The constantly growing importance of impactful speech skills democratizes the playing field of leadership now and in the future.
Of the CEOs of Finland’s largest listed companies, only 12% were women in December 2023, but they share one significant factor – they all excel in impactful speech.
Communication is a priority for me and one of my “hot takes” for all leaders this year as we are in times of rapid change
“Leading is very much connected to communication and we need to believe in the importance of communication to give direction, motivate and engage. Communication is a priority for me and one of my “hot takes” for all leaders this year as we are in times of rapid change”, says Jeanette Jäger, Enento CEO, ranked among the TOP15 CEO speakers for impactful speech in Finland.
According to the MySpeaker Rhetorich’s analysis, male CEOs receive high scores for credibility and persuasiveness, but they fall short of women in likability and storytelling, essential elements of impactful speech. Female CEOs dominate the top ranks of impactful speakers, despite being underrepresented among the CEOs of listed companies. The presence of CEOs with foreign backgrounds in the top ranks is also noteworthy.
Women seem to truly embrace the value of human impact in communication skills.
True impactfulness in speech is fundamentally human. This is highlighted in the Rhetorich’s Big Six methodology, which emphasizes the key influencers of speech in the workplace: credibility, likability, authenticity, presence, persuasiveness, and storytelling.
“Women seem to truly embrace the value of human impact in communication skills. This is remarkable, as modern leadership requires recognition of humanity and the ability to act with both courage and emotional intelligence,” says Laura Vaniala, Senior Account Manager at Rhetorich.
This notion is echoed by many and championed especially by Belinda Parmar OBE, Founder and CEO of the Empathy Business. While impactful communication is a skill that can be developed, we wanted to know, whether empathy is a skill and can mindfully be learned and improved? “Yes, I would argue that empathy is a skill because only 10% of us being empathic is genetic, so there’s a lot we can do ourselves. Empathy has also been argued to be one of the most important leadership skills in the future”, says Belinda Parmar.
She continues to say: “The alpha male type leader is definitely going out of style for many important reasons, albeit not as fast as I would hope. We also have a new generation coming into the workforce who absolutely will not stand for any other type of leadership than the empathic leadership style, which is great! The alphas will have to change even if they wouldn’t otherwise believe it to be necessary, or otherwise they’ll get left behind.”
Developing impactful speaking skills is not limited to leadership and top management but applies to all in the workforce. Everyone should practice open and impactful communication, whether in meetings or daily interactions. According to research, up to 40% of employees choose to remain silent in meetings. This happens for various reasons, but the result remains the same. Organizations and society miss out on a wealth of valuable ideas, thoughts, and observations, many of which would undoubtedly be relevant from the perspectives of success, development, and equality.
We need more diverse voices to be heard at the societal level.
The democratization of speech is a crucial part of our society’s development. Renowned speaker and dissertation researcher Camilla Tuominen shares deep insights on courage and the importance of emotions in the workplace. Her unique background as a management consultant and founder of an emotional intelligence startup has prepared her to guide organizations in leveraging communication and emotional skills. Camilla emphasizes that the importance of speech and its relevance in the workplace are tied to themes of thought leadership and visibility: “We need more diverse voices to be heard at the societal level. People should trust their stories, experiences, and expertise, which form their unique voices.”
This requires the courage to speak up and share one’s views and values. According to Camilla, everyone has the right to voice their opinions, and all voices should be heard, whether they come from women, men, people of different ages, or backgrounds. She emphasizes that everyone should bravely present their own perspectives to ensure that society hears diverse viewpoints: “It is essential that each of us bravely presents our own perspectives because otherwise, that thought or observation remains unseen. If you stay silent and say nothing, there is a risk that your perspective will not be represented. Speak up and represent the views and beliefs that are important to you.”
Our goal is for society’s diversity to be reflected in speech, and for everyone to be willing to make their voices heard – every day of the year.
“We all influence this society. If we don’t hear the different voices of society, our collective thinking, norms, and values distort because, at that point, they do not represent the entire society,” Camilla concludes.
Let’s democratize speech together, step forward courageously and respectfully to voice our valuable beliefs and speak for a better, more inclusive society.