A Great Keynote Speaker Can Change the World (Or at Least Your World)
At a recent conference we hosted through the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, I stood in the back of the room, as I usually do, and scanned the audience as they found their way to their seats. The group included many high-powered healthcare executives. During the coffee break I had overheard snippets of their conversations, mostly about ensuring quality of care in the face of financial difficulties, regulatory mandates, and complex new partnerships. They all seemed to have heavy concerns on their minds.
But now, as people were seated and the speaker took the stage, there was an expectant moment of silence. The speaker paused and looked around the audience. He greeted the group by saying, “I’m pretty excited today. My 16-year-old daughter Katie is playing first violin with her high school band tomorrow at Carnegie Hall” to which there was an audible gasp from the audience. He then said, “It would mean the world to her if you’d all say ‘Good Luck Katie’ to her as I take a quick iPhone video.” As the speaker videoed the crowd wishing his daughter luck, I could feel the room of 350 people relax into this very human moment. Their executive battle armor was pierced, opening them to listen and learn for the next hour.
This is the power of a great keynote speaker.
In today’s healthcare world, executives are being called upon to think way outside the box. In fact, the box is gone and all bets are off about the future of healthcare. Government funding is becoming more uncertain. Patient deductibles are so high that tests and procedures that used to go unquestioned are now scrutinized. New entrants are seeing opportunities to get into healthcare and radically upend business as usual. Now, more than ever, it’s important for healthcare leaders to be inspired and creative. This is why we created H Speakers, to help hospitals and healthcare organizations find the right speakers to inspire their leaders through these unprecedented times.
Over the next months in this space you’ll hear from bloggers on different topics relating to healthcare. You’ll hear from many of our own speakers, available for you to bring to your own organizations. We will offer you a few minutes of creative thinking that we hope will give you a moment to think differently about your current challenges in order to find solutions. We hope you’ll give us a call, let us know what you’re working on with your teams, and let us know how we can help. Bringing in a speaker can really provide a needed spark to talented people who are stuck in ruts.
You may remember a scene from the movie The Dead Poets Society. As the captivating Professor Keating, Robin Williams jumped up onto his desk dramatically, asking the students if they knew why he wanted to be up there. He looked around at his new vantage point for a few moments and said, “I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.” And that’s where a great keynote talk comes in. To help leaders see things in different ways to free up their best ideas.
Usually at the end of a conference, what I observe is a palpable, heightened level of energy from the group. Not only have people learned new things, they have also pulled themselves away from their daily grind and, in effect, hit the refresh button. People are lighter, more open, and excited to get back to put new ideas into place.
As leaders yourselves, I hope you’ll continue to see the value in bringing new thinking to your team. At H Speakers, we are here to help.
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Kirsten L. Singleton, MBA, CAE
Kirsten Singleton is the Executive Director, Center for Education & Professional Development at MHA and the Executive Director for H Speakers. You can reach Kirsten for more information about finding the top speakers via the information below.
Phone: (781) 262-6053 - Fax: (781) 262-6153 - E-mail: ksingleton@mhalink.org