If you’re speaking to a hostile or unfriendly audience, you may want to use empathy, strategically. It’s not something you want to use cynically, but rather a set of tools that can help you make your case when you face an unfriendly or even hostile audience.

I’m sure you’ve seen television news stories in which the beleaguered head of some organization faces unhappy consumers, constituents, or other group. And, the results are telling. A speaker who uses empathy effectively can soothe the audience, without necessarily conceding or giving up any ground.

A number of techniques can be employed to get the audience onside. They include an apology (if appropriate) or repeated use of the phrase, “I understand.” But those are just a few of the techniques available; and for those who like to compare, speakers have a bigger empathy toolbox than writers, so let’s look at a few of those tools.

First, make eye contact with audience members. Not aggressively, of course, but respectfully and openly. Each person with whom you make one-on-one eye contact is now more likely to see you as a person doing a difficult job, rather than a bad guy representing a bad organization.

Keep your arms and hands open at all times. Spread your arms wide whenever possible, and keep your hands open, with your palms facing the audience. Avoid folding your arms across your chest (denotes being closed to other opinions) or holding them in front while you clutch your hands (denotes fear).

You can also get onside with the audience by starting behind a lectern, and then moving away from it once you get started. Standing behind a lectern (in a hostile situation) suggests you’re hiding in a fortress, while standing in front of it or to the side suggests you have nothing to hide and that you’re not afraid.

You may have other public speaking techniques to project empathy, of course, but these five will make a big difference in getting and gaining the understanding of your audience.