Michelle Bowden Enterprises
Why your opening leadership speaker matters more than you think
When conference organisers search for a leadership speaker, they’re usually looking for someone who will energise the room, engage the audience and set the tone for the day. Of course that matters, but I think there’s another question worth asking: what will people do differently because of what they heard in that opening keynote?
I’ve seen the impact of a great opening session countless times, but one event this year reminded me just how powerful it can be.
In May, I had the privilege of opening the brilliant Dietitians Unite conference. It was, without question, one of the best-run events I’ve spoken at. Every detail had been thoughtfully considered, the audience was engaged from the outset, and the organisers had one very clear request: “Give our dietitians practical persuasion skills they can take away and use.”
As the bestselling author of How to Persuade, I’m often asked to deliver exactly that. Conference organisers love the idea of takeaway skills because they want people leaving with practical techniques they can use when they return to work.
What none of us anticipated was that the learning wouldn’t wait until Monday.
Throughout the rest of the conference, delegates started using the persuasion techniques we’d explored together in the opening keynote. During workshops and panel discussions, and even in conversations over coffee, people were consciously choosing stronger language, asking better questions and recognising the psychology behind effective communication.
I loved watching it happen because my keynote had actually changed the way people participated in the sessions that followed.
What can a great leadership keynote actually do?
There are plenty of inspirational leadership speakers who can create terrific energy in a room and leave an audience feeling motivated. For me, the real value comes when people can also do something with what they’ve heard.
The best leadership keynote speakers give an audience useful ideas and frameworks they can start applying straight away. When that happens in the opening session, those ideas have the opportunity to keep resurfacing throughout the event.
That’s exactly what happened at Dietitians Unite. Delegates had a new lens through which to experience the sessions that followed, and they kept noticing opportunities to use the persuasion techniques we’d discussed.
Think about what that means for the conference organiser. You’ve invested in an opening keynote, but the learning from that session is now showing up in workshops, conversations and discussions throughout the day. People are practising what they’ve learned while they’re still at the conference.
That’s a pretty impressive return on one hour of your agenda.
Persuasion belongs in the leadership conversation
I’ve worked with plenty of smart, experienced leaders who have excellent ideas and deep expertise, but struggle to bring people with them.
You can have the best strategy in the organisation, but you still need the Board to understand it. You may have a terrific recommendation, but you need your executive team to support it. And when you’re leading change, people need to understand why it matters before they’re likely to come along with you.
This is why I see persuasion as such an important leadership capability. Leaders spend an enormous amount of their working lives communicating ideas and influencing decisions. The ability to do that well affects how successfully they lead.
For professionals such as the dietitians at this conference, those skills matter enormously. Their work often involves helping people understand information, consider different choices and make decisions that may have a significant impact on their health. It made perfect sense that the persuasion techniques transferred so naturally into their conversations throughout the event.
What should you look for in a leadership speaker?
If you’re considering leadership keynote speakers for an upcoming conference, I’d look beyond whether someone will be entertaining or inspirational and ask:
What will our people be able to do differently after hearing this person speak?
You certainly want someone who can hold the room. Nobody wants to sit through a tedious opening keynote! I’d also want the audience to leave with something useful: an idea they keep thinking about, a practical technique they try later that day, or a framework that helps them approach a familiar challenge differently.
That’s when you begin to see the value of the keynote spreading beyond the session itself.
Your opening keynote sets up what follows
Your opening speaker has an interesting job because they meet your audience before almost anyone else on the program. They have the opportunity to shape the mood in the room and give people ideas they may carry into the rest of the conference.
At Dietitians Unite, the organisers asked me to give their delegates practical persuasion skills they could take away and use. Instead, people started using them almost immediately. By the end of the conference, persuasion had found its way into conversations and other sessions without anyone planning for that to happen.
For me, that was a wonderful reminder of what an opening keynote can achieve.
So, when you’re searching for inspirational leadership speakers for your next event, perhaps the question isn’t only “Will our audience enjoy them?”
It might also be: “What will our audience still be using after they’ve left the stage?”
If you’re looking for a leadership speaker who can give your audience practical persuasion and communication skills they can put to work immediately, I’d love to hear what you’re planning.
I’ve seen the impact of a great opening session countless times, but one event this year reminded me just how powerful it can be.
In May, I had the privilege of opening the brilliant Dietitians Unite conference. It was, without question, one of the best-run events I’ve spoken at. Every detail had been thoughtfully considered, the audience was engaged from the outset, and the organisers had one very clear request: “Give our dietitians practical persuasion skills they can take away and use.”
As the bestselling author of How to Persuade, I’m often asked to deliver exactly that. Conference organisers love the idea of takeaway skills because they want people leaving with practical techniques they can use when they return to work.
What none of us anticipated was that the learning wouldn’t wait until Monday.
Throughout the rest of the conference, delegates started using the persuasion techniques we’d explored together in the opening keynote. During workshops and panel discussions, and even in conversations over coffee, people were consciously choosing stronger language, asking better questions and recognising the psychology behind effective communication.
I loved watching it happen because my keynote had actually changed the way people participated in the sessions that followed.
What can a great leadership keynote actually do?
There are plenty of inspirational leadership speakers who can create terrific energy in a room and leave an audience feeling motivated. For me, the real value comes when people can also do something with what they’ve heard.
The best leadership keynote speakers give an audience useful ideas and frameworks they can start applying straight away. When that happens in the opening session, those ideas have the opportunity to keep resurfacing throughout the event.
That’s exactly what happened at Dietitians Unite. Delegates had a new lens through which to experience the sessions that followed, and they kept noticing opportunities to use the persuasion techniques we’d discussed.
Think about what that means for the conference organiser. You’ve invested in an opening keynote, but the learning from that session is now showing up in workshops, conversations and discussions throughout the day. People are practising what they’ve learned while they’re still at the conference.
That’s a pretty impressive return on one hour of your agenda.
Persuasion belongs in the leadership conversation
I’ve worked with plenty of smart, experienced leaders who have excellent ideas and deep expertise, but struggle to bring people with them.
You can have the best strategy in the organisation, but you still need the Board to understand it. You may have a terrific recommendation, but you need your executive team to support it. And when you’re leading change, people need to understand why it matters before they’re likely to come along with you.
This is why I see persuasion as such an important leadership capability. Leaders spend an enormous amount of their working lives communicating ideas and influencing decisions. The ability to do that well affects how successfully they lead.
For professionals such as the dietitians at this conference, those skills matter enormously. Their work often involves helping people understand information, consider different choices and make decisions that may have a significant impact on their health. It made perfect sense that the persuasion techniques transferred so naturally into their conversations throughout the event.
What should you look for in a leadership speaker?
If you’re considering leadership keynote speakers for an upcoming conference, I’d look beyond whether someone will be entertaining or inspirational and ask:
What will our people be able to do differently after hearing this person speak?
You certainly want someone who can hold the room. Nobody wants to sit through a tedious opening keynote! I’d also want the audience to leave with something useful: an idea they keep thinking about, a practical technique they try later that day, or a framework that helps them approach a familiar challenge differently.
That’s when you begin to see the value of the keynote spreading beyond the session itself.
Your opening keynote sets up what follows
Your opening speaker has an interesting job because they meet your audience before almost anyone else on the program. They have the opportunity to shape the mood in the room and give people ideas they may carry into the rest of the conference.
At Dietitians Unite, the organisers asked me to give their delegates practical persuasion skills they could take away and use. Instead, people started using them almost immediately. By the end of the conference, persuasion had found its way into conversations and other sessions without anyone planning for that to happen.
For me, that was a wonderful reminder of what an opening keynote can achieve.
So, when you’re searching for inspirational leadership speakers for your next event, perhaps the question isn’t only “Will our audience enjoy them?”
It might also be: “What will our audience still be using after they’ve left the stage?”
If you’re looking for a leadership speaker who can give your audience practical persuasion and communication skills they can put to work immediately, I’d love to hear what you’re planning.