What is Engagement?

Spent this morning at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford running sessions on how to engage your listeners.

There are no guarantees with #communication.

You can’t force people to engage.

Enforce compliance? Yes - as totalitarian dictatorships have been only too keen to illustrate.

But true engagement, not so much.

From time to time, in your audiences, you will encounter people who are fundamentally opposed to you, what you represent, what you propose and/or what you stand for.

That’s ok.

Be kind to yourself.

Reaching the unreachable is not a KPI.

Focus your energies on those you CAN reach.

Happily this morning, both sessions were electives - I sensed good engagement…!
😊

#university #compliance #engagement #publicspeaking #influence