Programs Offered by Suzanne Bates

President, CEO, Bates Communications, Inc.

Motivate Like a CEO:
Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act!

In today’s turbulent economy, more managers and executives than ever need to become leaders of employees – and that requires they know how to motivate and inspire a workforce like the most forward-thinking CEO.

“Motivating like a CEO” means “connecting people with purpose and passion toward a common goal,” according to Motivate Like a CEO: Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act!, by Suzanne Bates (McGraw-Hill 2009).

In her dynamic program on “Motivating like a CEO,” Suzanne addresses the necessity for leaders to discover their own purpose; communicate it to employees in a clear and powerful way; connect them to it in a shared sense of purpose; and help them fulfill their own, individual purposes.

The “Motivate Like a CEO” program is a practical guide for leaders on how to articulate a vision in a way that motivates people to act. Among the lessons leaders can learn are:

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Speak Like a CEO:
Secrets for Commanding Attention and Getting Results

To become successful, hard work and experience are important, but they can take a person only so far. To lead in an industry or profession, a leader must be ready to assume a speaking role. In survey after survey, the number-one skill determined to be indispensable to leaders is communication. In Speak Like a CEO, participants find out that developing a compelling speaking style isn't something that comes naturally - anyone can do it with some practice and effort! Whether they're in the corner office or the Oval Office, at the dining room table or before an audience of millions, participants will find a blueprint to speak like a leader and get results.

The audience will hear:

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Make a Name in Business:
How to Raise Your Professional Profile Through Speaking, Writing, and Media

Is there "buzz" about you in your industry? Do people frequently come to you asking for your expertise or input? Do you crave higher visibility?

Successful professionals and business owners know that in order to achieve success, there has to be "word of mouth" about you. Whether you're trying to become known to senior leaders within your company or to potential clients in your community, visibility is key to your success.

In this program, Suzanne Bates shows you how to create this higher profile without a mega-budget. She'll reveal the tried-and-true methods she used in building her own business from the ground up, including:

Suzanne talks about the power of public speaking, media and marketing tools in becoming a star in your industry. The Make a Name in Business program takes a look at some of the ways that successful people become known, attract more business and clients, and develop a stellar reputation. These steps take you beyond the "pack" and make you the one people choose to work with. Suzanne discusses strategies from publishing a book, to writing articles, speaking at conferences, leading company initiatives, getting on boards and taking leadership positions, and writing newsletters. These strategies and others will help anyone, in any profession, rise above the rest and get onto a whole new playing field.

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Presentations for Executives and Leaders:
Pack a Punch with Powerful Content and an Authentic, Natural Style

Presentations for Executives and Leaders has helped hundreds of leaders learn the secrets to delivering successful presentations. Participants walk away understanding the strategies and skills they need to successfully deliver a high content presentation, and a natural, authentic style. They learn how to organize, prepare and deliver powerful speeches and business presentations.

Focus is on:

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The 7 Elements of Executive Presence:
Why Leaders Stand Out in the Crowd, and How You Can, Too

Executive presence seems like a "mystery," but it's actually the sum total of a set of professional/ personal competencies and skill sets everyone must learn. When someone develops a high level of these competencies and skills, and blends them together, they send the right signals; people see them as a leader. Developing executive presence helps professionals create a strong personal brand, inside and outside their organization. People know who they are, what they stand for, and see them as powerful and effective in their role.

The 7 Elements of Executive Presence helps participants clearly identify and understand the 7 elements or competencies which constitute the unspoken "language" of business leaders. The discussions help everyone take something that seems intangible into the realm of the practical.

The 7 elements are:

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Storytelling for Leaders:
Motivating, Inspiring and Leading through Stories in Presentations

Stories in business presentations are powerful devices that make every talk more memorable and compelling. When written, practiced and told well, stories are a great tool. They get the audience's attention, keep them interested, and make important points without hitting people over the head.

Why tell stories? People love to listen to them. When people remember a story, they remember the point. Most people would rather watch a speaker slog through the data, or relate a story that brings it alive? Storytelling for Leaders shows the audience the step-by-step methods for finding their own, original stories, and learning to tell them effectively.

Participants learn:

Participants walk away with a compelling, purposeful story that they can use in presentations for years to come. More importantly, they leave with tools that will help them continue to create a collection of stories that will differentiate them as speakers and leaders.

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Speaking in Meetings and Getting Your Ideas Heard

This program is designed to address one of the biggest complaints we hear about meetings: how to speak up and be heard. Organizations are frustrated when the best ideas don't get on the table; individuals can feel unimportant or even disenfranchised when they don't get their turn. While some of this is related to culture, group dynamics and meeting leadership, we show participants how to take ownership for being heard.

Our program helps participants understand how to set themselves up to contribute, long before the meeting starts. It takes personality out of the equation, and shows them how to look at the agenda, think about a contribution, write it out, practice and deliver it. We also show them how to prepare to answer even the toughest questions. The goal is to empower people to share their wisdom and experience, speak up when the time is right, and feel they have a voice in the organization.

Participants learn:

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Communicating Leadership
How to Articulate Vision and Motivate Others to Action

Leaders who communicate well succeed because they can articulate vision, share wisdom, and motivate others to action. This program begins with an overview of how employees see their leaders. Based on research from the book, Speak Like a CEO, we look at their views on their own boss's ability to communicate a message effectively.

Then we do an overview of some essential leadership/communication skills:

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More programs are available and each program can be customized. To inquire about more programs or Suzanne Bates’ availability for a keynote speech, breakout session, or panel, please contact Meredith O’Connor at 800-908-8239 or Contact Us.

Read and subscribe to Suzanne Bates’ blog, for her latest tips on how to become a powerful speaker and communicator!

Testimonials

"As a result of Bates' training…our executives are far better communicators than ever before, and the results show in our increasingly positive press and ability to move these audiences to action."

Matt Davis,
Corp. Director of Executive Communications,
Dow Chemical Co.


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