Building Empathy, Trust & Thought Leadership in 2021

Merriam-Webster declared “Pandemic” the word of the year for 2020. Public affairs and executive communicators might choose a different word: empathy. The year’s trio of crises—the coronavirus, economic disruption and civil unrest—forced many to confront the way they communicate with their audiences and stakeholders, including influencers and legislators. In this session, Ragan Consulting’s Jim Ylisela makes the case for continued empathy and emotion in our executive communications and public affairs outreach, even as the world returns to some version of normal.

This session will cover:

• Why leaders should embrace emotion, not hide from it
• Why listening (no, really listening) is the key to better audience engagement—regardless whether you’re talking to staff, regulators or reporters
• How to infuse empathy into executive communication, from speeches to public affairs writing to an Op-ed in The New York Times
• Why the “first person” story is making a comeback in executive communications