January 24, 2024
Top Traits of Effective Leadership Speakers
It is a turbulent time for business. Never before has the need for dynamic leadership speakers been more significant. They provide essential inspiration and motivation for individuals to become better leaders. My own work studying and teaching creative thinking and innovation has identified key characteristics within the most effective leadership keynote speakers. Let’s delve into these characteristics.
Understanding Leadership Speakers
In advance of going over what we think makes a great leadership speaker, it’s a good idea to clarify what the words ‘leadership speaker’ actually mean. We are talking about an individual that is a subject matter expert. These experts speak (talk, present, and lecture) to an audience. More specifically, (at least in the context of our focus here) a leadership speaker provides perspectives, tactics and encouragement, all around matters of how to lead and motivate others.
There is no arguing the role that leadership speakers play. In my journey, I have always found that having a great leadership keynote speaker can give a feeling of transformation in their organisation. It is not just about wisdom sharing, it is much more than that because they can stimulate the thinking of everyone to be more proactive and action-taking in many ways, which is very crucial for creativity thinking and dynamics in business nowadays.
Key Traits of Effective Leadership Speakers
Authenticity
Perhaps the most important characteristic is authenticity. No matter the nature of the audience, I’ve observed that the speakers who generate the best responses are those who communicate with an authentic voice. This means that they’re sincere and genuine in their message – and they convey this through stories that reflect their own personal experiences.
For instance, I’ll often share personal stories about how I developed tools such as the Solution Finder for creative problem-solving so that my audience can personally identify with the material I’m sharing.
Expertise
You will know that a leadership speaker knows what they are talking about, when he or she gives us examples of concrete cases that show us the various principles that they are talking about.
I may, for example, draw in my own keynotes on research from neuroscience and psychology to illustrate how whole-brain thinking works, and then suggest how firms can adapt to accelerating change. This mix of theoretical knowledge and real-world application is precisely what the audience is looking for in a motivational leadership speaker.
Charisma
While all effective leadership speakers are not charismatic by nature, a presence that draws in the listener is eventually learned, honed and honed again (and it’s less about being loud or even flashy, but about being heard enough for the audience to pay attention.
I’ve come to incorporate a few interactive elements into my talks – for instance, a brief brainstorming session every few minutes – in part to combat the tendency of audiences’ attention to wander. It’s about creating an experience, not a transmission.
Empathy
In this way, you as a speaker empathise with the audience. What is their day like? What is their job like? What makes them smile? What stresses them? What challenges would they hope to gain from this speech? By being aware of these things, it allows you to tailor your message in a way that speaks more effectively to that specific group of people.
For instance, if you’re pitching to executives about information overload or the need to be constantly innovative, you can open with something like: Sometimes innovation and information overload collide. These types of clichés serves to signal to the audience that you understand their world, and are poised to share something that will be relevant to them.
Clarity
The great leadership speaker is able to communicate complex ideas in a simple way, using plain language rather than jargon.
For example, when I describe the GRASP thinking modes (Generative, Reactive, Analytical, Selective, Proactive), I use analogies and metaphors that make these ideas accessible to everyone in the room.
Inspiration
Most of all it is about inspiring people to feel that they are ready to make changes in the way they lead, from the moment you finish your talk, to ensure that essentially you have provided keynote speaker leadership yourself.
As much as possible, I try to send my audience home with some real tools and methods they can put into use right away. Maybe this is a new technique for brainstorming with a group, or a new way of thinking about solving problems. While some people might think my standards are unrealistically high, that’s who I speak to, and that’s what I (and hopefully they) would really like to achieve. Maybe they won’t feel my audience share-out is magical the first time, either. It’s okay if not everyone jumps up and hugs you at the end of the session – the most important thing is that when they return to their workspace, they’re feeling motivated to get creative.
Importance of Motivation in Leadership Speeches
At the centre of what creates a great leadership speaker, then, is the sense of motivation. What really separates the great speakers from lesser ones is the roster of techniques they deploy to get the audience energised. They may tell a story or rouse the audience with participation. We may be presented with ideas that are uncomfortable, to think a little uncomfortably – and certainly, be asked to think a bit beyond our shaded analytics.
Take the example of my use of the idea of ‘focused daydreaming’ to open up my talks about productivity. I accept that the rationale might at first be unexpected. On the face of it, the recommendation to daydream flies in the face of the familiar information given out to people struggling to concentrate on demanding tasks. Revealing the science behind focused daydreaming might shift the status quo, encouraging my audience to experiment with it, and to try new ways of doing things.
The Role of a Leadership Keynote Speaker
A leadership keynote speaker sets the tone for an entire event. They offer the kind of nuggets of wisdom that attendees can carry through the rest of the conference or training session. More importantly, they inspire attendees to be better leaders.
As a keynote speaker on leadership, my job boils down to modelling, transmitting, interrupting and inspiring appetites, or temptations for learning and doing better with leadership.
Conclusion
The best speakers bring a combination of authenticity, expertise, charisma, empathy, clarity and inspiration that really makes them able to connect with an audience intellectually as well as emotionally, and make meaningful change to how they think about leadership.
For those with aspirations to become impactful leadership speakers, mastering these abilities is essential. And above all, what sets leadership speakers apart isn’t that they tell, but that they transform – that they shine an instructional light, that they load their audiences with ideas for better leadership, motivation to try new things and tools that enable them to become more effective.
Ultimately, authentic leadership speaking is about enabling other people to unlock their own leadership potential and innovation within their organisations. If leadership speakers want to prepare a new generation of leadership, then, they should embody these qualities.
