The Parallels Of Leadership And Keynote Speaking

Forbes

6 hours ago

getty
There's no shortage of people calling themselves speakers these days. Between TEDx inflation, social media influencers on lecture circuits, and AI-generated speaker pitch decks, the barrier to entry into the keynote world seems practically nonexistent. But as world-leading speaker bureau agent and author Maria Franzoni reminded me, booking stages—repeatedly and profitably—requires something much more rigorous.
Franzoni would know. She's spent over 25 years in the business, booking the likes of Neil Armstrong and Liza Minnelli, while mentoring hundreds of speakers across the globe. 'Everybody's a speaker,' she said, 'but not everybody gets booked.'
Her new book, The Bookability Formula, is poised to become a manual for anyone serious about the speaking business. But underneath the tactics lies a deeper truth: leadership in the keynote industry requires more than a polished story or viral content. It calls for a grounded, practical commitment to relevance, value, and humility.
What sets apart the sustainable speaker from the one-time sensation? Franzoni offers a few blunt truths that apply not only to the stage but to leadership itself.
Be Relevant, Not Just Resonant
The myth of the keynote as a 60-minute stage monologue has been eroding for years. 'It used to be you'd come in, deliver, and go out. Now, clients want partners,' Franzoni explained. 'They want someone who helps move the audience from point A to B. That hasn't changed, but the way speakers get there has.' It's precisely what also sets good leaders apart. They're there to help their team members shift from one level to another.
Furthermore, Franzoni's research at both the London Speaker Bureau and her own agency revealed a shared characteristic among the top 1% of booked speakers: they consistently upheld relevance. They didn't adopt a trendy or generic approach. They were relevant to a specific, pressing problem a client was trying to solve. And they could articulate that relevance quickly and clearly.
'Many speakers can talk for half an hour and still leave you wondering what they actually do,' she said. 'The best? You know exactly what they solve, for whom, and why it matters within minutes.'
That point is reinforced by a survey from global events company Freeman, which found only 1% of attendees preferred celebrity speakers, while 37% favored industry leaders and subject-matter experts. The results underscore the point that relevance and credibility consistently outweigh fame when attendees engage and apply what they've heard
Make Yourself Easy to Work With
In a world of contracting attention spans and increasing complexity, frictionless experiences win. 'Easy beats everything,' Franzoni said. 'Easy to find. Easy to book. Easy to work with. Easy to listen to.' While it may sound simple, this principle is more often violated than upheld.
Franzoni has seen contracts botched, client briefings skipped, and speakers show up without knowing the audience. The result? No return bookings and reputations lost in the backchannels of speaker bureau conversations. 'People don't have time for stress," she pointed out. 'Meeting planners want a safe pair of hands.'
I am reminded of the purpose statement that helps guide TELUS' Chief Communications & Brand Officer, Jill Schnarr: "Be easy to." Schnarr argues that trust is built through a leadership style of being easy to work with, do business with, have a meeting with, and so on, but is lost when that reliability and "easy factor" disappear. Being dependable and easy to work with in leadership is not optional; it's foundational.
According to Franzoni, the best speakers act like leaders in any business context. The most effective speakers prioritize listening before offering advice, respect the client's context, and never prioritize their reputation.
Focus on Value, Not Volume
Maria Franzoni
In the digital era, it's tempting to equate reach with reputation. Franzoni rejects that outright. 'It's not about being known by everyone. It's about being known by the right people.' Being bookable, as she puts it, is not about popularity but about value.
She sees the shift playing out on social platforms as well. While some speakers plaster LinkedIn with "humblebrags" and selfies, Franzoni recommends a subtler approach. 'Start conversations, not a pitch,' she told me. 'If your content is valuable, they'll look you up. You don't have to sell in every post.'
The ability to build rapport without resorting to theatrics is increasingly rare. 'We're all a bit tired of 'icky' selling,' she said. 'Talk about your topic. Share outcomes. Make your clients the heroes. You're not the star of the show.'
That idea aligns with the broader trend of audience-first content design. A report from Edelman's 2024 Trust Barometer showed that people crave utility and transparency from thought leaders, not self-congratulatory noise. In speaking, as in leadership, generosity is the real differentiator.
In addition, Edelman's 2024 Thought Leadership Impact Report (in partnership with LinkedIn) surveyed more than 3,500 B2B decision-makers and found that 73% of people believed that thoughtfully empathetic content is a more trustworthy basis for assessing organizational competence than marketing materials alone.
Celebrate Contribution, Not Celebrity
There's a final point Franzoni makes that deserves amplification. While celebrity speakers serve their purpose—bums in seats, as she puts it—they're often not the ones delivering the most value. 'Not one of the most-booked speakers we studied was a celebrity,' she said. 'They were celebrated, yes, but for the contributions they made.'
That small semantic shift—from celebrity to celebrated—speaks volumes. The best speakers don't posture, and the same is true for the best leaders. They solve problems and prepare ahead of time. They build enduring partnerships because their content (and ideas) help their clients become better at what they do.
Think of it not as a formula for fame but as a long-term strategy for impact.
Franzoni puts it this way: 'Most people will pay more to solve a problem than to achieve a goal.' Whether you're on stage, in a boardroom, or running a team, the question is the same: what problem are you solving, and for whom?
If you can address that with clarity, humility, purpose, and substance, you won't need to pursue the bookings. You don't need to chase the leadership accolades.
But you already know that.
Watch the full interview with Maria Franzoni and Dan Pontefract on the Leadership NOW program below, or listen to it on your favorite podcast.