How To Train An Empath: An Evening with Stuart Nolan
Stuart Nolan returns to Watershed, where he was Magician in Residence, with a new book drawn from 35 years as a professional mindreader. Over that time he trained himself to pick up the small movements that give away what someone is thinking before they say a word. Those same techniques form the basis of a skill with uses well beyond the stage: physical empathy.
In this event Stuart draws on his new book How To Train An Empath: Lessons From A Professional Mindreader to argue that empathy is a craft that can be practised and measured. Teams he has trained have seen measurable improvements in their businesses and in how they work.
Expect stories from the unlikely crossover between theatrical mindreading, academic research and business, a Muscle Reading demonstration you can try in your seat, and a conversation about why empathic ability has dropped 40% since 2001 and what that means in an age of AI. The timing matters: a growing number of politicians and tech leaders are now arguing openly that empathy is itself a weakness we can no longer afford.
For anyone working at the meeting point of arts and technology, the question is becoming harder to duck: as machines get better at simulating understanding, what does it take for humans to do the real thing?
Copies of the book are available to buy (for £20) when you book your event ticket. Your book will be available to collect on the night.
About Stuart
Stuart has taught his methods to teams at Google X, the NHS and the BBC. He holds a PhD from Lancaster University and is a Kluge Fellow of the Library of Congress.