The Importance Of Empathy For Effective Communication

What could you have done differently to empathize with them? Consider what you have learned in class this week.

Define empathy and explain why it is important for effective communication.

Empathy is our ability to adjust to other people thoughts and emotions. Empathy is connecting to another person through feelings, compassion, sympathy and concern. Having empathy is important in communication. In relationships it is important because it allows you to share your thoughts and feelings which allows each partner to understand the emotions of each other ultimately deepening the relationship. Bevan and Sole (2014) noted, “Being empathetic helps you view the world in a more balanced and objective way” (p. 210). In a professional relationship, having

I recently had an employee submit a reconsideration on his annual performance assessment. I reviewed his request and decided to assign an independent recommending official to review his reconsideration and provide a recommendation based on his findings. The recommendation I received was his supervisors and the program office he supported felt the employee had only met his job performance objectives and that he did not warrant a higher pay raise.

I met with the employee and we discussed his job objectives and the areas where he felt he had exceeded. As the discussion went on, I focused on being an active listener. I attended to the conversation by taking notes and using eye contact and I showed that I cared about the employee’s thoughts and feelings. I did paraphrase a few of his comments and then followed up by asking questions pertaining to our performance rating system and if he clearly understood his performance baselines and what was required to achieve higher ratings. This employee had only been in our organization for two years. I did not approve his reconsideration and expressed my reasoning. I also offered suggestions and opportunities for future growth if he was interested in which he could engage and possibly excel. I also assigned him a mentor since he was fairly new in the organization. In the end, I felt the conversation went very well, the employee walked away satisfied with our discussion, I was able to enroll him in future training that would assist him at excelling in his current position and allow him to grow in his knowledge within the organization. He was also assigned a senior mentor in which he could learn new skills within the