How can you demonstrate empathy when working with clients?

Empathy is focusing on the other person. It requires you to put aside your biases, focus on what the other person may be going through, and try to see things from their perspective. It can be challenging because you need to be present in the moment, lean in on active listening, and adopt or understand mindsets or perspectives that may be counter to your own. As such, understanding and embracing that there is more than just one way to view and address a situation can help when trying to flex your empathy muscle.

Empathy is important. However, it’s critical to check your intentions along the way. People are perceptive and can sense when others are not being authentic. If you are not in a place where you are able to truly feel a sense of genuine care (for whatever reason) for the other person don’t try to fake it. Step back and reflect on why that is before engaging with them. If you’re showing empathy simply because you need the relationship you’re potentially setting everyone up for failure. You can still be courteous and kind.

Empathy is the ability to treat someone the way you would want to be treated. Do onto others the way you would want them to do onto you. That's what my father taught me. Listen to people and they will trek you everything you need to know. Some times just being there to listen to what is bothering a person is helpful. I have a note pad on my desk and I think I'm going to make it after thinking about this post, I'm going to name it my personal empathy pad. Because every day I write in it how I'm feeling and believe it or not, I feel better for writing that stuff down. I don't want anyone reading it because they would think I was crazy, but it helps

Empathy is compassion, feelings that are expressed with similarity and identifications: It doesn't matter what a person is going through, providing a listening ear sometimes is all that is needed. What I do understand is that when the deepest of empathy is shown amongst one another, it can change someone's life for the better

Stephen Covey's advice from "The Seven Habits of Highly Effectively People" will help you demonstrate empathy with clients: "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." Listen to understand rather than respond (or sell). Ask clarifying questions. Follow up on your client's explanations by reflecting them back to them. Say, "So, what I hear you saying is..."

Leading with empathy and not ego, and actually listening to what clients have to say. In my experience many people are ready with their own pre rehearsed message that they deliver at all costs, irrespective of the fact there’s someone else in the conversation. It’s easy to get stuck in our own narratives, to the extent we can forget to really listen to what clients have to say. But we should, and not just with clients too!

Empathy is valuable to both the receiver and the giver. When I started working at a distributor, I had the ability and resources to do more innovative Talent Management work for my client group. Other HR professionals with larger client groups teams did not have the luxury of time and resources that I had. I would connect with them, try to understand the struggles they were experiencing and share the programs and tools I developed for my team. They were appreciative that I was relieving some of their load and at the same time, I was building my personal brand. When the company went through a merger I was pleasantly surprised to find out that those individuals I had helped were recommending me for larger roles to the new HR leadership team.

Whether Coaching, Mentoring, Consulting or Advising, like in Leadership, remember it is not about you. It is about your client, what guidance, direction or advice they need, what their situation is, what the challenge or hurdle is that they are facing. Imagine yourself in their place, empathy, and support them from your expertise, as you would want to be supported yourself.