Dr. Michael Gerharz. How can you improve your communication abilities? Mastering the art of communication results in messages that motivate action and encourage progress. Leaders light the PATH.

Dr. Michael Gerharz Audio

[00:00:00] Dr. Michael Gerharz: it feels like it might be a , much more worthwhile goal to, to ask yourself to pursue the journey of getting it right rather than being right

[00:00:55] And thank you for listening on apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, [00:01:00] Podbean, Pandora. Well. Your favorite podcast platform. Music by the legendary and talented Chris Nole check him out, ChrisNole.com c H R I S N O L E. Thank you again for listening and for your support of this podcast.

[00:01:21] what's your P. I.

[00:01:35] And he found that clarity in his words made the the difference for him in getting his messages heard. He learned the art of communicating. Earning his doctorate from the University of Bonn, Germany, Dr. Gerharz moved into the world of executive coaching where he works with people wanting to change the world and helps them create slogans and the right words.[00:02:00]

[00:02:22] He said this around 485 BC. Very simply said. "Speech is the shadow of action". Well, my guest today says the same thing and here are Dr. Michael Gerharz's words. "When using words to help make change more WOW won't help. The WOW only makes your audience cheer louder with YAY. What a great show. But to make change happen, you want your audience to shout,

[00:03:03] Dr. Michael Gerharz: Hello, Catherine. It's a pleasure to be here.

[00:03:21] But it's an art to be able to bring that to others and to help them. So thank you for that. .

[00:03:42] And when I tell people about the background, the most common reaction is a, surprised stare because I mean, aren't computer scientists supposed to be the pale guys sitting down in their cellar, [00:04:00] hacking all the night through eating pizza and running away crying when someone speaks to them? Well, apparently not. At least I don't identify with that sort of image of a computer scientist.

[00:04:57] Catherine: with.'

[00:05:22] so impressive and wonderful and fabulous to be able to hear a little bit about culture and how life might be different in different parts of the world. Or the same, because , we are all connected in some way today. Certainly by communication and technology. Yeah.

[00:05:47] My kids are going to school. We have Netflix. And Disney + and enjoy watching those shows. We enjoy reading great books. We enjoy playing music [00:06:00] and making music together as a, as a family going on walks, um, through through the forests or, or at, uh, down at the river Rhine, which crosses quite nearby to my town.

[00:06:20] Via the internet. And that's actually something that I'm very happy about. More modern technology brings us so close together that although we live in totally different places, we can spend the time together having meaningful connections, building strong bonds, and even having connections

[00:06:51] Catherine: So let's go to "speech is the shadow of action." What you had talked about before we got into a little bit about [00:07:00] yourself and Germany, there's another quote. So Ernest Hemingway, he said, "never confuse movement with action". And I think that that's definitely what you're saying is, you know, you have the movement happening

[00:07:28] Dr. Michael Gerharz: Yeah. I mean, so many things have shifted in recent times and the internet, certainly it has play plays a major role in, in that, uh, in that shift that we are seeing that empowers people who have an important story to tell. To be able to tell that to a large audience that wasn't even accessible to the most successful keynote speakers, just 10 or 20 years back when a hall would be filled by just a few thousand people.

[00:08:22] , it was always the case that leadership is to a large degree a communication process. That's one of the most important tools that a leader has, but, but the way that we communicate has shifted a lot by this let's call it democratization of being able to tell your story, because when a few decades back

[00:09:05] When you told them what to do. That has changed a lot. I mean, our parents had sort of the try the curve and sticks model, where they use incentives to motivate people with external incentives. Like let's call it either by force or by candy. So if you do three things very well, you get, get some sort of bonus.

[00:09:58] consider [00:10:00] giving a speech as giving it, rather than thinking that through to the end, that is the purpose of a speech is not to give it, but to be received by the audience and even more to incite action, change their minds so that they feel inspired to take action. And when you still get stuck In the stories that you tell from your own word, only bragging about the things that are awesome from your perspective and not resonating with what what's important to your audience, relating it to their life

[00:10:49] Catherine: I think that you've hit on some really important points.

[00:10:56] and how do we reach those, those [00:11:00] realities so that those people understand as Democritus said and what you said, that's the first part of the, WOW. But that's not the entire WOW. Right?

[00:11:20] that we are watching. What great movies do with us is that they allow us to live another person's life. A life that we would never be able to live ourselves, that we probably wouldn't even dare to live there, but any way, by looking at that person, we get to live that life. So and what happens is that, although we look at the hero, what we see is us.

[00:12:19] And a few years back that that was sufficient probably when attention is something that, that you can buy, like in the seventies and eighties, where everyone was basically watching the same program and we could just buy the attention of our audience by buying the advertisement slot before the news or a large one pager ad in a magazine. What we needed to do because when attention is ,scarce when selection is scarce , we just need to be the one who's front, front, and center to their eyes, but we don't have that situation anymore.

[00:13:22] style of leadership is actually attaching to what matters to their team as a person has a much higher probability of, of getting through. And that bridges back to where you started your question to, what do we need to do when we want to shift that perspective and get from just telling a story from our own limited worldview to telling a story that relates to our audience's lives.

[00:14:17] to achieve that is to see them first, to give them the feeling of I see you. I hear you. And when I do that, when I open the eyes for who is that person I'm talking to, not the target group, but the person whose life I wanted to affect for whom I've built that product to actually improve their everyday life-

[00:15:02] Catherine: I love listening to you and how you phrased everything. You can get visuals and your words are the way you communicate. It is just perfect for understanding. And you mentioned the word empathy. So not everybody has that. How, as a coach in communication, how do you teach empathy? Or can you teach empathy?

[00:15:34] Dr. Michael Gerharz: first of all, I'd like to w get to what you mentioned that well, not everyone has empathy. I mean, I, I tend to doubt that. There, there might be some medical conditions, like sociopathic behavior that people actually aren't physically able to show empathy, but that's the vast minority [00:16:00] of people. The vast majority of people actually is able to feel empathy.

[00:16:09] Catherine: Oh, I like that.

[00:16:11] Dr. Michael Gerharz: thing we are not used to is to look through different so to say different glasses; to change our perspective; to actually stand up from the table I'm sitting at and changing it around, for example, Amazon uses for their product.

[00:16:47] And whenever a decision is about to be made, they will ask themselves, will that make my employee and my customers proud? And if it doesn't, then there's reason to discuss that. [00:17:00] Then there's reason to ask yourself, 'why am I doing it if not for the people I seek to serve?' And with the people that help me to serve those people, because those are the ones that I should make proud.

[00:17:36] And then asking questions. That's probably even more important than the first one - asking questions, the obvious ones, the non-obvious ones, but also, and that's probably the most important of all three, the two obvious ones, the ones that you don't ask maybe anymore, or that your team doesn't dare to ask because you're the boss and they don't dare question you [00:18:00] or, or you just fear the answer of what happens when the answer is not as we wish it to be. But that's actually necessary work.

[00:18:37] How, how is it perceived by them? And that's the third step that's really a consequence of, of those two, that you change glasses, that you change seats, that you look at your own words from another person's perspective. And that's what I'm trying to do to be that sort of mirror for them to, to reflect upon so that they [00:19:00] can see I'm not not the one who tells them what, what are the right words.

[00:19:11] Catherine: That is just so phenomenal let's do talk about light the path and what you're doing, but first, is there anything that you want to add that we haven't, that you weren't able to share that you really want to bring into this conversation that we're having?

[00:19:38] I'm super happy with, with how you extract the most important thing. So I'm just curious of where you are leading the conversation next.

[00:19:50] Well, so now I want to talk about, uh, the world of perspectives because you just raised some really [00:20:00] awesome awesome parts of everybody's reality or the perspectives.

[00:20:30] philosophical thought for people to narrow in on what the words are that you are saying and accepting your ideas so that they can take action..

[00:21:01] In the end, we are all humans and as humans, we can relate to other humans. And that is the first, the first crucial step that we need to take, that, that we don't speak about, about products, about things so much then to speak about what people do with the things, how people use the sort of sports training that you were developing or how people are affected by the new treatment that you've developed or how they are using the new software that you were developing and how it changes their lives.

[00:22:03] Try to try to find out a little bit about the culture of that tribe of people of that group of people. What do they care about? What are their current struggles? Probably even read one or two magazines from them to find out what are current problems that they're dealing with so that, that you can find the empathy of how they look at things, how they look at the world.

[00:22:44] does that help?

[00:22:55] So you talk about what their interests are and, and, uh, what [00:23:00] inspires them, what makes them move? So one of the things that you do is, you do put forth questions, both in German and in English. You ask the public specif very specific questions about - I'll give one example because there's many, but I'll give one. Books.

[00:23:36] but I did. Okay. 'The Moment of Lift.' Yeah. So I think that hearing you and having you here, I am learning a lot and your perspective on life and your professional work and your studies

[00:24:22] Dr. Michael Gerharz: Yeah, there were two, two actually novels that I read recently that had a great impact on me. One was a German book. I'm not sure whether that's available in English. It's the translation will be at 'The Book of a Summer.'. And it's about the person who who who felt that he wasn't living the life who was a successful person.

[00:25:12] I mean, there are a lot of books about pursuing your dreams and how that's sort of the only answer that exists to that question. That yes, you should go for that truth. But he found actually a surprising answer to them that might be much more tangible for a lot of people out there who just feel that there is that dream, but

[00:26:25] missing to see her as the person that she actually was, with the needs that she actually had. And that was a really moving book for me. That that was recommended to me recently.

[00:26:50] And some of the things that they say are, I will have maybe a paraplegic or an amputee on the show and they say, that's [00:27:00] not what identifies me and what identifies me is the work, the things that inspire them and that they are able to, inspire others. Talking to you and, and hearing all of this has just been enlightening and certainly will help me to improve as well

[00:27:27] Dr. Michael Gerharz: Thanks. So to me it appears that I'm just thinking out loud. Although, of course I try to make it concise and I deliberately chose the format of two minutes twice a week because I feel that we have an abundance of podcasts.

[00:28:07] before I dive into that meeting where I just get that extra stroke of, uh, let's say let's call it insight that that provides me with a different perspective on the things that I normally do and makes me stop to ask myself, might there a diff be a different way? And that's what I try to do to show you a way that might be

[00:28:50] It's called "Leaders Light the Path" and in any podcast platform. Or visit my website.

[00:29:09] Catherine: Okay. And for the listeners, it is in English for the listeners. M I C H A E L G E R H A R Z .COM

[00:29:38] Dr. Michael Gerharz: Yeah, yeah, probably about a thing, a question that I stumbled across. When I recognize that this year actually is the, is going to become the 42nd birthday of "The Hitchiker's Guide the Galaxy". Oh my gosh. Famous novel Douglas Adams. The radio [00:30:00] show is actually one year older, but the book has been published 42 years.

[00:30:31] in a time that's obsessed with answers with people who feel they are being right and doing everything to, to, to maintain that status of being right while 42 years back Douglas Adams has so beautifully and eloquently taught us that it's sometimes much more difficult and I feel also much more worthwhile

[00:31:22] the answer to most things. The world would be a much nicer place if, if we try it more to get things right, rather than to be right and fight for our positions rather than shift perspectives and try to understand the other person's perspective.

[00:31:41] What tremendous insight and inspiration, and you've provided so much. And I, I appreciate that you are providing this service to the world and that you're painting a picture for us all into a better community and better communication with each [00:32:00] other.

[00:32:06] Dr. Michael Gerharz: thanks. It was a pleasure,

[00:32:10] Learn more about Dr. Michael Gerhartz from michaelgerhartz. com. And once again, that's G E R H A R Z. Listen to his podcast, Irresistible Communication, also found as Leaders Light the Path. And, since the launch of this episode, he has published a book and it's available on Amazon, and it is a bestseller.

[00:32:53] Your positive imprint is a free podcast. If you'd like to buy me a coffee to help fund the production of this [00:33:00] podcast, here's how go to buymeacoffee.

[00:33:29] Catherine: Check out my YouTube channel,

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