Rob Volpe
Expert on the use of empathy in all facets of life, CEO & Founder of Empathy Activist, LLC, author of Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time
BIO
KEYNOTES
TESTIMONIALS
VIDEOS
BOOKS
Rob Volpe is a master storyteller who brings empathy and compassion to the human experience. He is the author of the award-winning book Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time.
Rob helps leaders and organizations drive results through the strategic use of empathy in the workplace and in life. He does this as CEO and Founder of Empathy Activist, LLC where he works with client organizations of all sizes in all industries to implement customized training, coaching and consulting programs.
Prior to launching Empathy Activist Rob founded Ignite 360, an insights and marketing strategy firm which he led for over 13 years until it was acquired by Dig Insights in 2024.
As a respected thought leader in the improvement of communication and collaboration, Rob is a frequent and highly-rated speaker on the topic of empathy at national and global conferences and regularly appears as a guest on podcasts.
Rob has worked across a range of industries with clients that include General Mills, Abbott Laboratories, Microsoft, Mars Wrigley, Pernod-Ricard, Danone, Ulta Beauty, Whole Foods, Wells Fargo, Kraft Heinz, Nestle, and Cargill.
He has been quoted in Advertising Week, Hemispheres Magazine and the Chicago Tribune, among others. He is a regular contributor to the mid-morning lifestyle show Good Things Utah on KTVX-TV in Salt Lake City.
Rob is a graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and lives in San Francisco with his husband and 3 cats.
Keynote Presentations
Tell Me More About That: Five Conversations That Will Change How You See the World
We are living through an empathy crisis. You can feel it in the way political differences can end friendships, social media turns disagreement into contempt, and algorithms reward outrage over nuance. The result is a society that is more polarized, more reactive, and less able to see across differences than at any point in recent memory.
Over a quarter of employees view their organization as unempathetic, and those employees are 1.5 times more likely to leave within six months according to a recent State of Workplace Empathy study. We know empathy matters. We’re just not very good at it. Yet the solution is something every one of us was born with the ability to use.
In this presentation Rob Volpe draws on real human interactions, conducted over years of qualitative research to show that the path to deeper connection, stronger relationships, and better decisions runs directly through empathy. And empathy, it turns out, is a skill you can build.
Showcasing five real-life conversations from his book, Rob brings the 5 Steps to Empathy to life in a way that is immediately practical and deeply human — from a young woman with narcolepsy who upended every assumption in the room, to a man in Indianapolis whose story of homelessness quietly changed how Rob moved through his own city.
Attendees will learn:
- What empathy actually is (and what it isn’t) — and why the confusion costs us
- How to recognize and dismantle the judgment that blocks genuine connection
- The simple language shift that opens almost any conversation
- How to listen with your whole self, not just your ears
- How to use solution imagination to step into someone else’s shoes and forge real connection
This talk is not about being soft. It is about communicating effectively in every facet of your life. Because the most powerful thing you can say to another person is also the simplest: “Tell me more about that.”
The Neglected Superpower: How to Reduce Turnover, Strengthen Workplace Culture, and Enhance Relationships
There’s a foundational ability – and an often-overlooked superpower – that strengthens workplace culture, reduces turnover, and boosts productivity: empathy.
While everyone is hard-wired with this ability, many leaders admit they struggle to be empathetic. Most leaders want to be empathetic, yet many employees say their managers aren’t.
This crucial paradox impacts on all our interactions, from colleagues and staff to those in our personal lives. Leaders are uniquely positioned to close it — if they have the right tools. This presentation will demystify empathy using real-world examples and clear up common misconceptions of this often-overlooked superpower. You’ll learn “5 Steps to Empathy”— a powerful and proven framework, giving managers immediately actionable tools to build loyalty, strengthen culture, and drive measurable business results.
You’ll walk away from this session knowing how to:
- Close the empathy gap: practical strategies to shift from understanding that empathy matters to actually practicing it as a leader.
- Connect empathy to outcomes: understand how increased empathy directly drives higher productivity, reduces turnover, and strengthens team performance.
- Identify concrete techniques to strengthen workplace relationships — and your personal ones too.
Solving a Paradox in Leadership: How to Be Nice AND Respected
Leaders know the tension well: organizations need managers who drive results and build the kind of trust and loyalty that sustains them. The research is clear — empathetic leadership increases productivity, reduces turnover, and earns leaders higher performance evaluations from their own bosses. Yet many leaders worry they will not be respected if they show empathy regardless of what the data shows. As a result, empathy is often deprioritized by leaders as a soft skill to ignore rather than a superpower to lean into that drives strong relationships and business results. This presentation will explore how old beliefs and misplaced role models create fear and concern of what it means to be an empathetic manager, to be nice and respected. That starts with dismantling the myths.
Using real-world examples and interactive activities, Rob Volpe will address the leadership paradox by demystifying empathy and shining light on a path that managers at all levels can follow. He will share his 5 Steps to Empathy framework which generates authentic connection and builds team cohesion and collaboration, improving workplace culture and the bottom line.
Attendees will learn:
- How to create an empathy-driven leadership culture that motivates people and drives business results
- Strategies for setting boundaries that generate balance between nice and respected
- Practical language tips and considerations for managing empathetically and applying these practices into organizational culture.
How to Foster Connection, Collaboration, and Commitment in Your Organization
We live in a world increasingly polarized by algorithms, politics, and cultural divides. It’s unrealistic to leave all that behind when we show up to work — yet success in any organization depends on connection, cohesion, and strong leadership. The often-overlooked superpower that makes this possible? Empathy.
The manager-employee relationship has been evolving, but not always fast enough. In a recent study, 79% of CEOs reported struggling to be empathetic, while 90% of Gen Z employees say they’re more likely to stay with an empathetic employer. This “empathy paradox” affects how we lead, collaborate, and engage with colleagues and staff.
Through real-world examples and interactive activities, Rob Volpe will demystify empathy, dispel common misconceptions, and introduce his “5 Steps to Empathy.” You will walk away with practical tools to strengthen relationships, inspire loyalty, and improve workplace culture across your organization.
Attendees will learn:
- Close the empathy gap: practical strategies to shift from understanding that empathy matters to actually practicing it as a leader.
- Connect empathy to outcomes: understand how increased empathy directly drives higher productivity, reduces turnover, and strengthens team performance.
- Identify concrete techniques to strengthen workplace relationships — and your personal ones too.
In this talk you will learn how to engage with colleagues and staff to create a more empathetic organization that will ultimately strengthen your workplace.
Lost in Translation? How to Keep Your Brand Human in the Age of AI
There’s a critical gap between artificial and human intelligence. The piece of the puzzle that fits that gap is something everyone is born with the capability to use: empathy. When deployed effectively, empathy can strengthen the quality and impact of marketing programs and increase customer loyalty. This presentation will show you how to speak the language of your consumers, even when using AI, to engage customers empathetically to drive business results.
According to recent studies, empathy increases advertising effectiveness by 23%; it can yield an incremental 10% in sales; 90% of consumers expect brands to display empathy with them through the brand’s messaging while 97% of customers say empathy is the most important element in customer engagement. Because empathy is seen as a soft skill, we ignore this superpower and driver of business results, turning to AI to craft strategy, campaign messaging, even communications.
Using real-world examples, Rob will demystify empathy and clear up the misconceptions of empathy and AI which can lead to mistakes in marketing strategy and messaging. The talk will explore the “5 Steps to Empathy” which can generate authentic connections to all the people who touch a brand –from customers to consumers to employees – leading to greater marketing effectiveness and improved business results.
Attendees will learn:
- How the use of empathy is a strength in marketing and branding
- How to overcome common barriers to being empathetic with customer segments
Practical application tips and examples for using AI and empathy in marketing.
Rob Volpe Testimonials
“I sincerely appreciated Rob’s delivery in understanding our audience, making it engaging with the multiple views, and how transferable the content was regardless of industry, role, or seniority. I appreciate the term “empathy activist” and how Rob broke down the various aspects of empathy without it seeming too basic or general.”
“Rob presented “The Missing Link in Marketing: How Empathy Influences Buyer Behavior” to the members of Texas Association of Community College Marketers (TACCM), and we were so grateful for his insights. What stood out most was how Rob made complex ideas feel simple and accessible. He explained how to practice empathy in a way that was easy to understand and immediately applicable—regardless of role or experience level. His messages were not only timely, but transformative—especially for community colleges that serve such diverse and dynamic populations. We walked away with a renewed sense of purpose and a toolbox full of ideas to apply immediately.”
“Rob’s presentation was one of the best we’ve ever had.”
“Rob had the highest rated session of the two presenters. On a scale of 1-4, the average satisfaction score from attendees was 3.67. It was an insightful session, with lots of great questions from attendees.”
“Thank you for a wonderfully engaging, insightful presentation! We do appreciate your time and expertise in supporting our audience’s ability to deliver more empathetic and effective customer service.”
“You did an outstanding job with the presentation. It was great to get them to think of a situation in advance and then when you went through the content, it was evident that they identified their challenges in showing empathy. Thank you so much for a great presentation.”
“Just finished the recording of Rob Volpe’s empathy webinar. It was outstanding. Kudos for another terrific, relevant, and implementable presentation. Thank you!”
“Thanks so much for joining us for this episode. We really enjoyed it!”
“You did a great job presenting information at the 20,000-foot level and then practical examples.”
Videos
Books
