text: Whether he is in a car park, a factory or even a field, Ed Miliband is never far from a lectern during the election campaign. The Labour leader has been touring the country with the prop in an attempt to make him appear more statesmanlike. He has delivered key speeches in the campaign stood behind the lectern. But it has also been deployed when he is just making some brief remarks or holding question and answer events with members of the public. The Labour leader has been touring the country with the prop in an attempt to make him appear more statesmanlike - using it in a north London street on April 16 and then in Lincoln the next day . He has delivered key speeches in the campaign stood behind the lectern - including at a NHS rally in Leeds on April 23 (left). But it has also been deployed when he is just making some brief remarks or holding question and answer events - and even in the middle of a field in Nuneaton yesterday (right) Mr Miliband’s enthusiasm for speaking from behind a podium comes after his disastrous party conference speech last September when he forgot to mention the deficit while speaking without a lectern or autocue. As Mr Miliband launched Labour’s election campaign at the top of the ArcelorMittal Orbit in Olympic Park last month he spoke in front of the lectern branded with a Union Jack flag and the Labour logo. When he unveiled the party’s manifesto in Manchester he also spoke from behind the lectern. And during his audience question and answer in the first televised leaders’ debate on Channel 4 and Sky News he chose to speak from behind a lectern, while David Cameron chose instead to have a stool on stage. The lectern has also been used in some more unconventional settings though. As he spoke in the car park of an engineering factory in Loughborough the lectern was put on a small raised platform next to a puddle. When he visited the national Composites Centre in Bristol he conducted a Q&A in front of an aeroplane with the lectern. The revelation that Mr Miliband had brought in leadership coaches after Mr Miliband faced ridicule yesterday after being pictured standing at a lectern in the middle of a field in a bid to look prime ministerial. Then this week as he launched Labour campaign billboards in Nuneaton, he spoke from behind a lectern, even though he was in the middle of a cricket pitch. The constant use of the lectern is thought to be part of a strategy to make Mr Miliband look more like a man who could be prime minister. Last month it was reported that he had hired US speech coach Michael Sheehan on a £10,000 daily fee to improve his delivery and charisma. Mr Sheehan’s website includes a video where he advises politicians on how to speak at a lectern, including not holding onto the sides in what he calls a ‘death grip’. It comes as it was revealed that Mr Miliband has hired a 'leadership consultancy' firm which coaches people to look 'authentic' and cope with anxiety, it has emerged. The Labour leader, who has seen his party's lead in the polls slip with less than two weeks until the general election, has engaged the services of 'ExtendedMind' – a specialist firm offering 'performance coaching'. Labour leader Ed Miliband meets supporters at Oaktree Community Centre in Acton, west London, where he posed for pictures after speaking to local Labour Party members . Mr Miliband has hired a 'leadership consultancy' firm which coaches people to look 'authentic' and cope with anxiety . Mr Miliband's dire personal ratings have long been seen as a major electoral asset for the Tories. However in recent weeks there has been a marked upturn in his popularity - as voters get to see more of the Labour leader. A Labour spokesman today did not deny Mr Miliband had hired a consultancy firm to help his performances. He said: 'We never comment on anybody we may or may not have employed.' According to the ExtendedMind website, they provide help 'in order to build leadership skills that deliver lasting organisational change'. According to its website, the company works to help body language and breathing, and to tackle 'the anxiety we all feel to different degrees when communicating an important message to others'. They provide intensive coaching to work on body language and how to look authentic. Its website boasts how it works with 'leaders' to 'communicate their messages with greater impact' and insists that learning 'new communication techniques' does not mean someone is in-authentic. 'Any new behavior will feel inauthentic at the beginning, and will seem so to others, too. But with repeated practice we move from 'acting' to 'being'.' Ed Miliband, speaking at Chatham House in London this morning, has hired a 'leadership consultancy' firm which coaches people to look 'authentic' and cope with anxiety, it has emerged . The Labour leader, who has seen his party's lead in the polls slip with less than two weeks until the general election, has engaged the services of 'ExtendedMind' – a specialist firm offering 'performance coaching' But Conservative Michael Ellis said the revelation showed there was 'nothing authentic about Ed Miliband'. He said: 'He's had to hire someone to tell him how to act like a leader. Even after all his extensive coaching, could you imagine him standing up to Putin on the world stage? He should ask for his money back.' Mr Miliband has staked the success of his campaign on performing better then public expectations in head to head debates with David Cameron. He even hired US speech coach Michael Sheehan on a reported £10,000 daily fee to improve his delivery and charisma, it has been reported.
target: Mr Miliband has started taking a lectern with him everywhere he speaks .
  He has appeared behind the same silver lectern throughout the campaign .
  The Labour leader even spoke from behind a lectern in the middle of a field .
  It is thought to be a strategy to make him look more like a Prime Minister .
  He currently trails badly behind David Cameron in personal ratings .
  It has also emerged he has hired a 'performance coaching' firm for help .