The subtitle of this post hints at the definition of empathy-putting yourself in another persons emotional, intellectual, or social space. In other words, adopting another's frame of mind. Empathy in a non-technical or therapeutic setting can often end up with "touchy-feely" connotations but I use it to describe what should be the goal of our communication events.
Empathy is a creative process. We have to imagine what it is going on in another person's head. We need to create their world view in our own minds even if they are radically different than our own. In order to do this we get to a point where we recognize our own world views and attempt, as much as possible, to set them aside.
Empathy is not sympathy. We can feel a person's pain without feeling sorry for them. We don't even have to agree with the person. In understanding and acknowledging a person's point-of-view we do not have to condone or approve-we should, however, suspend judgment.
Empathy is a tool. Understanding the potential audience and "putting yourself in their place(s)" can help us craft messages to ensure maximum understanding and impact. We can anticipate resistance or objections to our content. In a business setting, it can help us better understand our customer or our competitors.
Empathy ain't easy. Communication scholars refer to three 'selves' we all have.
1. How we view our self. 2. How other people view us. 3. How we think other people view us.
True empathy can open us to criticism of our own world views and cause us re-evaluate how we view our self, and how we think other people view us. This type of dissonance can be monumental. We may ignore the conflicting information and choose not to grow as a person or a business.
Creativity and communication involve stepping outside of ourselves (not easy when there are 3 of them). Through empathy we can understand better another person and ultimately understand ourselves better. Take the first step (btw-you do not have six legs).
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