Human Performance Engineering
Dr Iain Lightfoot
- Regions:
- England, Hampshire, West Sussex, Wiltshire, Dorset
- Notice Period:
- Emergency (maybe less than one week's notice)
- Type:
- Professional speaker using talks for interest, education, and business development.
- Fee:
- Paid: £135 per hour plus expenses (Travel mileage and refreshments)
- Category:
- Life Skills
- Updated:
- 21st July 2026
Human beings created machines to extend our strength, computers to quicken our thinking and artificial intelligence to imitate aspects of the human mind. But in building them, did we also create a mirror, one that can teach us something about ourselves?
We understand that a valuable machine needs the correct fuel, regular servicing, careful monitoring and time to cool down. We install warning systems, replace worn components and respond when performance begins to deteriorate. Yet we often expect the human mind and body to operate continuously, ignoring stress, exhaustion, poor nutrition, emotional overload and the early signs of breakdown.
In this thought-provoking talk, I explore what engineering, computing and artificial intelligence can teach us about human performance. Drawing on my experience as a former Royal Navy officer, coach, hypnotherapist and researcher, I examine how sleep, energy, habits, recovery, environment and mental programming influence the way we function.
But the comparison can only take us so far. A machine can process information, follow instructions and produce remarkable results, but it does not feel? What about the things it doesn't posses awareness, intuition or a sense of self?
Human Performance Engineering is not about reducing people to machines. It is about using the systems we created in our own image to better understand the extraordinary biological system that created them. It challenges us to recognise our warning signals, carry out preventative maintenance and protect the mysterious quality of consciousness that may make us uniquely human and understanding how consciousness affects our choices.
Views: 31 | Enquiries: 0About Dr Iain Lightfoot
My career didn't follow a single straight line, but doesn't that make a tory worth telling?
My professional life began in the Royal Navy, working in environments where leadership, pressure, decision-making and human behaviour were not theoretical ideas, but everyday realities. Over time, I became increasingly fascinated not simply by what people do, but by why they do it and, more importantly, how they change.
A deep curiosity led me into coaching, hypnotherapy, education and research. I went on to complete a Doctorate in Coaching and Mentoring, alongside postgraduate qualifications in leadership, training, coaching and hypnotherapy. Today, through my Southampton-based practice, Thoughtlounge, I help people overcome fears, habits, anxiety, addictions, confidence issues and the invisible barriers that can quietly shape a life.
My talks draw together doctoral research, professional experience and the stories of real human change. I speak about resilience, confidence, communication, leadership, behaviour, hypnotherapy and human performance. I can, and will, deliver theory integrated with reality, but I want audiences to leave thinking differently, questioning old assumptions and recognising what may be possible for them.
There is also another side to my work. I am a paranormal investigator and author, exploring haunted locations, unexplained experiences and the stories after people have gone. Through projects including Ghosts on Tap and Ghosts on Draught, I investigate Britain’s haunted pubs and the history, testimony and mysteries behind them.
Whether I am speaking about the human mind or the unexplained, the thread is the exactly the same, curiosity, evidence, experience and the stories that challenge what we think we know!
Other Talks on SpeakerNet by Dr Iain Lightfoot
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