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Empathetic “mindfulness” Listening empathy

Empathetic listening does not indicate agreement but simply conveys that you care about the other person and that you want to hear what they are saying and experiencing.

Empathetic listening is now an essential skill for collaboration, as it enables the listener to receive and accurately interpret the speaker's message, and then provide an appropriate response. The response is an integral part of the listening process and is critical to team success.

Good Listening Ground Rules	Empathetic listening starts with basic listening practices: · Suspend Judgment. · Listen to understand, not to respond. · Avoid listening for facts only. · Don't change the subject or move in a new direction. · Don't rehearse responses in your own head. · Don't interrogate. · Don't interrupt with autobiographical responses. Note: Autobiographically listening is when we listen from our own point of view. When we do this we tend to respond in one of four ways: · We evaluate. · We probe. · We advise. · We interpret.
What vs. How of listening	In addition to understanding the intellectual content (WHAT is being said), try to understand the feeling the person is expressing (HOW it is being said). People frequently concentrate so hard on what is said that we miss the importance of the emotional reactions and attitudes related how something is said.
Acknowledgement	Create a positive atmosphere by verbally and non-verbally conveying your understanding of the other’s perspective. Make clear that you see the importance of the issue to them. · Verbally Say: “I can understand how you feel.” , or “I can see that or Please say more about that” · Non-verbally: Give support by leaning forward and let your face be expressive with a smile or nod.
Questions	Ask open-ended information questions that invite responses like: Can you give me some specific examples? How does this affect you? Help me understand? In addition, before answering a question, make sure you know what is being asked.
Respect	Never diminish another’s experience—it is real for the them. Treat their views as their reality. Do not try to reason it away or to persuade the other person to feel differently about it.
Paraphrasing	Restate what the speaker said in different words to confirm that you have understood what the speaker intended.
Playing Dumb	Socrates used this technique almost 2500 years ago. His pseudo ignorance encouraged others to express their views fully. Try it.