How to Show Empathy

Think about how you pitch your voice and how fast you talk. Lower and slower will make you easier to hear and understand.

Listen empathically – focus on the person and the emotions that underlie his or her

Face the person you are speaking to. Stay in their field of vision. Speak a little louder than usual. Do not shout, as this distorts the voice and lip patterns. Speak a little more slowly than usual but not so slowly as to destroy the speech rhythm. If something is not understood, rephrase rather than repeat. Avoid distracting clothes or dangly earrings, or a beard if you are male, as this may cover the lips.

Look at the person when you are speaking to them and listening to them. Make eye contact and nod to show that you understand. It can help to repeat some or all of what the other person has said to you to positively reinforce that you have heard what they have said. Ensure that you understand what you have heard.

It is important to stay objective at all times and not to provide personal responses as this can provoke a lack of trust and rapport.

I need this skill for the rest of my life so it’s good that I am practicing on it now.

Empathy should play an active role in the daily lives of everyone, but in particular in the day-to-day lives of a healthcare professional. Healthcare professionals have the unique and challenging job of counseling patients in times of need, whether that is in the setting of a newly diagnosed disease or in the death of a family member. This unique challenge requires all healthcare professionals to be skilled at using empathy in the appropriate circumstances.

Don't overwhelm the individual with information while they are concentrating. Keep disturbance to a minimum, such as background noise or

First, mindful listening is important in communication just hearing what someone says is not enough we need to listen to who were are communicating with and give them our full attention. “To listen well, we rely on our ears, minds, and hearts” (Wood, 2016, p. 163). I have a problem with selective listening and I have worked on this to become a better listener throughout class with my family.

1. Stop talking-let others explain their views, concentrate on what the speaker is saying, not what your next comment will be. 2. Control your surroundings-remove competing sounds.

To achieve deep listening, the listener must take on certain responsibilities to help the talker and to ensure that there is agreement about the interpretation and intent of a message. Specifically, the listener must focus on the talker and pay close attention to what is being said. Strive to understand the meaning of the message and respond accordingly. Keep in mind that the response lets the talker know whether or not the message is getting through and allows him or her to adjust the message accordingly.

Active Listening It is most important to learn how to pay full attention to others as they communicate, and this process involves more than merely listening to the words. It involves absorbing the content, noting gestures and subtle changes in voice or expression, and

There are several methods to achieving effective listening. Concentrate on what others are saying. Make yourself shut out other challenges facing you and simply listen. Don't allow yourself to do other things as you listen, such as answering the phone, doing paperwork, or checking your e-mail. Effective listening is difficult and requires all of your attention and effort. The listener needs to focus on what is being said so they will not misinterpret what the speaker is trying to say. Paraphrase or rephrase what the speaker was saying in your own words to ensure that you heard the information accurately. It is important to

Have you ever heard the saying that goes “place yourself into the shoes of others”? Let’s analyze and take a deep look into the phrase. By placing ourselves into somebody’s shoes we develop a feeling of connection with them, better known as empathy. The question is, what is empathy? Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. People often confuse empathy with pity, but it is actually aiming the understanding of people’s feelings and perspectives. And by understanding them we learn how to use them to guide our actions. I believe that in order to change our society, people should be able to learn how to feel empathy or compassion for others. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:15 to "Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.”

Social Justice is defined as “the equal distribution of opportunities, rights, and responsibility despite differences in physical traits and/or beliefs and behavior. It is an international and multifaceted issue that fights for better treatment and equality of people.” (“Pachamama Alliance,” 2017). According to this definition, my understanding of social justice is that it is a way to advocate for other individuals in order to assist their needs in society. For example, I would want to advocate for Hispanic mothers and children who have been through abuse. My empathy towards this group started because of my personal history with an abusive father who suffered from alcoholism. “Empathy involves thinking about a person and the challenges he or she is facing and coming to understand what it is like for that person to have that experience.” (Cameron & Keenan, 2013, p. 72).