

Walk away with actionable strategies to amplify your impact, and learn how compassionate business tactics can transform your organization from the inside out.
When we have information to give, the communication doesn’t start and end with just one email, announcement, or conversation. Effective communication is more than just the info you deliver, or the words you say. It requires empathy. This is a note for anyone needing to communicate strategic shifts, return-to-work policies, performance expectations, or even layoffs.
Tamsen Webster and I discuss why her work is driven by her desire to only do things once! How the risk of change belongs with the person or organization asking for it, how to understand the why behind how people approach change, and the first step in building buy-in that most people skip. She shares why leveraging pain is almost always guaranteed to fail long-term and how it’s almost always possible to find common ground (and if it’s not, to have a way to identify those differences clearly and without judgment).
To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com
Key Takeaways:
- Every decision has a story. Every action or change we decide on has won the argument even if it is only internal.
- It is important to understand the story, the heart of the message, surrounding the conversations about change.
- Pain is the ally of quick action, but a brain in pain is not a rational brain. Once rationality is resumed, those decisions are often reconsidered.
- If people don’t understand what you’re saying it doesn’t matter how powerful or important what you are saying is.
“Anchor the outcome of the change in something that you fully acknowledge and you share with the person that you’re talking to.” — Tamsen Webster
Episode References:
- Tamsen Website: Why Great Stories Are Empathy Machines
- Dia Bondi: How to Ask Like An Auctioneer
- Sarah R. Moore: It’s Possible to Parent AND Lead without Punishment- the Brain Science Behind It
From Our Partner:
SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatest asset: their people. Through their tailored assessments and expert coaching at every level, SparkEffect helps organizations manage change, sustain growth, and chart a path to a brighter future.
Go to sparkeffect.com/edge now and download your complimentary Professional and Organizational Alignment Review today.
About Tamsen Webster, Message Designer and Author, Say What They Can’t Unhear
Part message designer, part English-to-English translator, part magpie, Tamsen Webster helps leaders craft their case for large-scale change. In addition to her work in and for major organizations such as Harvard Medical School, Fidelity Investments, and Klaviyo, she’s a judge and mentor for the Harvard Innovation Labs, a professional advisor at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, and has spent over 10 years as the Idea Strategist for one of only nine legacy-level TEDx events in the world. She was named to the Thinkers50 Radar in 2022 and is the author of two books, Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible and Say What They Can’t Unhear: The 9 Principles of Lasting Change. She lives in Boston with her husband, two sons, and two brindle Greyhounds, Hazel and Walnut.
Connect with Tamsen:
Website: messagedesigninstitute.com
Book: Say What They Can’t Unhear
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tamsenwebster
FREE RESOURCE:The Compact Case, designed to help people apply the principles of Say What They Can’t Unhear to their own case for change. thecompactcase.com.
Connect with Maria:
Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com
Learn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.com
Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross
Take my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy
LinkedIn: Maria Ross
Instagram: @redslicemaria
X: @redslice
Facebook: Red Slice
Threads: @redslicemaria
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Maria Ross
Failed product launches. Furious customers. Dysfunctional teams. Many of the problems we face in the business world (and frankly, society) stem from the same root cause: Lack of empathy.
Speaker, author, strategist, and empathy advocate Maria Ross shares keen insights and inspiring interviews that prove empathy and compassion are the new paths to market-winning performance. Leveraging both inspiring stories and hard data, Ross connects empathetic leadership, cultures and brands to innovation, engagement, and bottom-line results. You’ll walk away with actionable strategies to amplify your impact, and learn how compassionate business tactics can transform your organization from the inside out.
The Empathy Edge podcast provides a quick dose of motivation, wisdom, and practical actions that executive leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers can use right now. Ready to infuse YOUR organization with more empathy? Tune in to learn why cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive.