“You don’t want people saying ‘He makes a great point’, and have them staring at your finger. They need to be looking where you are pointing”.

A slightly fudged quote from Michael Neill, but the premise of which I love.

You want to inspire people to act, not just think you’re smart.

As Michael says “There’s a craft to getting people to look where you are pointing. And that’s based on seeing where they are really looking. Are they actually looking towards what would make them more effective and alive?”

By focusing on where we are pointing rather than the act of pointing itself, we can inspire real understanding and action. This shift away from ego-driven communication towards a more purposeful and empathetic approach not only reduces our ’emotional overdraft’ but also elevates our impact, making us not just speakers but catalysts for change.

We’re so often rewarded by being seen as smart and having people look to see how clever/knowledgable/trustworthy or we are. But the essential skill to reduce your emotional overdraft is to find a way to get people to look where you are pointing and to really understand.

Park the ego.