Cultivating empathy in ourselves is something all of us should endeavor to do. There are three main steps to do this. First, we must be open-minded. Second, we must learn to walk in other people’s shoes. Third, we must communicate our acceptance of their experience in an appropriate manner.

Being open-minded is a commonly exalted virtue that many of us can struggle with. We tend to have difficulties understanding the ways different people perceive the world and express emotions when these conflict with our own views. The best way to remedy this is to simply talk to people from different backgrounds and viewpoints. Expose yourself to different discourses and ways of understanding things. Travel far and wide if you can, and familiarize yourself with cultures where things are done differently from your own.

Walking in someone else’s shoes requires that we pay as close attention to them as possible so that we can understand where they’re coming from and what influences are at play. We must suspend our own views and see the way from the other’s lens. A great way to inculcate this skill is to simply read fiction. This puts you into the mind of a character that is not you, and you get to observe how they describe events, emotions, thoughts, etc.

Lastly, our understanding is only worth something when we can communicate it well. Be careful in the verbal and non-verbal cues you send out. Respect boundaries when they’re asserted and try to remember the things that are shared with you.

Questions or comments regarding the podcast?

Email the show at [email protected] or let us know what you think at http://bit.ly/pkcomment

Read the show notes and/or transcript at https://bit.ly/social-skills-shownotes

Get the audiobook on Audible http://bit.ly/listenhearvalidateking

For a free minibook on conversation tactics, visit Patrick King Consulting at https://bit.ly/pkconsulting

For narration information visit Russell Newton at https://bit.ly/VoW-home

For production information visit Newton Media Group LLC at https://bit.ly/newtonmg

#Empathy #humility #CultivatingEmpathyInOurselves #ListenHearValidate #RussellNewton #NewtonMG #PatrickKing #PatrickKingConsulting #SocialSkillsCoaching

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