Example
Thoughts and Feelings
"I'm very angry."
"What makes you so angry?"
"The proposal I worked on for months was rejected without even telling me why."
When something unpleasant happens some people tend to talk more about their
feelings, whereas others talk about more their thoughts.
"My cat just died."
"Do you feel sad about it?"
"No, relieved that her suffering is over."
On the Empathy Path you learn how to keep moving between feelings and thoughts
until you've listened 'enough'.
Empathy Path
The Empathy Path is a tool that contains 16 A-4 cards, that clarify a structured process for professional listening. It uses the 6-Step Model from the Book of Needs and adds some brand new insights, that help you to experience the benefits of:
- our step by step process for speakers
- our step by step process for the listeners
- speaker and listener walking next to each other
Speakers will feel heard at a higher level
 |
Where is the speaker? Where is the listener? |
Each card shows where you and the others (speakers and listeners) are in the process and which questions need to be answered on this step. In this tool we integrated the following insights:
- In Step 1 speaker and listener decide to listen to one story from one person.
- You can only go to the next step, when the previous steps are fulfilled enough.
- During the process things will happen, that require going back to previous steps (because they are no longer fulfilled enough).
- You reach a higher level of being heard, when feelings are connected to thoughts and thoughts are connected to feelings.
- When speaker and listener are no longer on the same step, either one person moves forward or the other person moves backwards or both accept that listening is at a lower level.
The Empathy Path is currently available in English, German, Polish and Dutch. It follows the same steps as used in the worksheet 'Listening with Needs'.