310: How to Speak So People Want to Follow You
Fri Feb 06 2026
When you’re a leader, your words don’t stop with the room. Compliment someone in a meeting? Their partner hears about it that night. Express concern about a deadline? It travels through the team as “we’re in trouble.” Get visibly angry? People are still talking about it weeks later.
Adam Galinsky calls this the Leader Amplification Effect, and it helps explain why some leaders inspire while others infuriate — often without realizing it. In this episode, he shares how leaders can build the skill of inspiration through small habits and clear, simple communication. You'll learn actionable strategies that empower your team, help your message land, and make people want to follow your lead.
Topics discussed:
Are leaders born or made? (00:48)
Inspire vs. infuriate: the leadership continuum (03:09)
How leadership impact spreads beyond work (06:15)
Nonverbal signals: the banana story (09:25)
The simple act that builds inspiration (12:09)
3 roles of inspiring leaders (15:07)
How visual language makes leaders more persuasive (19:30)
Why repetition matters and the cost of undercommunicating (22:51)
Why leaders must show authentic passion (26:50)
What it means to truly empower people (33:18)
How to take accountability without shame (37:21)
One action you can take to become more inspirational (39:24)
Take Adam’s Am I Inspiring? Quiz:
https://adamgalinsky.com/assessment/
Get your 50 Presentation Hacks from Oliver: https://eoipsocommunications.com/newsletter/
Want to work with Oliver and become a top 1% communicator? Join the Speak Like a CEO Academy and sign up for the FREE webinar! https://www.speaklikeaceo.academy/
This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com)
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When you’re a leader, your words don’t stop with the room. Compliment someone in a meeting? Their partner hears about it that night. Express concern about a deadline? It travels through the team as “we’re in trouble.” Get visibly angry? People are still talking about it weeks later. Adam Galinsky calls this the Leader Amplification Effect, and it helps explain why some leaders inspire while others infuriate — often without realizing it. In this episode, he shares how leaders can build the skill of inspiration through small habits and clear, simple communication. You'll learn actionable strategies that empower your team, help your message land, and make people want to follow your lead. Topics discussed: Are leaders born or made? (00:48) Inspire vs. infuriate: the leadership continuum (03:09) How leadership impact spreads beyond work (06:15) Nonverbal signals: the banana story (09:25) The simple act that builds inspiration (12:09) 3 roles of inspiring leaders (15:07) How visual language makes leaders more persuasive (19:30) Why repetition matters and the cost of undercommunicating (22:51) Why leaders must show authentic passion (26:50) What it means to truly empower people (33:18) How to take accountability without shame (37:21) One action you can take to become more inspirational (39:24) Take Adam’s Am I Inspiring? Quiz: https://adamgalinsky.com/assessment/ Get your 50 Presentation Hacks from Oliver: https://eoipsocommunications.com/newsletter/ Want to work with Oliver and become a top 1% communicator? Join the Speak Like a CEO Academy and sign up for the FREE webinar! https://www.speaklikeaceo.academy/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com)