I saw two speakers share a stage at a conference today. Each gave a couple of talks.

They were both good, but I was struck by how affirming one of the speakers was. He said positive things about the other speaker’s ideas and content several times during his talk. He responded positively to each comment from the audience. When someone answered an audience question he’d say things like, “Say that again, I want everyone to hear what you just said.”

Even when he disagreed with the other speaker on an important point, he offered affirmation for the other speaker’s openness and maturity about the difference of opinion.

Who wouldn’t want to share a stage with a guy like that? I bet his affirming style contributes a lot to how many events he gets invited to and how many people become fans of his work.

Since I’m a major idea guy (with a minor in tasks), this was a good challenge to be constantly mindful that behind the content of what someone says, there is an important person with important feelings who will be impacted, positively or negatively, by how I respond.