What is empathy?

Many communications books and courses tell us to “be more empathetic” or to “practice empathy,” but what does this mean? How can we develop and practice this important soft skill? All this week, the Daily Tip will explore this important communications skill and ways to develop it.

Dr. Marshall Rosenberg defines empathy as, “a respectful understanding of what others are experiencing.”

We shouldn’t confuse empathy with pity, sympathy, or compassion.

Sympathy is a feeling of care. Empathy is the ability to recognize and share emotions.

Image credit: Psychology Today

Also, having empathy requires a little more of us than “putting yourself in someone else's shoes.”

Neel Burton, M.D. defines this well, saying: “For me to share in someone else’s perspective, I must do more than merely put myself into his position. Instead, I must imagine myself as him, and, more than that, imagine myself as him in the particular situation in which he finds himself. I cannot empathize with an abstract or detached feeling. To empathize with a particular person, I need to have at least some knowledge of who he is and what he is doing or trying to do.”

Because knowing and doing are two different skills, tomorrow, we will look at what blocks empathy.