Mr Allan has worked at every NRL Grand Final since 1999, including hosting the Post Match Presentation for Channel Nine on 10 occasions and his radio career includes stints at Easy Listening 97 Gold Coast, 2AY Albury, 2LM Lismore, 2UW Sydney, 96.1 Sydney, and 2GO Central Coast, where he's hosted The Locker Room sports program for 18 years.
Since 2007, he's been a journalist for NBN Central Coast Television. He is also an A-League commentator for ABC Grandstand, was the narrator for ESPN’s top rating Program Search4Hurt for three seasons and this year cut his teeth as compere for the Helloworld Central Coast Regional Business Awards.
“I loved hosting the awards for the first time,” he said.
“And six or seven of the acceptance speeches on the night were phenomenal – lots of the winners were female and many of them gave some of the best speeches I have ever heard.”
The love of public speaking is what led to the launch this year of Mr Allan’s Say A Few Words business.
“The business has been years in the forming and I am very passionate about it,” he said.
“It’s all about coaching people in the art of public speaking – from businesspeople to schoolchildren.
Selling yourself
“I have already worked with some CEOs, sales teams and students, mostly in years 11 and 12, and some of these students are fantastic – we are in good hands for the future.”
What makes Mr Allan’s course unique is that he says he can make a huge difference to someone’s ability in just a few hours.
"Some other companies offer five-week courses in public speaking, but people just don’t have that sort of time to invest,” he said.
“But most people just need some skills and a few hours is often all it takes.
“May people rate themselves as a 2 or 3 out of ten when it comes to public speaking, but after a few hours with me they see themselves as an eight or nine.
“It’s all about just one thing; are you selling yourself – or selling yourself short?”
The idea for the business was inspired by interviews conducted by Mr Allan with young football players.
“These young men were confident on the field but terrified in front of a mike and it made me think I could make a difference,” he said.
This year also saw the launch of Mr Allan’s new podcast - The Perfect 10.
“There are some really good podcasts out there but they are very long,” he said.
“What I present is a 10-minute podcast on anything from sport to music and business. I am talking about all my passions and it’s going really well. The podcast is giving me the chance to spread my wings and delve into things I like.
“Early I my career I did a lot of music interviews and I love hearing stories of success.”
You can find the podcast on itunes or Spotify and details of Say a Few Words at
