Be impeccable with your words…….when you refer to yourself or to others. Impeccability of your word demonstrates respect for people, along with a strong emotional quotient, and the ability to communicate in an empathetic way. When we experience empathy we feel as if we have been listened to….we feel as though we have engaged with another person rather than interacted with them.
We can learn from others when they demonstrate empathy because it gives us a framework for incorporating it into our own style, and it helps us to understand the importance of empathy in developing human relationships. The skill of empathy adds another dimension to our interpersonal development….one where we build relationships through our ability to understand and respond to people.
So we must get into the habit of inner examination so that we can create greater awareness of how others perceive our communication and participation. We must have the ability to know ourselves before we can know others; and with that awareness we can acknowledge our blind spots, and make adjustments to ensure continuous growth. Greater awareness of what we are thinking and feeling leads to greater skill and ability to read and interpret people and situations accurately. The more adept we become at this the better we become at engaging with people in an authentic and meaningful way.
Stephen Covey said Empathetic listening gets inside another person’s frame of reference. You look out through it, you see the world the way they see the world, you understand their paradigm, you understand how they feel.”