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Empathy: Van vs. Mustang Chronicles
Sudhir Gautam, DL4
Empathy Building Tools
Now that we know the tangible benefits 3. Conflict Postmortem—Anytime you
of empathy as a skill, here are some of the encounter a conflict, asking these 5
simple, easy to use tools that can help build questions can help build empathy:
empathy: • What happened?
1. Create what-if scenarios—How exactly • What were you thinking at that
do we put ourselves in other people’s time?
shoes? We do that by creating all kinds of • What have you thought about it
what-if scenarios and related questions since then?
in our heads. • Who’s been affected and how?
For example: • What can you do to make things
• What if that happened to you? right?
• How would you feel? 4. Simulate Conflict—What if you live in
• What would you do? an environment where there isn’t much
• What would you say? of a conflict? How do you build your
2. Build Emotional Intelligence—The empathy muscles? You can simulate
awareness, control, and a healthy conflict in all kinds of ways. For example:
expression of our emotions have to do • Movies: ask why characters feel the
with our emotional intelligence. You way they feel.
can build it by: • Books: imagine what it must feel
Being better at recognizing and labeling like to be in a given situation.
emotion as sad, angry, happy, etc. in • Paintings: try to get into it – what
both others and ourselves. Getting exactly is Mona Lisa thinking?
familiar with universal and contextual • Video games: what does it mean
facial expressions and body language to build a virtual Minecraft
helps you get better at it over time community?
VOICES! | SEPTEMBER 2020 41
