Learning Experience 2 Empathy

A really powerful lesson I learned was during Wendy Williams Empathy class about a year ago now. We talked in depth about the power of storytelling and how this helped unlock empathy. There is a really great Ted Talk by Brenne Brown that connects with this on vulnerability if you are interested. But to unlock true empathy, I believe vulnerability and storytelling are essential. Real empathy is going down into a dark hole with somebody to check on them, not just shouting from the top if they are ok. If everyone in life could take a few more minutes to focus on empathy during their day, the world would be a better place. And opening up to a little more vulnerability and understanding how to tell a great story is the key to do this. There were several examples of this during the course of the class. We had refugees come into class and tell their story of how they arrived at the United States a few different times. You see in the news just a mass, broad viewpoint on the "refugee crisis", but I'll never look at it the same way again after they told their stories. It is easy to get caught up in the political feelings and numbers the news gives, but behind each of those is a personal story of family separation and persecution. It really pulls on your heartstrings when you realize there are millions of these stories out there. Learning how to tell whatever story you are sharing in a powerful way is crucial to the success of developing empathy with your audience. I also saw the power of vulnerability in action as our class went around the room and shared in depth personal experiences in their lives, and you develop a much greater empathy and appreciation for them. That really brought our class closer together, and we gelled really well together. Knowing the power of vulnerability and storytelling the formula to create empathy in your audience and make the world a better place.

Comments

  1. williams.dan76March 2, 2020 at 10:37 AM

    Thanks for posting about empathy. I have always been on the empathetic side of life, for better or for worse, but I certainly agree the world would be better if more people practiced empathy, a response that can be learned. Wendy is a good friend, and I am glad you found her class a great learning experience. Thanks for posting.

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