RSA Animate - the power of outrospection

RSA Animate – The Power of Outrospection is a 10 minute video animation created from a free public lecture given by Roman Krznaric as part of the RSA’s free public events programme in 2012. (Video highlights of that lecture is available to watch here).

Krznaric's lecture challenges the idea of empathy as something that is driven by self-interest. He presents an alternative view of empathy as a way of being/doing that can enrich one's own life, but also has the power to produce social change.

I would argue that this reconstructed account of empathy as 'outrospective' is especially relevant for contemporary professional practice because it can help us see how the process of ‘walking a mile in another’s shoes’ is both a personal & a political act that can produce change.

And if you’re looking for ideas about how to nurture empathy, there’s some interesting food for thought (& action) from Roman Krznaric available as a podcast via the ABC Radio National (Australia) website.