Empathy

Today I practiced Empathy.

How does one practice empathy? Good question. Empathy is about understanding and being sensitive to other people’s thoughts and feelings. I like to think of Empathy as putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.

One way to practice empathy is through active listening. This means really concentrating on what someone is saying instead of your mind wandering or just thinking of your response. Another good practice is echoing, or repeating what the other person said, to show you listened and are trying to understand. This can go a long way.

Making good eye contact and reading body language is another great way to develop empathy. If you can recognize when someone is upset not just through words, you’re more attuned to what they’re feeling and can put yourself in their place.

I used empathy while talking with a friend today. She was stressed about a job interview coming up and was feeling overwhelmed by social obligations. I let her do all the talking because when I put myself in her shoes, I was able to realize that she wasn’t looking for advice from me, but rather just wanted to vent about what was going on in her life and for me to simply listen. So I maintained steady eye contact, occasionally held her hand when she was getting upset, and echoed back what she said every once in a while to show my interest in what she was saying. I would say things like, “That must be really tough,” or “I understand,” or “I’m sorry you’re going through that.” By the end of the night, I read her body language and practiced my Emotional Intelligence to recognize she was tired and we said goodbye. We both felt really good about our talk and I owe a lot of that to my practice of empathy during our time together.

Empathy is extremely important in life and in the workplace. Whenever you’re talking to someone, try to practice this skill. Actively listen, make eye contact, echo, and try to understand what they’re going through.