SERIOUS IDEAS
FOR CURIOUS PEOPLE
Coaching, training, speaking and research for people who want to think differently and make things happen.
COACHING TRAINING SPEAKING PUBLICATIONS ABOUT CONTACT
01 / COACHING
I work with individuals and organisations to explore ideas, untangle problems and turn ambition into practical action.
1:1 COACHING
Space to think, challenge assumptions, and make progress on the things that matter most to you.
TEAM COACHING
Helping teams build clarity, confidence and momentum around change, innovation and new ideas.
BUSINESS COACHING
Practical support for organisations that want to develop ideas, solve problems and create new opportunities.
02 / TRAINING
Practical, engaging training designed to help people build confidence, develop capability and apply new ideas.
With over 20 years of experience in the design, creation and delivery of educational programmes across a wide range of contexts, I can create training programmes that are practical, engaging and tailored to the needs of your people and organisation.Topics can include innovation and entrepreneurship, communication and presentation skills, idea development, creative problem-solving, leadership and change, facilitation, enterprise education, curriculum design, and the effective use of AI in learning and work.I can develop anything from a focused half-day workshop through to a multi-session development programme, with content shaped around your objectives.
03 / SPEAKING
I speak about innovation, entrepreneurship, education and change - making complex ideas clear, useful and engaging.
KEYNOTES
Thought-provoking talks designed to challenge assumptions, spark ideas and get people thinking differently.
CONVERSATIONS
Lively, accessible discussion around innovation, enterprise, education and the future of work.
04 / PUBLICATIONS
Select Ideas in print:
2026 / BOOK CHAPTER
Entrepreneurial Coaching: A Framework for Evidence-Based Practitioner Education
Smith, H. & Draycott, M. · Edward Elgar - Link
2025 / ARTICLE
Signalling Success or Shortfall? Analysing the Online Promotion of UK Entrepreneurship Education Programmes Draycott, M. et al. International Review of Entrepreneurship - Link
2024 / ARTICLE
Does Entrepreneurship Education Deliver?
Rogers-Draycott, M. et al. Education Science - Link
2022 / ARTICLE
Full Curriculum-Based Venture Creation Programmes: Current Knowledge and Research Challenges
Smith, K., Rogers-Draycott, M. & Bozward, D. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research - Link
05 / ABOUT
Hello! I’m Matt - an educator, coach and researcher working across innovation, entrepreneurship, communication and changeI’m interested in what happens when people have an idea, a problem or an ambition and need to work out what to do next. A lot of my work is about helping people think more clearly, communicate more effectively and turn ideas into practical action.By day, I’m an Associate Professor in Innovation Management at Birmingham City University, where my work spans teaching, curriculum design, educational leadership, research and the development of new approaches to learning. I’ve spent much of my career working in entrepreneurship and enterprise education, with a particular interest in the impacts of our work on society.Outside the classroom, I work with individuals, teams and organisations through coaching, training, speaking and consultancy. That might mean helping someone make sense of a new direction, working with a team to develop an idea, facilitating a difficult conversation, or helping an organisation think differently about innovation and change.A recurring theme across everything I do is curiosity. I like asking odd questions, challenging assumptions and exploring what might be possible if we looked at a problem differently.
WHAT I CARE ABOUT:GOOD IDEAS
Especially ones that challenge assumptions or create new possibilities.CLEAR COMMUNICATION
Because even the best idea is useless if nobody understands it.PRACTICAL ACTION
Thinking matters. Doing something with the thinking matters more.BETTER LEARNING
Learning should be useful, engaging and connected to the world people actually work in.CURIOSITY
Probably the thing that ties everything else together.