Engaging Audiences

In the Introduction I noted that a leader is judged based on three fundamental public leadership attributes:

• The leader’s bearing: how the leader carries himself or herself.

• The manner in which the leader engages with others.

• The words the leader uses to engage others.

Being effective in engaging audiences requires one additional element: an understanding of what audiences are capable of, and ways to break through the barriers and connect powerfully with an audience.

This chapter focuses on the leader’s bearing and the manner in which the leader can engage others. The next chapter covers content: the choice of words and the management of meaning. The chapter following focuses on current insights from neuroscience and cognitive psychology on how audiences attend to speakers and how speakers can adapt to their audiences based on how attentive they are and can be.