ACTIVATE! Unleash The Brainpower and Potential of the People You Lead

It's an unfortunate truth. Most leaders don't know how to bring out the best in their people. Managers and leaders too often default to threats and rewards that lead to decreased motivation, disengagement, and underperformance. Activators, on the other hand, are leaders who understand how to unleash the best in their people using practical applications of behavior and brain science. They activate the brains of their people by lighting them up through intentional interactions and experiences, resulting in greater focus, energy, engagement, and self-directed work.
 
This keynote is based on Dr. Jones's best-selling book, Activator: Using Brain Science to Boost Motivation, Deepen Engagement, and Supercharge Performance. Utilizing three neuroscience principles that can be applied to the workplace, Jason shares three daily leadership practices that are rooted in science and can be implemented immediately to make a measurable impact on employee motivation and engagement, while building a high-performance culture where people want to do their best.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ACTIVATE! keynote about?

ACTIVATE! is a keynote based on Dr. Jason Jones's book Activator. It teaches leaders how to bring out the best in their people using brain science instead of the threats-and-rewards approach that usually backfires. Attendees leave with three daily practices they can use immediately to boost motivation, engagement, and performance on their team.

What does "activating" someone's brain actually mean?

It means using specific interactions and experiences that light up focus, energy, and self-directed effort in the people you lead, rather than relying on pressure or incentives. Dr. Jones calls leaders who do this well "Activators," and the keynote teaches the science behind how they do it.

Is this keynote based on a real book?

Yes. ACTIVATE! is built on Dr. Jason Jones's best-selling book, Activator: Using Brain Science to Boost Motivation, Deepen Engagement, and Supercharge Performance. The keynote pulls the book's three core neuroscience principles and turns them into practices leaders can use the next day.

Who is this keynote best for?

ACTIVATE! is a strong fit for any group of managers or leaders who are responsible for other people's performance — leadership summits, sales kickoffs, manager training days, and association conferences where engagement and retention are top of mind.

What will my team actually walk away with?

Attendees learn three daily leadership practices rooted in neuroscience, a set of "Activation Words" that prime better behavior, six science-based strategies to boost engagement, and practical tools for giving feedback and building trust — even with people who disagree with them.

What business problems does this keynote solve?

It's built for teams dealing with low engagement, high turnover, burnout, or leaders who default to old-school command-and-control habits. The goal is a measurable shift in motivation and performance, not just an inspiring hour on stage.

How is this different from a typical motivational speech?

Dr. Jones is a trained organizational psychologist, so ACTIVATE! isn't just stories and energy, it's grounded in behavioral and brain science, with practices leaders can put into action the same week, not just feel good about for a day.

Can this be combined with a workshop or training?

Yes. Many organizations pair the ACTIVATE! keynote with a follow-on workshop or leadership training session so managers get hands-on practice applying the concepts, not just hearing them.

How long is the ACTIVATE! keynote?

Like Dr. Jones's other keynotes, it typically runs 45-60 minutes with time for Q&A, with shorter and longer formats available depending on your agenda.

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What Audience Members Walk Away With:

  • Insight into what really motivates and engages people at work.
  • The three daily leadership practices every leader can use to activate the full brain.
  • Discover how to prime behavior and high performance by using Activation Words.
  • Six neuroscience-based strategies to activate the brain, boost energy, enhance emotional intelligence, and facilitate high-performance.
  • Tools to provide constructive feedback and guide team members through change to ensure faster adaptation and growth.
  • Understand how the brain communicates beyond verbal and body language.
  • Learn how to gain people's trust even when they disagree with you.

Who This Keynote is For:

This keynote is built for audiences looking to increase leadership effectiveness and build strong people-first cultures. It's a strong fit for:

  • Corporate leadership conferences and all-hands meetings
  • Executive teams and leadership offsites
  • Industry associations want to support leadership effectiveness
  • HR and L&D-sponsored events focused on bringing out the best in people and their performance.

Event Themes: Employee Engagement, Motivation, Culture, Leadership, Coaching for High Performance