Inspiring Through

Empathy: How the Best

Public Speakers Move

Their Audience Montgomery Presents

(303) 691-0726

montgomerypresents@gmail.com

http://www.montgomerypresents.com

Many things separate humans from other animal species that live on this planet. For one,

people can speak and record their thoughts in writing. There’s also the general morality

system almost everyone abides to, no matter what religious/spiritual sect they identify with.

While humans do share a few traits with other animals (i.e. a sense of community, as with

ants and other community-centric species), specific qualities separate mankind from the rest

of the world and make the race truly unique.

One such trait is empathy, a quality that all the world’s greatest leaders and public speakers

have. In the latter’s realm, it can spell the difference between moving an audience to enact

change, and causing them to fall asleep due to boredom.

Connecting Through Kindness

It feels good for someone if they do a good deed for somebody else, be it a total stranger, a

close friend, or immediate family member. And it’s not a one-way link, either: the person

who received aid takes note of the kindness bestowed upon him, and feels good about the

connection as well (unless he can’t acknowledge it due to a flawed character).

Kindness or empathy is among the most powerful tools a public speaker can employ. It’s a

quality that turns mere speakers into leaders that inspire the masses. It helps anyone to

connect with other people in an effective way, making people not just listen and take notes,

but also take immediate action on the things that concern them and their well-being.

Defining Empathy

Empathy is not synonymous with sympathy. It doesn’t require a speaker to completely agree

with how someone is feeling, or even relate to it. Empathy, in essence, is being aware of

another person’s feelings, those that can be exhibited without necessarily showing sympathy.

It means that a motivational speaker must be able to apply that awareness of other people’s

emotions and understand how it relates to their needs. Sympathy is more of a partial nature—

one can sympathize with another, but definitely not with everyone.

Empathy in Public Speakers: How It’s Honed and Practiced

Public speaking is all about communicating a message, though it doesn’t stop with that. Among

a speaker’s foremost concerns involve identifying what is it that makes the audience connect

with him and the message he’s trying to deliver. Empathy in public speaking is never about

manipulating an audience into believing whoever is talking, however. Instead, it’s about being

clear about where one stands, and being authentic and authoritative about that stance.

An empathetic speaker is not only authentic; he is also mindful. It’s easy for one to dabble in

multiple conflicting priorities, even when speaking on stage to a multitude of listeners.

Empathetic speakers always take note of what’s happening and pays attention to everything,

then takes cues. Lastly, an empathetic speaker always has a clear purpose. The audience,

above all, must feel this sense of purpose; that the person they’re listening to is aiming to

actually help them with their concerns.

Once empathy is communicated across all platforms, trust is fostered. This is what turns

excellent public speakers into equally capable leaders in their own right. When one shows that

he is aware of other people’s feelings and does his best to appreciate them (even if agreement

is out of the question), it builds trust. Listeners may find it difficult to side with a speaker’s

stance on a particular issue, but they’ll acknowledge the fact that the speaker at least

understands where they’re coming from. With trust comes true inspiration, and with inspiration

comes immediate action.

Source:

http://www.montgomerypresents.com

http://bouncebackhigher.com/articles/empathy-a-critical-skill-for-effective-leadership/

http://pitchperfectclub.com/connecting-through-kindness-the-empathetic-speaker/