How can you practice empathy when giving or receiving feedback?

Scientists suggest getting a "micro-yes" as a starter for potentially difficult conversations. Start with a low-stake question, such as: "Do you have a minute to discuss yesterday's presentation?" Giving your employee the choice to either reject or agree to your request will create a sense of autonomy and psychologically make them more open to hearing your message.

I think a good way to empathize when receiving feedback is to first take a deep breath. It’s important to not be emotionally flooded. Before reacting to what was said, pause. Think about the motive of the person giving you the feedback. Most give feedback because we want to see others do well and overcome setbacks. So if you can keep that in mind, you realize that the person speaking up might find it hard to do and yet because they care about your growth, do it anyway. Knowing that, it is now so much easier to not be offended and drop your defenses to allow their truth in.

Considering feedback as an opportunity to improve is a great way to be more empathetic during criticism. This allows us to see another person as an ally rather than an opposition, which can aid in regulating emotions and improving the overall willingness to process feedback.

You can empathize by stepping outside of yourself and to evaluate the world through a sociological and psychological lens. Meaning to think about different, intersectional identities with how each one-- works on each other. We have visible and invisible identities influencing who were are as individuals. They can be aspects affecting our ego, super ego, and our id. The biggest advice I can give is to be kind. We see so little from those we intact with. I would describe it as an iceberg meaning that the majority of it is submerged in water. We are icebergs, everyone of us. I would try and put it into perspective; by asking questions like: "how would I feel if someone asked me 'blank'?" Remember that empathy comes from experience.