Guidelines for Empathic Listening

Emphatic listening
Emphatic listening
Listen with empathy. Our first goal is to understand. Paraphrase and repeat the important points you are hearing to be sure you're getting them.

Purpose:  To enable leaders to effectively help people under their care to solve their problems and advance spiritually.

1. Be genuine. To help, you must truly care about this person.  Don’t hide behind your role as an leader. Be human and spontaneous.  Avoid defensiveness.  Use the following techniques without being controlled by them.
2. Be ready to listen. Empathic listening is essential.
3. Use good body language. Face the person squarely.  Keep limbs uncrossed and open. Lean slightly forward.  Maintain attentive but unintimidating eye contact.  Sit somewhere free of physical barriers, such as a desk. Relax.
4. Listen with empathy. Our first goal is to understand.  Paraphrase and repeat the important points you are hearing to be sure you’re getting them.  Restrain the urge to blurt out your opinion.  (By acknowledging another person’s opinion you aren’t necessarily accepting that opinion.)

Restate the opinion to prove you understand by saying, “You feel ____________ because ____________.”

Author: Alex Todorovic has been teaching, training and coaching professionals from all walks of life and spiritually inclined people for the past 25 years. He had spoken and trained people in 17 countries and had coached over 350 clients in over 1500 sessions. His focus is holistic success and spiritually based coaching. his courses include gita coaching, building caring communities, the power of choice and excellent questions – excellent life.