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French President Emmanuel Macron, wearing sunglasses, speaks during a meeting on the institutional future of New Caledonia at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Jan. 16, 2026.
Yoan Valat | Via Reuters
Every January, the world’s most powerful people gather on the snowy peaks of Davos to talk about the most pressing global issues, and it’s a masterclass in the art of communication and influence.
The World Economic Forum’s flagship conference took place between 19-23 January, and leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, billionaire Bill Gates and Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang delivered speeches and spoke on panels.
This year’s theme was “A Spirit of Dialogue,” as geopolitical uncertainty and international trade tensions dominated conversations.
Among the most important topics was Trump’s insistence on taking ownership of the Arctic territory of Greenland, as well as the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market.
The responses of national leaders and CEOs were broadcast live, then distilled into 10-second soundbites and TikTok fan edits, consumed globally, and inviting instant critique.
René Carayol, a leadership coach to Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 executives and world leaders, broke down what the most effective communicators did at this year’s World Economic Forum, in a conversation with CNBC.
Carayol, who has worked with Nelson Mandela, former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and many more, was frank about the key ingredients to powerful public speaking and communication.
“The two big things that we always coach: it’s the performance, not the content. Second thing, it’s not what you say, it’s the way that you say it. That’s the most powerful thing. Stop trying to remember the words, learn the performance,” Carayol said.
Macron and Carney stole the show
French President Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney were “two masterclasses” in public speaking, leadership, and influence, according to Carayol.
Macron gave a special address in Davos on Tuesday, and in a hard-hitting speech, he hit back at “bullies” after Trump renewed threats of tariffs against Europe, as well as 200% levies on French wine, which have since been dropped.
The French leader warned of a world “without rules” as international law is being disregarded and called for global cooperation to address instability. This was all delivered with blue aviator-style sunglasses due to an eye infection, which Carayol said, lent a “Tom Cruise” feel to Macron’s presentation.
“He was like a Marvel superhero. He was stood up, forthright, as tall as he could be, and spoke out,” Carayol said.
His stance was “upright, looking up, looking powerful,” which exuded an aura of being “unafraid, unapologetic, and gave all of Europe backbone.”
Carney delivered a similar message to Macron’s in his own speech at the WEF on Tuesday, where he said the world’s “middle powers” must unite against coercion from the world’s largest.
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND – JANUARY 20: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland on January 20, 2026.
Anadolu | Getty Images
“Great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons. Tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited,” Carney said.
Carayol said Carney’s speech was “brilliant” and described him as calm, authoritative, measured, and studied.
Carney’s facial expression did much of the talking as he remained “extremely serious and grave” throughout his speech and didn’t break a smile once. He also used intonation to create gravitas.
“He was serious … he wanted the world to know that they are not backing down against Trump without ever mentioning him,” Carayol said. “Macron was the one you’d go away with and remember, Carney was the one you’d respect.”
While Trump is generally a great speaker, Carayol said he gave a rambling speech on Wednesday.
“Trump was all over the show, off script, rambling, no real point, because he was doing his ‘TACO.’ Trump always chickens out when someone stands up to him,” he said. “He was a shriveled mess.”
However, Carayol noted that Trump is usually “brilliant” and “when he’s on top form … you won’t agree with what he says, but the way he says it.”
Carayol recalled the lead up to the U.S. Presidential elections in 2024: “He’s at his best when he’s in a competitive environment. So when he was running for president, he slaughtered all the opposition.”
The best leaders tell stories
Business leaders may communicate differently from heads of state because CEOs must be more conscious of how their words affect their companies’ stock prices, while world leaders can utilize stronger rhetoric, according to Andrew Brodsky, a management professor at the University of Texas and the author of “PING: The Secrets of Successful Communication.”
“World leaders often have other communication tools at their disposal because they don’t have to worry about a stock price,” Brodsky told CNBC. “Notably, world leaders use strategies like leveraging negative emotions, such as anger, and highlighting potential existential threats to their country’s future to motivate their population.”
On the opposite end, if tech CEOs show a lot of “negative emotion or dwell on the risks” of technology like AI, then their company’s stock price would likely be affected, or staff would lose trust in the company and leave.
Instead, Brodsky highlighted that one of the best communication styles in leadership is using “imagery, metaphors, and stories” to share a vision with audiences.
President and CEO of NVIDIA, Jensen Huang, attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026.
Denis Balibouse | Reuters
For example, when Satya Nadella discussed AI advancements at the WEF this week, he compared it to how transformational PCs were when they were first introduced and even noted that the impacts of AI are “10x, 100x” times that.
“Rather than emphasize the technical elements, Nadella communicated his vision for the future of AI through using simple metaphors in a way anyone could understand,” Brodsky said.
Additionally, Jensen Huang was asked about whether AI would increase or decrease the number of jobs, and instead of using statistics, he told a story about how AI actually increased the number of jobs in the radiology industry.
“Rather than relying on high-level cross-industry statistics, Huang was able to use a story about radiologists to show the positive impact of AI. By using a story, he was able to make what he was saying feel much more tangible and meaningful to the audience in a way that statistics by themselves simply can’t,” Brodsky said.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates also stood out during a panel, as he mostly maintained eye contact with the audience while being asked questions by interviewers and other panelists.
“This seemingly small choice made it feel like Gates was speaking directly to the audience and bringing them into the conversation,” Brodsky added.
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