Let's Talk About Empathy

Whether you’re comforting a friend during a difficult time or just trying to understand someone with a different viewpoint, empathy goes a long way in demonstrating care and understanding. Here are just a few ways you can show up as an empathetic person.

Empathetic people listen without an agenda but with genuine care. Be an active listener by responding to what the other person is saying and focusing on their side of the conversation rather than what you want to say next.?

Empathetic people read about others’ experiences to better understand them. Whether it’s an autobiography written by someone of a different race or an article from someone who experienced a cancer diagnosis, learning about situations different from your own gives you greater insight into how others are feeling. In turn, this insight helps you better support people with experiences different from your own.

Empathetic people try to meet other people’s needs. While platitudes like “I’m praying for you.”? and “Let me know if you need anything.” make it sound like you care, they don’t actually do much to help. Instead, try, “I’m praying for you to have peace and your dad to be in less pain during this time.” Or, “I’d like to lessen your burden by bringing you dinner this week. What night would be good for you?” Be specific and actionable in your care.

Empathetic people are curious. You’ve likely experienced the exchange of “Hey, how are you?” “Oh I’m great, how about you?” This conversation does little to get to the heart of how people are actually feeling. Try to dig a little deeper with questions like, “What was the best part of your weekend?” or “How did it feel to do XYZ?”