4-Ways to Improve Your Empathetic Skills

Welcome back empowered readers,

For this months empowered journal I wanted to discuss the ability of developing our empathetic skills. I felt that this topic was important after reading an article about how employers seek candidates with high emotional intelligence. Being that one of the most important components of emotional intelligence is empathy, I thought that this would be a great place to start.

Empathy is the ability to accurately put yourself “in someone else’s shoes” – to understand the other’s situation, perceptions and feelings from their point of view – and to be able to communicate that understanding back to the other person. But why is the ability to empathize with others becoming a sought after skill-set within the workplace? Because empathy is a critical skill to have as a leader, to work well within a team environment, and working to work with others.

Here are 4 ways to develop your empathetic skills:
                                                                    

1. Travel Get out of your usual environment. Travel to new places and different cultures, this will give you a better appreciation for others.
2. Self-Reflect Examine your biases. We all have hidden (and sometimes not-so-hidden) biases that interfere with our ability to listen and empathize. These are often centered on visible factors such as age, race, socioeconomic status and gender. 
3. Get Curious Cultivate your senses of curiosity. Ask yourself questions such as “what can I learn from a very young colleague who is inexperienced?” Or "what can I learn from someone whose views, religion or culture is vastly different from my own?" Curious people ask a lot of questions that help lead them into developing stronger understanding of the people around them. 
4. Question Ask better questions. Bring three or four thoughtful, even provocative questions to every conversation you have with other people like colleagues, clients or peers.  

Research has shown that empathy is partly learned and partly innate. Everyone can improve their ability to empathize with those around them. Utilizing these simple steps can help you with your empathetic abilities.

Interested in learning more about empathy? Join our free Empowered Empath group on Facebook where we provide information, perspectives, and techniques for enriching your life with the gift of empathy. Follow the link below.

To your empowered wellness,

Exchiela

The Empowered Empath