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To awaken your empathy to create great business relationships and success, find out what happened before so you can be empathetic with people now. Too often leaders, managers, and employees come to see empathy the same way they see intuition. They think it’s some vague — even scary — intangible that isn’t needed in business.

Yet, the studies show that empathy is a key factor in employee satisfaction and in positive customer experience. So let’s explore the tangible way to awaken your empathy.

What Happened Before Awakens Empathy For Others Now. Image by Tomo Tang via Flickr Creative Commons License.

Image by Tomo Tang via Flickr Creative Commons License.

What Happened Before Awakens Your Empathy Now

Empathy is a connection that is based on knowing how someone feels. It isn’t judging how someone else feels based on your own experiences. So the good news is even if you haven’t had the same experience as someone else, you can be empathetic of their experience.

Here’s How

• Listen without judgment. When you listen to a customer telling you what happened to them, you discover what led up to this moment. Listening to what happened before gives you the “aha” moment to show empathy now. Don’t blow this chance!

• Suspend your logic, your defensiveness, blaming urge, and sense of helplessness. All of those things can bury your empathy. Now, empathize before you analyze. Let others know that you hear and feel what they are going through. Empathy is the connection before the solution. Moreover, it is the connection with customers that makes every interaction more than just a transaction.



Empathy is the connection before the solution.





Go Further Back into What Happened Before

• Ask them additional questions to learn what other factors in the past have made this moment what it is now. For example, with a customer this may not be the first time they have had a bad experience (with you or with other businesses). With those you lead, they may have been quiet about difficult issues for a long time. Now you see the intensity. The replies you give them must be free of blame and full of support.

Hidden Empathy Checklist

I offer you now this 5 minute video on all the places you bury your empathy. Review this checklist and use it as a self-development tool to improve your professional people skills for your career.

From my professional experience to your success,
Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™

Related Posts:
Are These Blocks Stopping Your Business Empathy

©2020 Kate Nasser, CAS, Inc. Somerville, NJ. I appreciate your sharing the link to this post on your social streams. However, if you want to re-post or republish the content of this post, please email info@katenasser.com for permission and guidelines. Thank you for respecting intellectual capital.

Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™, delivers coaching, consulting, training, and keynotes on leading change, employee engagement, teamwork, and delivering the ultimate customer service. She turns interaction obstacles into interpersonal success. See this site for workshop outlines, keynote footage, and customer results.

Tags: curiosity, Customer Service, emotional intelligence, empathy, happenings, interpersonal skills, leading morale, people skills, questions, Soft Skills, solutions, Teamwork