Why is empathetic listening difficult?
Being a close and caring listener can be as vital in the workplace as it is in your personal life. Validating others viewpoints and expressing your compassion is an important way of communicating for building and maintaining strong working relationships. In this article, well define empathic listening, discuss why its important and provide tips and examples for empathic listening in your career. Show
What is empathic listening?Empathic listening is the practice of being attentive and responsive to others input during conversation. Listening empathically entails making an emotional connection with the other person and finding similarities between their experience and your own so you can give a more heartfelt response. Also called active listening or reflective listening, empathic listening requires you to be considerate of the other partys input. One main quality of empathic listening is giving support and encouragement rather than advice or criticism. Read More:Active Listening Skills: Definition and Examples Qualities of an empathic listenerHere are some important qualities youll likely need in order to listen empathically:
Related:Character Traits: Definitions and Examples Benefits of empathic listeningHere are some of the main reasons to practice empathic listening in your career
How to listen empathicallyBeing a present and caring listener takes practice. Here are some steps you can take to build your empathic listening skills:
1. Create a comfortable space for sharing.Giving the speaker a safe place for the discussion can make them more likely to confide in you. For instance, if youre in an office, you can turn your computer monitors off and, if it will not disrupt business, turn off your phones. Creating a comfortable space can also entail acting comfortable yourself. If the other participant in the conversation sees that you are calm, they might respond by calming down too. Consider practicing deep breathing so you are more present and attentive. 2. Acknowledge the speakers feelings.When listening empathically, it is important to let the other party know you are considering their feelings. Although you want to keep your input to a minimum, short phrases can indicate to the speaker that youre aware of their emotions and believe theyre important. For instance, you can say,I hear you orI see that this brings up strong emotions. 3. Pay attention to body language.The speaker may indicate discomfort with theirposture and mannerisms.For instance, if theyre tapping their feet or not sitting up straight, they may be nervous. Consider responding to this with more affirmations, maintaining a confident posture and speaking slowly and calmly. 4. Let them guide the conversation.Remember that the point of these discussions is to let the speaker air their feelings at their own pace. If there are breaks in the conversation, it is appropriate to remain in silence until the other party starts speaking again. If they decide to end the conversation abruptly, letting them leave without asking them to keep going can indicate that you respect their feelings. 5. Wait to speak.Holding your opinions until the other party asks for them demonstrates that you value their input and respect their wishes. If, after sharing, the speaker says, What do you think? you may offer your opinion. Otherwise, it is likely best to simply listen and give small acknowledgments. 6. Be encouraging.If someone is confiding in you, it may be because they are struggling with something that they dont know how to manage. If and when the other party asks for your input, you can encourage them by saying I believe you can respond to this situation or I can see that youre kind and considerate and I think that will help you manage this challenge. With effective encouragement, your conversation partner may feel more confident in the present situation and others going forward. Phrases for empathic listenersWhen youre in a situation where someone is speaking to you in confidence, consider using these phrases to show them youre listening empathically:
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