Designing consumer experience by learning ‘Exercising Empathy’ from mental health specialists.

According to Hodges and Myers in the Encyclopedia of Social Psychology, “Empathy is often defined as understanding another person’s experience by imagining oneself in that other person’s situation: One understands the other person’s experience as if it were being experienced by the self, but without the self actually experiencing it. A distinction is maintained between self and other.”

Psychologists have identified three components of empathy: Cognitive, Emotional and Compassion.

1. Cognitive: the capacity to understand another’s perspective or mental state.
2. Emotional: the capacity to respond with an appropriate emotion to another’s mental states.
3. Compassion: an emotion people feel when others are in need, which motivates people to help them.

Exercises that strengthen empathy:

• Being Curious.
• Listen actively. Practice active listening by reformulating the message to the person who just said it.
• Mirroring.
• Practise mindfulness.
• Be curious i.e. Ask questions to understand but not to listen to respond/argue.
• Listen with your eyes and ears.
• Stronger interactions.
• Build trust.
• Exercise empathy by learning impactful techniques like Observation, Interviewing and many more.
• Hormone called Oxytocin increases emotional empathy and oxytocin is released by deep listening, meditation. Talking helps in release of oxytocin. Low level of oxytocin leads to mood disorders, stress, depression and many other symptoms.

Q: How does empathy help the therapist in their profession?

A: Promotes helping behaviours by not judging clients to build deeper and stronger connections, by understanding what people are thinking and feeling to diagnose the mental disorder and provide the right treatment accordingly.

Q: How does empathy help any professional in their profession?

A: Empathy provides the inspiration to identify the right problem and especially the latent needs by validating your own assumptions and to further develop break through solutions that could be in the form of products, services and even delightful human experiences.

From both mental health and improving customer/human experience aspect it is must have skill in everyone for living better and also for creating stronger delightful experiences for your consumers.

“Empathy might be your ticket to connection and ultimately, success.“

Here is how I have been applying empathy: understanding the clients what they need and designing customised services tailoring to their needs(obvious and non obvious) by practicising observation, interviewing, immersion and even at atimes analogous experiences. Also during my coaching & facilitation, designing and facilitating empathy experiences for my clients to feel, think and practice deeper empathy technqiues to their challenges to get inspired towards designing creative solutions.

So dear all, How are you exercising the power of empathy in your daily life and how is it inspiring you to design meaningful experiences, strategies, products, services and systems ?, please do share your thoughts and ideas in the comment box at the bottom of the page.

Must watch for understanding empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care:

What is the best way to ease someone’s pain and suffering? In this beautifully animated RSA Short, Dr Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to really get in touch with our own fragilities.

References:

https://lesley.edu/article/the-psychology-of-emotional-and-cognitive-empathy

Here are books you may like to read from psychiatry, psychology and any personal or professional application aspects for gaining deeper understanding:

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According to Hodges and Myers in the Encyclopedia of Social Psychology, “Empathy is often defined as understanding another person’s experience by imagining oneself in that other person’s situation: One understands the other person’s experience as if it were being experienced by the self, but without the self actually experiencing it. A distinction is maintained between self and other.”

Psychologists have identified three components of empathy: Cognitive, Emotional and Compassion.

1. Cognitive: the capacity to understand another’s perspective or mental state.
2. Emotional: the capacity to respond with an appropriate emotion to another’s mental states.
3. Compassion: an emotion people feel when others are in need, which motivates people to help them.

Exercises that strengthen empathy:

• Being Curious.
• Listen actively. Practice active listening by reformulating the message to the person who just said it.
• Mirroring.
• Practise mindfulness.
• Be curious i.e. Ask questions to understand but not to listen to respond/argue.
• Listen with your eyes and ears.
• Stronger interactions.
• Build trust.
• Exercise empathy by learning impactful techniques like Observation, Interviewing and many more.
• Hormone called Oxytocin increases emotional empathy and oxytocin is released by deep listening, meditation. Talking helps in release of oxytocin. Low level of oxytocin leads to mood disorders, stress, depression and many other symptoms.

Q: How does empathy help the therapist in their profession?

A: Promotes helping behaviours by not judging clients to build deeper and stronger connections, by understanding what people are thinking and feeling to diagnose the mental disorder and provide the right treatment accordingly.

Q: How does empathy help any professional in their profession?

A: Empathy provides the inspiration to identify the right problem and especially the latent needs by validating your own assumptions and to further develop break through solutions that could be in the form of products, services and even delightful human experiences.

From both mental health and improving customer/human experience aspect it is must have skill in everyone for living better and also for creating stronger delightful experiences for your consumers.

“Empathy might be your ticket to connection and ultimately, success.“

Here is how I have been applying empathy: understanding the clients what they need and designing customised services tailoring to their needs(obvious and non obvious) by practicising observation, interviewing, immersion and even at atimes analogous experiences. Also during my coaching & facilitation, designing and facilitating empathy experiences for my clients to feel, think and practice deeper empathy technqiues to their challenges to get inspired towards designing creative solutions.

So dear all, How are you exercising the power of empathy in your daily life and how is it inspiring you to design meaningful experiences, strategies, products, services and systems ?, please do share your thoughts and ideas in the comment box at the bottom of the page.

Must watch for understanding empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care:

What is the best way to ease someone’s pain and suffering? In this beautifully animated RSA Short, Dr Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to really get in touch with our own fragilities.

References:

https://lesley.edu/article/the-psychology-of-emotional-and-cognitive-empathy

Here are books you may like to read from psychiatry, psychology and any personal or professional application aspects for gaining deeper understanding:

Latest Posts