EDITOR'S NOTE
It’s almost too on the nose in this most intense of years to be talking about empathy. The word was tainted, even pre-2020, by overuse in business and leadership rhetoric. Empathy is key to business success, so the story goes. It’s a bit of a reductive statement really. Empathy is the key to human success. Without this ability to separate our own perceptions and feelings from those around us - a critical neurological function - we’d be a roaming horde of egocentric narcissists. We are successful social animals because we can understand and act on the feelings and needs of others, even when they don’t match up with our own.
There are three kinds of empathy:
Cognitive empathy: the ability to rationally “see” the perspective of another
Emotional empathy: when you experience another person’s feelings as your own
Compassionate empathy: when you feel someone else’s pain and take action to help them resolve it
Compassionate empathy is the most useful kind in most contexts, as it’s not just a matter of understanding and feeling someone’s pain, but helping them navigate a way out of it. In business, compassionate empathy fuels the best solutions to customer pain points.
If you want to master compassionate empathy, start by paying attention to what you don’t know.
We are not all equally equipped with these different types of empathy, as your latest true crime docuseries will neatly demonstrate. Context also plays a role. Research shows that our ability to empathize is reduced the more comfortable (and privileged) we are. The good news is that we can learn to be more compassionate, and take certain steps to empathize more effectively with our colleagues, customers, and neighbors.
Our compassion works like a muscle and can be strengthened with regular practice. In doing so, we physically alter our brain’s reaction to another’s suffering. There’s one step that everyone can adopt right away to be better empathizers: curiosity.
As Peter Bregman writes: “Before demonstrating my understanding, I have to develop it. I need to ask questions and be open and listen and learn. Which takes humility. Humility is not knowing. And that, eventually and almost always, leads to empathy which leads to compassion.”
If you want to master compassionate empathy, start by paying attention to what you don’t know. Ask. Listen. Learn. It’s the path to us all feeling a little more seen. ◆
Dani Mansfield,Editor, The Splash
WHAT'S IN THIS ISSUE →
Building remote relationships with buyers through digital touchpoints
A look into the behavioral science that underpins online feedback
Understanding design ethics, influencing stakeholders, and using biases for good
Unlocking empathy in account-based targeting through data obsession
How learning to understand, respect, and implement other points of view drives business growth
Exploring the causes of candidate ghosting and biased hiring to bring empathy to recruitment
Why crafting a compelling brand story is the ultimate future-proof against competitors
Infographic: how employee engagement affects eight business outcomes
Four types of sales videos to humanize cadences
is produced by TurtlEditor: Dani MansfieldAssistant Editor: Kit McKay
Art Director: Alistair MacRobertDesigners: Clara Lopez, Alice FreemanHead of Marketing: Karla RivershawPR & Social: Kate Terry
Contributors: Natasha Keary, David Dylan Thomas, William Geldart, Jayson Boyers, Minaz Tejani, Kit McKay, Dani Mansfield , Chris Gillespie