About Jonathan Halls
Leadership, communication and media specialist, Jonathan Halls, leads Jonathan Halls & Associates in Washington DC. He’s a recognized expert in communication, media and leadership and active in the national training profession in the US.
Jonathan has been leading, teaching and writing about these topics around the world for nearly two decades. he’s worked with thirty nationalities in twenty different countries.
Jonathan Hall’s work life is an interesting story. He’s been a talk show host, journalist, trainer, communications manager and executive.
He formerly headed the BBC’s prestigious Production Training department in London. The BBC’s production training is widely considered the best vocational media training in the world.
Experience Directing Large Scale Training
As the executive leading the BBC’s production training, Halls was responsible for the corporation’s television, radio operations, health and safety, and new media training. He led a team of 40 staff and 250 contractors to deliver leading-edge training in the latest broadcasting skills and processes.
Halls has worked as a media executive, journalist and talk show host and trainer. He was formerly Managing Director of Talkshow Communication Ltd in London. A leading expert in media and communication training, he holds both a bachelors and masters in adult education.
He now lives in Alexandria, Virginia, in the United States where he runs Jonathan Halls & Associates. He is also an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University (Washington DC). He writes about communication, leadership and media and speaks at conferences around the world.
The success of Jonathan Halls & Associates is based on Jonathan’s expertise and the network of experts he collaborates with to deliver the firm’s successful training programs. He works with a number of partners who bring high level experience.
Leadership in the National Training Profession
Jonathan is a recognized expert in learning. He is active in the American Society for Training & Development.
He is on the TechKnowledge Conference committee for the second year. And on the judging panel for ASTD’s prestigious “BEST Awards” for learning organizations.
Halls sat on ASTD’s Education Committee for its annual conference and expo for two years. The conference is the largest conference for learning professionals in the world. Jonathan reviewed proposals to speak on leadership.
Jonathan was also the Founding President of ASTD’s Global Network in the United Kingdom. Within ASTD, Global Networks are the equivalent of what some organizations call international chapters.
Jonathan recently became a member of the Association of Strategic Planning in Washington DC.
Jonathan’s Personal Story
Audiences often tell us that apart from what they learn when Jonathan speaks, they love his accent. But it’s a toss-up as to which accent he has.
Many people think he has a British accent. That’s probably because he spent a decade based in London with the BBC and Talkshow Communication Ltd.
Jonathan grew up in Sydney, Australia. He worked in radio there, earned his bachelors and masters then headed to Europe.
A lot of people call him a citizen of the world because of his extensive work with organizations around the globe. He personally dislikes the term. (He thinks it’s pretentious.)
However, he agrees it’s an apt description. When you live in a country you pick up its values and ways of life and its accents. So at the core he feels Australian but also feels English and increasingly American. His accent is a blend of Australian and English.
Jonathan met an American woman in Paris in 2003. After long-distance dating between Washington and London, they tied the knot in Washington DC in 2004. His wife moved to London for five years and now they are in the US. They enjoy cooking, drinking wine and are committed to their local church in Fairfax, Virginia. They have two cats.
Seemingly, Jonathan is the only Australian who is not an avid sports fan or enthusiastic swimmer or athlete. However, his wife is introducing him to baseball. And while he’s still learning the rules, he enjoys watching the Nationals at his local ballpark in DC. (Having lived in the States for less than 2-years he is yet to adopt a favorite team.)
Jonathan is a twin of Australian jazz musician, Dave Halls, who has two albums and regularly plays in clubs in Sydney. He’s the step-grandson of acclaimed mystery writer Geraldine Halls who won the inaugural Edgar Allen Poe award.