How to leverage the power of empathetic communication

- Practicing empathy while communicating builds rapport, counters emotional decision making, and sets the groundwork for building a relationship or having productive conversations around developing a path forward if you're managing a workplace conflict. These three tips will help you have empathetic communication. Number one, put yourself in their shoes. Try to understand the speaker's emotions and perspective, even if you don't agree with them. This is their experience. Respond in a way that reflects compassion and curiosity, which can strengthen connection between you and the speaker. Number two, acknowledge their feelings. Validate the speaker's emotions by saying things like, "I can understand why you would feel that way," or, "That sounds really challenging." Letting a person know that they were seen and heard can go a long way to enhancing your communication with them. And number three, stay neutral. Try to keep your tone and body language neutral while listening, especially if you do disagree with the speaker. This helps in maintaining a respectful, productive, and nonconfrontational dialogue. It also allows you to not have to fix the issue, unless that's your job to do so. One thing to keep in mind though, empathetic listening doesn't mean that you allow people to pull you into situations that involve gossip, complaining, or toxic conversations about your company or coworkers. If someone approaches you with that energy, feel empowered to say, "I don't feel comfortable speaking about that." Give it a try and let me know how it goes.