Empathy at Work

Chapter 2. Empathetic Communication at Work

There is no one skill that is more valuable for any human being than communication. Interestingly enough, however, communication is what often trips people up the most, both personally and at work. A part of that is because we are all trying to figure out how to navigate conversations in the most effective way.

The problem? Every conversation is a little bit different; each one has a unique origin, goal, result, style, and—probably most importantly—combination of participants. The way we converse says a lot about who we are as people. Do we listen more than we speak? Do we like to take charge of the situation and lead conversation? Do we like to follow others’ lead and navigate within the current flow of tone and topics? Because there are so many variables in having even a simple interaction, most of us will approach conversations in the way that we feel most comfortable. And, 9 times out of 10, we feel most comfortable approaching conversations with the emphasis on our messaging.

Defining Empathetic Communication

When we approach conversations, our goal is generally to get our message across. Everything we do leading up to and during that conversation is with that goal in mind. We consider what we will say. We sometimes even make notes—mentally or written down—to make sure that what we are conveying aligns with our desired messaging. Then, we approach the person we want to converse with at a time and place that is most convenient and ...