Exclusive

Bill Benjamin

Emotional Intelligence, Performance and Leadership Expert

Bill Benjamin is a top emotional intelligence keynote speaker, leadership thought leader, culture expert, and contributor to the New York Times bestseller, Performing Under Pressure. He has a degree in Mathematics and has shared the brain science of emotions with discerning audiences including the U.S. Marines, NASA engineers and Surgeons, as well as leadership teams at Amazon, the Fed and Coca-Cola.

  • Bill Benjamin Keynote Speaker Fee Fee range is for U.S. events, depending on location and organization type

    $10,001 - $20,000

  • Languages Spoken

    English

  • Travels From

    Illinois, USA

  • Bill Benjamin Keynote Speaker Fee Fee range is for U.S. events, depending on location and organization type

    $10,001 - $20,000

  • Languages Spoken

    English

  • Travels From

    Illinois, USA

Suggested Keynote Speaker Programs

Build a High-Performance, Last 8% Culture

You need to move fast, adapt to a changing environment, and deliver performance, yet your team is moving too slow when it comes to making tough decisions and are avoiding the more challenging conversations that drive results. What is at the heart of high performance is ...

You need to move fast, adapt to a changing environment, and deliver performance, yet your team is moving too slow when it comes to making tough decisions and are avoiding the more challenging conversations that drive results.

What is at the heart of high performance is culture. Unfortunately, most leaders misunderstand culture; they believe culture exists across the organization; it doesn’t. It exists primarily on teams. Second, they see culture as something that should be owned by the CEO and CHRO, believing it is their job to build the culture across the organization; it isn’t. Most CEO’s and CHRO’s get so overwhelmed when they think of tackling culture, that they avoid it and allow culture to be built haphazardly, which means that good people leave, and goals are not met.

In this powerful virtual or live keynote, your team will learn the results from our study of 7,500 leaders that puts your managers and people leaders at the center of building your culture. Your people will learn specific tools to own the culture on their team in the critical moments, the Last 8%, that creates culture. The Last 8% are those tougher conversations and decisions that many people struggle with and avoid. When leaders feel agency and have skills to lean into the difficult, they build a high-performance culture that becomes a powerful force in your organization.

In this powerful program, your team will learn:

  • What the two pillars of a high performing culture are: High Connection (psychological safety) and High Courage (ability to do hard things skillfully)
  • How to build the culture on their team with our proprietary approach of Model & Own
  • Specific tools to connect and coach their people to be their best in Last 8% Situations
  • How to influence & engage others who are at a distance and create the conditions to keep the best and brightest

“Best keynote presentation I have been to in years! Very different than the usual: extremely interesting and powerful – yet highly entertaining. It is not often I hear someone who can really ‘put it together’.”Ernst & Young


Pre-program Assessment

Bill’s research organization surveys over 40,000 people a month and can leverage their proprietary research capability to assess all participants in your keynote prior to the program. This 4-5 minute assessment provides the following benefits:

  • Bill will use the data to customize the program for your unique needs.
  • By taking the assessment, it prepares the learner’s brain to think about their impact and behavior ahead of time.
  • Bill will tailor/customize the keynote with key results from the survey to address what matters most to the participants
  • Post program, Bill will share any information we didn’t see fit for a wider audience but believe will help you move forward with building culture and lead your teams more effectively

 

Learn More

Performing Under Pressure

Your people are facing the biggest challenge of their careers, yet most continue to rely on their IQ and technical skills to manage through it all. It’s not enough. To survive, your organization ...

Your people are facing the biggest challenge of their careers, yet most continue to rely on their IQ and technical skills to manage through it all. It’s not enough.

To survive, your organization needs to be agile in the midst of change and challenge, and see opportunities where others do not. Your team needs to learn how to work effectively with others who are, themselves, under pressure.

In this powerful program, your team members will learn:

  • Specific tools learned from working with high performers under pressure in the NFL, NBA, Olympic teams, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Intel, among others, to be more adaptable, resilient, collaborative and opportunistic
  • How to manage their brain so they can think, perform and lead effectively under pressure
  • The single most important daily habit that increases focus and decreases burnout
  • Strategies to help their teams perform in the face of the pressure they face

This program is based on a 12,000-person study conducted for our New York Times best-selling book, Performing Under Pressure, which is available in 65 countries.

This session can be delivered for sales people and sales teams, focusing on helping them  harness emotional intelligence to deal with pressure, build stronger relationships with their clients, collaborate internally and deal with the setbacks and uncertainty that sales people must overcome to be successful.

“Amazing session led by Bill Benjamin. I strongly recommend having him participate in keynotes and leadership sessions!” Amazon


Pre-program Assessment

Bill’s research organization surveys over 40,000 people a month and can leverage their proprietary research capability to assess all participants in your keynote prior to the program. This 4-5 minute assessment provides the following benefits:

  • Bill will use the data to customize the program for your unique needs.
  • By taking the assessment, it prepares the learner’s brain to think about their impact and behavior ahead of time.
  • Bill will tailor/customize the keynote with key results from the survey to address what matters most to the participants
  • Post program, Bill will share any information we didn’t see fit for a wider audience but believe will help you move forward with building culture and lead your teams more effectively

Learn More

Having High Impact Last 8% Conversations

Our research has found that most people are relatively effective at getting to 92% of what they want to say in a feedback conversation. But when they get to the ...

Our research has found that most people are relatively effective at getting to 92% of what they want to say in a feedback conversation. But when they get to the Last 8% of what they really want to say–the hardest part of the feedback they want to give–the part of the conversation that has consequences for the other person, they sense the potential emotional impact this feedback might have, and they back off, avoiding giving the feedback that’s needed.

This creates significant challenges for the other person: not only do they not know how or where they stand, which increases their anxiety, but they are also not given a chance to improve. Worse, they feel less psychologically safe and emotionally connected, which diminishes their performance. 

The goal of this program is to give your people the insight and tools to manage their emotions to get to the Last 8% of what they want to say in any feedback conversation. The good news is that there is a burgeoning science of how to give and receive feedback that anyone can learn. It starts by becoming a ‘student of human behavior’, understanding the brain under pressure, and learning the concrete skills needed to give feedback in a way where the other person can hear it. 

In this powerful program, your people will learn: 

  • What The Last 8% is and why it provides the biggest opportunity to learn, grow and boost their performance. 
  • How the brain reacts under pressure and why that is at the heart of why people avoid giving Last 8% feedback. 
  • Self-awareness: what their habitual way of reacting to receiving feedback is and why that matters as a signal to the other person that they are open to receiving this important feedback.
  • How to start a Last 8% feedback conversation: most people do not know where to start, which causes anxiety. Along with trying to be perfect, this stops them from beginning this important conversation.
  • What the key components are to building an environment of high psychological safety, and why it matters to innovation.

“This was an insightful and practical training session. I was able to connect this directly to my own behaviors. I liked the way you had us practice the strategies rather than just telling us about them so we could internalize the behavior. That way, I’ll actually remember it!” – Intel


Pre-program Assessment

Bill’s research organization surveys over 40,000 people a month and can leverage their proprietary research capability to assess all participants in your keynote prior to the program. This 4-5 minute assessment provides the following benefits:

  • Bill will use the data to customize the program for your unique needs.
  • By taking the assessment, it prepares the learner’s brain to think about their impact and behavior ahead of time.
  • Bill will tailor/customize the keynote with key results from the survey to address what matters most to the participants
  • Post program, Bill will share any information we didn’t see fit for a wider audience but believe will help you move forward with building culture and lead your teams more effectively

Learn More

The Art of Empathy: Building Emotional Intelligence In Your Leaders

The cost of replacing an individual employee ranges from one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary. That means, a 100-person organization that provides an average salary of $50,000 will have turnover and replacement costs of ...

The cost of replacing an individual employee ranges from one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary. That means, a 100-person organization that provides an average salary of $50,000 will have turnover and replacement costs of approximately $800,000 to $2.6 million per year.

The worst part? 52% of people who leave say their manager or organization could have done something to prevent them from leaving their job. In fact, they said that in the three months before leaving, nobody asked them how they felt about their job, or about their future. What is evident is a lack of empathy in their leaders. It doesn’t have to be this way.

In this powerful virtual or live program, your managers and leaders will learn:

  • What the single greatest cause of a lack of empathy is (something they have control over)
  • How to grow their skills of Emotional Intelligence so they can tune into the challenges their people are facing before it causes them to leave
  • What empathy is and how to build it to empower your innovative and effective people who keep your teams connected and performing at a high level
  • How to use brain-science-based strategies to manage their emotions so they can be resilient and a source of calm in your organization
  • How to manage through disruptive change 

“Phenomenal session today, Bill! Feedback from the team has been outstanding! Thank you so much for sharing your gifts with us.”Home Depot


Pre-program Assessment

Bill’s research organization surveys over 40,000 people a month and can leverage their proprietary research capability to assess all participants in your keynote prior to the program. This 4-5 minute assessment provides the following benefits:

  • Bill will use the data to customize the program for your unique needs.
  • By taking the assessment, it prepares the learner’s brain to think about their impact and behavior ahead of time.
  • Bill will tailor/customize the keynote with key results from the survey to address what matters most to the participants
  • Post program, Bill will share any information we didn’t see fit for a wider audience but believe will help you move forward with building culture and lead your teams more effectively

 

Learn More

About Keynote Speaker Bill Benjamin

Bill Benjamin is a top emotional intelligence keynote speaker and a thought leader on the subjects of leadership and peak performance. He is a regular contributor to CEO magazine, Training Magazine as well as other leadership publications.

Bill has an authentic approach that resonates with the audience and especially with those that might be typically resistant to the important relationship between ‘soft-skills’ and exceptional leadership. A natural storyteller, he balances anecdotes with science and research to engage all types of participants. When he is not speaking, Bill spends time working with senior leaders and their teams at Fortune 500 companies helping them overcome the barriers that often hold them back from reaching their full potential.

More About Bill Benjamin

Some of Bill’s engagements include Fortune 1000 and strategic clients such as ExxonMobil, United Airlines, Home Depot, Procter & Gamble and Northwestern Mutual.

As a math and computer science guy, Bill discovered the power of managing emotions while he was working in the technology industry. Bill is very honest and vulnerable when it comes to the struggles he had early in his career as a leader. He was so impressed by the Institute for Health and Human Potential [IHHP]’s brain science-based approach to Emotional Intelligence, and even more so by its practical applications, that he became a partner in the company. Now that’s commitment! 

IHHP is a successful international research and culture change company, named one of the “Fastest Growing Companies” in the “Fast 100” ranking in PROFIT Magazine. IHHP’s Last 8% Culture System helps organizations create high-performance cultures that are both high-care and high-accountability.

With his extensive background in emotional intelligence, Bill will teach your team the tools they need to manage their brains and behavior under pressure so they can remain calm and form the kind of response your organization needs today. 

Additionally, Bill’s experience in technology and sales gives him real-world experience in the types of challenges that organizations face today. His analytical background in math and computer science drives him to take a practical and scientific approach to helping people understand how the brain responds under pressure, and how that can help increase empathetic leadership and high performance.

Bill loves to write and contributed to the New York Times and Amazon bestselling book Performing Under Pressure, co-authored by IHHP’s JP Pawliw-Fry and noted psychologist Hendrie Weisinger.

Bill is originally from Canada and moved to New York City in the nineties. He now calls Chicago home and it is here you will find him indulging in his other passions – his family, scotch, and cycling.

Testimonials

“Bill was fantastic! We only heard great feedback from the attendees. We also appreciate his flexibility with our date change in the planning process.”

Kompass Kapital

 

“We loved Bill and everything he spoke about. We will give our team some time to implement the strategies Bill provided us but in fact it went so well we would like to invite Bill back for another workshop next quarter.”

Capital Management Firm

 

“The session was great and a picture perfect example of a keynote address! It was captivating/entertaining, started the entire conference by establishing a tone and hit amongst several of our key themes and takeaways for this years forum. Thanks again for the day… and also the professionalism you brought to the table, the willingness to partner with us in our preparation processes, etc. Very easy to work with.  Best wishes to you for continued success! Reach out anytime!”

Scott

Fox Family Exchange

“One of the best presentations I have ever been to! The delivery of the material was top-notch and very engaging.  I learned excellent skills for both the workplace and life outside of work that I will take and use. Thank you.”

SAP

 

“Bill’s speech was absolutely phenomenal and was enjoyed by all delegates and sponsors. It was a perfect start to the conference and I am still receiving positive feedback till this day!”

Sears Canada

 

“I loved that your session on Reputation was backed with research and was very interesting.   I truly like how you make information easy to understand and  provided useful tools I can put into action. You also had great presentation skills, voice, projection, tone, pace and kept people engaged!”

TD Bank

 

“This was an insightful and practical training session. I was able to connect this directly to my own behaviors. I liked the way you had us practice the strategies rather than just telling us about hem so we could internalize the behavior. That way, I’ll actually remember it!”

Dusty Baker

Intel

“You were the perfect late afternoon speaker, you really kept everyone’s attention with your great stories and analogies. Your passion for what you do is refreshing. Thank you for making the conference a truly inspiring event.”

Toni Jackson

Coca-Cola

“Excellent training! You did a terrific job of applying your topic contextually to mission safety at NASA. I wanted to hear more. Great program!”

Pat Williams

NASA

“Bill is so incredibly insightful! His ability to command the stage and deliver actionable tips to really help people become better leaders who are emotionally intelligent is second to none in my experience.” Read More

Kristen Spriggs

Chief Member Services Officer at ASQ

“Awesome presentation! Bill exceeded our expectations – his presentation offers a unique perspective on personal leadership. I like the way Bill brings science to our understanding of human behavior in an accessible and inspiring way. This session helped our people think differently about their personal relationships, their motivation and their performance. Bill’s enthusiastic presentation really made a difference for our team.”

Deanna

ITW

“Bill, I want to thank you for a very powerful session. I had so many people saying this was so helpful!!! The science you taught on questions vs statements was incredible. I never knew the brain science component to this and realized I could be better asking questions when giving feedback. Better said, I need to coach more through questions! The coaching exercise drove this home! The session was a 10 out of 10! You are incredibly talented, can hold the room with your presence and you are very skilled at getting people to engage and interact.”

Fortune 50 Banking & Insurance Client

 

Media

Article

Feb 20, 2024

Master the Art of Effective Communication with Bill Benjamin

Think back to the last time you had a difficult conversation—how well do you think you did? Are you an...

Read More

Article

May 23, 2023

Digital Learning is Out, Hybrid Social and Digital Learning is In

What’s the problem with online learning? Although it’s more convenient, it turns out 96% of people never finish a digital...

Read More

Article

Jul 22, 2022

How can you Determine if your Interview Candidate has Soft Skills?

  Soft skills can range from communication, to teamwork, creativity, and adaptability skills, to name a few. These skills are...

Read More

Article

Apr 6, 2022

How Coaching Can Help Address Stress and Burnout

  How are your employees coping after the last two years of the pandemic?  Have you checked in with your...

Read More

Article

Feb 17, 2020

Use Your Emotional Intelligence to Perform Under Pressure Like Patrick Mahomes

As leaders and entrepreneurs, we all face moments when everything seems lost. So what can we learn from SuperBowl quarterback...

Read More

Article

Feb 4, 2020

Get Motivated: Bill Benjamin

“Accountability is not about setting goals and holding people’s feet to the fire. It’s about getting other people to own...

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Article

Nov 20, 2019

Your Talent Has the IQ; Now Develop Their EQ

Emotional intelligence speaker Bill Benjamin recently covered EQ and its effect on your business in an article he published on...

Read More

Article

Nov 26, 2017

4 Workplace Trends in Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is a hot and evolving topic. Find out the current EQ workplace trends and how they will...

Read More

Article

Nov 28, 2016

How to Stay Sane After the Presidential Election

“When the brain receives too much noise, it feels under threat so you only process the negatives in your world....

Read More

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