Fergus Connolly Special on making a point, empathy, mud and getting better

sent by Nick Grantham | 29th June 2021

"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."

Plato

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Aristotle used three terms to describe how one should approach getting their point across. Those modes are known as Pathos or using your credibility, Egos or using emotion or Logos which uses facts and figures to get your point across. Some coaches overuse Pathos and solely rely on getting their way because they are in power based on previous achievements. But bear in mind the marketing philosophy that suggests people buy on emotion, justify on logic. One of the things that can separate us is the knowledge we possess and how we communicate and connect emotionally. How are you communicating?  What medium are you utilising? Does your audience prefer images or stories? Have you ever tried to find out? Body language might not be necessary if you are using digital communication, but it might be critical if you're in front of them. How do you connect, communicate, get 'buy-in' and influence?

Source: Plato


"Empathy rarely starts with the words, "At least..." and that oftentimes, the best response is, "I don't know what to say, but I am really glad you told me."

Brene Brown

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Whereas sympathy has been described as the ability to take part in someone else's feelings, empathy is not the taking part but understanding someone else's emotions and feelings. Great leaders don't necessarily sympathise. In fact, high achievers often don't want sympathy. Instead, great leaders take the time to understand, listen, empathise, and lead and empower others through times of struggle. By empathising and genuinely taking the time to understand, you can help. Empathy builds deep, authentic connections with leaders providing more informed, accurate solutions and options from a place of understanding - without having to agree.

Source: Brene Brown


"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

Wayne Dyer

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Life will throw events at us, sometimes self-inflicted and sometimes randomly not of our own doing. Often, we need someone to remind us too. But, there are always two ways to look at every dire circumstance, look at the mud or look at the stars.

Source: Wayne Dyer


"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."

Albert Einstein

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We can make things better, or we can make better things. Henry Ford once said, "If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse." This same red thread is weaved throughout the Uber story - the founders came up with a way to solve peoples' problems. Making better things would be making more taxis. Making things better would be coming up with, well, Uber. Apple was not the first company to release the smartphone. However, when Apple released its first iPhone in January 2007, it had multiple different features wrapped up in one package. You could now use your phone as a calculator, to play music, games, as a flashlight, all in a single package.

Source: Albert Einstein


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