Television journalist Richard Lawrence (left) with Colin Wright, chairman of Honiton and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Television journalist avoids the floods to address business leaders.

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Journalist Richard Lawrence went into television because he finds it easier to speak than write.

He is dyslexic and “found his own way”, he told a captivated audience at the December breakfast meeting of Honiton and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“I meet all sorts of people, from all walks of life. There are days when you don’t know what’s happening from one moment to the next,” he said.

Mr Lawrence, speaking in the dining hall at Honiton Community College, outlined the early days of his career as a trainee with the BBC and described some of the highlights of his work to date.

They include following the journey of the Olympic Torch Relay from its starting point at Land’s End, which attracted Olympic ambassador David Beckham and royalty. Describing the location, with the world’s press in attendance, he said: “It was like a scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

“They called it ‘a moment to shine’ and it really was for those people chosen to carry the torch.”

He also described the moment he clinched an exclusive interview following the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in south east London.

Mr Lawrence is married to journalist Sharon Goble, whose business IF Media is a member of the chamber.

He warmly thanked the chamber for inviting him to speak. He said, had he not been at the meeting, he would have most likely been sent to the Somerset Levels to report on flooding.