relationship and all the people who tried, unsuccessfully, to keep on top of their physical or mental wellbeing.
It is impossible to change our behaviour without changing the way we think, and changing the way we think is hard.
Drawing on my professional and personal experiences in science, literacy, dance and cancer, I have worked with an amazing team to develop the STEP approach to changing the way we think and behave.
STEP stands for Social, Thinking, Emotional, and Physical, and the gold-dusted glue which binds these four together is movement.
We get stuck in set patterns of thinking, and this can hold us back. My world changes when I manage to change the way I think.
Changing the way I thought about failure changed the way I engaged with the written word – I read my first book in my early twenties and I had an academic post at Cambridge University, in the Faculty of English, in my early thirties.
Receiving a diagnosis of stage 3 cancer changed the way I think about life-changing illnesses. Of course, scientific papers and academic research tell us a lot – but for the first time I saw the importance of understanding the consequences and variability of such a diagnosis on the individual. The change in my thinking was like someone was shining a light into a prism – and what a rainbow it produced – it definitely made me a better scientist.
The covid-lockdown was a challenge for my business. Covid forced me to change the way I think and solve problems and it forced me to change my business model too. What emerged was so much stronger than the pre-covid model. It was more varied, more engaging for customers, it led to wonderful collaborations, and to the production of practical solutions for a wider range of people.
You’ll remember I said that movement is the gold-dusted glue that holds all the pieces together. This is true. Movement bonds people. Movement changes how we think. Movement communicates emotion. Movement is the defining characteristic of life and its primary agency of change.
My talks are about moving away from old ways of thinking, and seeing the world differently.
My talks have helped people to identify the personal and professional challenges they face and to know that they can create the cognitive momentum needed to make changes.
My talks are for people who want to change the way they think.
I used to see the world in one way –
Then I was moved to think differently –
Now I see the world in a different way”
Dr Peter Lovatt
July 2022
Dr Peter Lovatt – aka Dr Dance – is an international speaker.
Using his unique STEP approach – he talks about the science of movement and demonstrates the power of groove.
Peter’s motivational keynotes take you through his personal journeys of learning to read as an adult – and surviving cancer during covid-lockdown – both with the help of movement.
Peter loves to share ideas around how movement can help people to connect with others. How standing up and taking a few steps can help people to think differently and become more creative problem-solvers. How movement can have a positive impact on people’s mental wellbeing, and how keeping physically active can add years to people’s lives, as well as adding life to their years.
Each talk can be tailored to the themes of your event.
Peter isn’t a stand-still-and-talk kind of speaker. He thinks better when he’s moving. You’ll see.
Dr Peter Lovatt’s sessions are the perfect combination of science-infused story telling – and groove.
Dr Peter Lovatt – aka Dr Dance – is an international speaker.
Using his unique STEP approach – he talks about the science of movement and demonstrates the power of groove.
Peter’s motivational keynotes take you through his personal journeys of learning to read as an adult – and surviving cancer during covid-lockdown – both with the help of movement.
Peter loves to share ideas around how movement can help people to connect with others. How standing up and taking a few steps can help people to think differently and become more creative problem-solvers. How movement can have a positive impact on people’s mental wellbeing, and how keeping physically active can add years to people’s lives, as well as adding life to their years.
Each talk can be tailored to the themes of your event.
Peter isn’t a stand-still-and-talk kind of speaker. He thinks better when he’s moving. You’ll see.
Dr Peter Lovatt’s sessions are the perfect combination of science-infused story telling – and groove.
Clients & Testimonials
Clients & Testimonials
Peter is proud to have worked with Google Saatchi & Saatchi Roche Crown Council National Recruitment Federation Qualtrics USA Qualtrics Europe Qualtrics Australia Volkswagon Australia Wellcome Collection Saddler's Wells Ramsey Healthcare Royal Institution Design Hotels Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum Esomar World Research Entrata RCI Banks and Services The Observer Vetinary Study Groups World Employment Confederation Sigmar Recruitment
