Examples Of Feeling Empathy

Picture this – your boss calls you into her office to talk about your performance at work. It’s supposed to be a good review – that is, until she bursts into tears about her divorce. Apparently, something you did reminded her of her ex-husband.

You’re sweating bullets (don’t they have something against bringing your personal life into work anyways?) and wondering how you’re going to get yourself out of this one.

So you tell her that 50% of all marriages end in divorce and she shouldn’t feel alone. Smooth move, Exlax – you’ve just gotten yourself fired.

What should you have done? What should you have said? There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to a situation like that, but it all boils down to being empathetic – it’s one of the all important communication skills that keeps things from turning from bad to worse in your personal and professional life.

What are some examples of feeling empathy? How do you know when a situation warrants an empathetic approach?

In Your Personal Life

Your girlfriend decides to share something with you that obviously upset her – you can tell by the mascara stains on her face before she even says a word.

It’s a big one – the death of a pet, jeans that used to fit … and the expectant look on her face after she lets it all out makes you want to get up and run.

What you could do: Say something like, “I feel so bad for you. Your life is never easy, every time you turn around something bad happens. I don’t know what I would do if I were you.” While this is not entirely bad, this is an example of being sympathetic. That doesn’t always work.

What you should do: This is a situation that warrants empathy. Basically, examples of feeling empathy are supporting them, validating their feelings and sharing their feelings about the issue at hand. Say something like, “I understand so much how you feel right now, you are so frustrated and angry. I would be too if I were in your situation.”

Your co-worker has been stabbed in the back by another co-worker and his job is on the line. He could be fired any minute and he’s terrified – the bills aren’t going to pay themselves, you know! Your co-worker turns to you for support.

What you could do: Stay out of the situation. Offer no comfort or support and keep to yourself.

What you should do: Say something like, “You must be feeling so overwhelmed and taken advantage of right now. I can completely understand where you’re coming from.” In this situation, avoid voicing your own opinion about what the other co-worker did – if your friend gets canned, you don’t want it coming back to bite you in the ass.

Developing good communication skills involves the mastery of empathy – use these examples of feeling empathy to help you spot situations in your own life where being empathetic can benefit you.

This article is about examples of feeling empathy. Click here to return to the home page.