{"id":10031,"date":"2020-11-16T10:00:32","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T09:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/passodue.flywheelsites.com\/2020\/11\/16\/empathy-what-it-is-and-how-to-develop-it\/"},"modified":"2021-11-22T10:48:47","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T09:48:47","slug":"empathy-what-it-is-and-how-to-develop-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2020\/11\/16\/empathy-what-it-is-and-how-to-develop-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Empathy: what it is and how to develop it"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alice Alessandri<\/a> and Alberto Aleo<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

In the world of business we are increasingly hearing about\u00a0empathy<\/strong>:\u00a0communicating<\/strong>\u00a0empathically, making\u00a0products<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0services <\/strong>empathic, being empathic with\u00a0customers<\/strong>\u00a0and so on. But what does empathy really mean<\/strong>, and how can we develop it in a professional context?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In this article we will try and find an answer to these questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Empathic misconceptions<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

A lot of people confuse empathy<\/em> with its half-sisters, i.e. simpathy<\/em> and antipathy<\/em>.
\nAlthough these three terms certainly have a common root in the word pathos (translatable as emotion), in fact they have very different \u2013 if not opposite \u2013 meanings. <\/span>Let\u2019s look at them together:<\/span><\/p>\n

Simpathy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0(syn-pathos<\/em>) describes the condition in which we share the same feelings as the people we are engaging with (suffix\u00a0syn<\/em>=together).<\/span><\/p>\n

Antipathy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0(anti-pathos)<\/em>\u00a0on the other hand is when we feel opposite feelings (anti<\/em>=against).<\/span><\/p>\n

Empathy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0(en-pathos<\/em>) literally means being inside other people\u2019s emotions (en<\/em>=in or inside) i.e. sensing them and accepting them.<\/span><\/p>\n

We Italians often use these terms improperly. We use the word antipathy only in a negative sense (to describe a strong feeling of dislike towards someone else), and the word sympathy only in a positive sense (to indicate that someone makes us feel comfortable).\u00a0However it is important to be aware of the\u00a0differences<\/strong>\u00a0in these three terms: bearing in mind their different meanings we will learn to\u00a0use them properly<\/strong>\u00a0to clearly identify the most useful attitude<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Empathy\"<\/h2>\n

Flexible empathy<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Why is empathy so important nowadays and why does it have so many supporters among marketing<\/strong> and communication experts<\/strong>?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The\u00a0superpower of empathy<\/strong>\u00a0consists in creating\u00a0connections between people<\/strong>, making them feel\u00a0welcomed<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0listened to<\/strong>; it allows especially those who use it to\u00a0adapt their behaviour to<\/strong>\u00a0their interlocutors so as to help them and guide them, by satisfying their\u00a0emotional needs<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Emotions <\/strong>are the foundation of everything: these subtle forces give energy to our actions and provide answers to the psychological needs<\/strong>\u00a0which are becoming more and more important in modern markets.<\/span>\u00a0Without empathy we wouldn\u2019t be able to understand\u00a0what our customers<\/strong>really want<\/strong><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0since in mature markets the material requirements and the related needs are less and less\u00a0differentiating\u00a0in the eyes of the buyers. For example when we go and buy a new pair of shoes, the material need we are are trying to satisfy is in theory that of protecting and covering our feet. However who actually buys the umpteenth pair of shoes just to fill this need? Shoe racks are filled with shoes whose aim is to make us feel good-looking, self-confident, appropriate, \u2026 All these\u00a0psychological<\/strong> and emotional <\/strong>needs\u00a0deserve to be understood and accepted, and therefore to be fulfilled with a good dose of empathy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"passaggio\"<\/h2>\n

Developing empathy<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

The secret to being empathic is listening<\/a><\/strong>. What we mean is true listening, which is achieved not only through our\u00a0ears<\/strong>\u00a0but also through our\u00a0eyes<\/strong>\u00a0and through our\u00a0hearts<\/strong>.<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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As well as the ability to listen we need to learn to\u00a0be silent<\/strong><\/span>, otherwise we can\u2019t focus on \u00a0the human beings we are interacting with. As the wise teach us, there are at least\u00a03 levels of silence<\/strong>\u00a0(and of listening):\u00a0physical silence<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(avoid talking over other people or doing something else while interacting with them),\u00a0mental<\/strong> silence<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>which has to do with the ability to silence our self-talk and to concentrate fully on our interlocutors,\u00a0and the silence<\/strong> of the heart<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0which predisposes us to welcoming and accepting diversity\u00a0without preconceptions<\/strong> or rigidity<\/strong>. This last point is particularly important because the great difficulty in being empathic is exactly having to cope with our emotions. The word\u00a0pathos<\/em>, which we have translated as emotion, also<\/span> means suffering and some emotions can indeed be painful or difficult to accept.<\/span><\/p>\n

As well as developing empathy, we will have to show it through the\u00a0three main channels of\u00a0human <\/strong>communication<\/strong><\/a><\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n