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Heath Slawner      

Strategic Communication Expert, Leadership Trainer, Certified "Principles of Persuasion" Facilitator

Heath Slawner believes that when we meaningfully connect with and inspire one another, we rise well beyond what we could do alone. Specializing in strategic communication and leadership, he is fascinated by human behavior and has built a career learning and sharing his insights with leading organizations around the world. In his keynotes, workshops, and training sessions, Slawner uses stories, studies, and basic biology to show that trust is at the heart of it all.

What drives decision-making? What brings teams together to achieve remarkable results? How do we inspire action and motivate people to say “yes” to joining us in realizing our vision? Slawner proves that trust and purpose–based on a palpable concern for others–are key to having a high-performing team. When we’re clear about why we’re here, where we’re going, who we serve and how we’re getting there, people start to feel valued and fulfilled. As a consequence, the natural response is that people seek out ways to collaborate, execute, and bring bold visions to reality. This is the reason Slawner believes that for all of our differences, we are stronger together than we could ever be alone.

Since joining Simon Sinek's team as an official "Igniter" in 2015, Slawner has delivered over 150 live and virtual keynote presentations for iconic brands and international organizations, including Canadian Tire, CN, Cisco, Loblaw, McDonald's, Microsoft, RBC, Siemens, and the United Nations. He is the only professional in Canada certified to deliver and facilitate the "Principles of Persuasion," an evidence-based program based on the work of renowned psychologist Dr. Cialdini which dramatically enhances one’s ability to drive and inspire change. Slawner has a degree from the Wharton School of Business. He works with clients across the world in a variety of industries including government, international affairs, consumer products, restaurant, hospitality, telecommunications, education, non-profit, financial, and banking services. Slawner lives in Montreal, Canada.

Speech Topics

How Great Teams & Organizations Pull Together

Some organizations have cultures where their people are able to trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other cultures, no matter what incentives are offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?

This keynote draws on Simon Sinek’s two books, Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last. Understand the reason simply knowing or believing the Why is not enough. Once people are united by a common cause, there must be a strong culture that keeps them together. The result is a positive impact for everyone involved. The result is deeply loyal colleagues who will stop at nothing to advance their vision and their organization's interests.

Leaders Eat Last

Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, and then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders are creating environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.

Great leaders sacrifice their own comfort - even their own survival - for the good of those in their care. This principle has been true since the earliest tribes of hunters and gatherers. It’s not a management theory; it’s biology.

When we create an environment where people feel like they belong and operate in a “Circle of Safety” the result is trust and collaboration - allowing people to spend their time and energy working together toward a higher cause that inspires them, rather than spending their time and energy protecting themselves from each other.

Start With Why

Any person or organization can explain what they do, some can explain how they are different or better, but very few can clearly articulate why. WHY is not about money or profit — those are results. WHY is the thing that inspires us and inspires those around us.

Examples like Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Wright Brothers prove that great leaders think, act, and communicate in the exact same way — and it’s the complete opposite of what everyone else does. The Golden Circle is a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be lead and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.

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