Unlike appearance or intelligence, which depends largely on genetics, empathy is a skill that children learn. We are born with the capacity for empathetic behavior, but whether or not we mature into caring, understanding adults is principally determined by what we are taught. How do we teach empathy?
TEDxGoldenGateED takes place on June 11, 2011 from 1pm to 9pm at the soaring and historic Craneway Pavilion in Richmond California. Join us to hear from a incredibly diverse field of speakers about what science tells us about compassion and empathy, and see how compassion improves learning.
Join us to explore humanity's stickiest idea: Compassion. In true TED fashion, we promise a full day of inspiration, insight, interaction, and delight as we learn about the new science of compassion, and see how compassion helps transform schools and communities.
The following article will tell you about some ways in which you can carry out some active listening exercises to improve this skill. Active Listening Exercises.
* Really listen to a person instead of fazing out into your own dreamworld!
* Mentally try and repeat what they are saying back to yourself so that you are active and get it right.
* Do not interrupt someone when they are speaking to you. Not only is it insulting but you'll leave out on important information if you do that.
* After they've spoken and there are doubts lingering, get clarifications by asking questions......
This facilitator and participant guide is designed to help you explore the power of compassion in your own and others’ lives by providing tools for facilitating conversations about compassion in your community, organization, business, or school.
This guide contains a series of vignettes that explore;
• What compassion is • The compassionate instinct • Self-compassion • Cultivating compassion • Compassion in action
We’ve also included suggested questions to spark discussion around the essays, videos with accompanying discussion questions, suggested home practices, and resources for further exploration. [PDF format]
Empathic listening is sometimes called active or reflective listening. It is a technique of listening and communicating to another person in a manner that enhances mutual understanding. It is a skill that is useful for disputants as it clears the air of misunderstandings and provides an environment where the people can discuss without conflicts. (image bit.ly/fBlDSg)
A recent research published in the Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging suggests that individuals who meditate benefit from the changes experienced by the brain.
Specifically, the study says that people who meditate for a duration of around 30 minutes in a single day for eight weeks had measurable modifications in the gray-matter density in the brain. These gray areas are linked with sense of self, empathy and stress as well as memory.
How to handle couples that quarrel and how to stop if you’re the guilty party. Here are eight ways to deal with quarreling couples:
3. Use empathy. If one spouse is getting the worst of it, empathy can help diffuse some tension. If Mr. Bickerson is telling an embarrassing story about his wife backing her car into a telephone pole, take the sting out of it by sharing your own story. "You know, I did something just like that one time. I felt pretty silly, but things like that can happen to anyone."
We seem to think empathy is something that emerges naturally. But what if empathy became part of the curriculum?
Getting children to understand the feelings of others is not an easy task, but it’s an important one. In my eyes, it’s actually THE most important one.
Understanding how other people feel makes it easier to live a compassionate and conscientious life. Being a good person is certainly possible without that piece, but if you can’t relate to other people’s feelings, it’s a lot harder to know how not to hurt them. Here in the U.S., we seem to think empathy is something that emerges naturally.
Learning to feel for other people and the problems they face daily is something that cannot be taught solely from textbooks and classroom lectures.
So, Capital University asked six of its students to participate in an interactive eight-week program called the Empathy Experiment. The six students—four women and two men—focused on becoming more aware of the challenges facing the working poor in Central Ohio.
So what is empathetic listening? It is considerably different to just plain old listening. Many of us routinely listen halfheartedly, or attempt to multi-talk, using the odd grunt to show our attention. We can view listening as a pause to gather our thoughts, and formulate the next crafted reply – this might be better described as pathetic listening. Empathetic listening is when we give our full, non-judgemental attention to the speaker, with their best interests in mind.
Show empathy: This means tuning in to your child's feelings and letting him know you understand. If your child is sad or upset, a gentle touch or hug may let him know that you understand those sad or bad feelings. Do not tell your child what he thinks or feels. Let him express those feelings. And be sure not to minimize these feelings by saying things like, "It's silly to feel that way," or "You'll understand when you get older." His feelings are real to him and should be respected.
Practice tools for teaching empathy to children--on your spouse. Three different people asked me what tips I’d give parents who want to raise empathetic children.
Another important way to keep your marriage from self-destructing is to practice empathy with your partner. I love John Medina’s recommendation for how to develop an “Empathy Reflex,” which he describes in his book, Brain Rules for Baby
Feeling frustrated with kids is very common, however, showing empathy for kids when they make mistakes has a more powerful teaching effect.
Empathy is at the heart of Love and Logic. Jim Fay and Foster W. Cline studied parents to find out why some parents got good results when disciplining, while others, who used the same methods of disciplining, got the opposite. They found that it had everything to do with showing empathy, or sadness, for the kid’s mistakes before applying the consequence.
No time-outs, no yelling, no spanking, no taking away toys. When contributor Jillian Lauren's son acts up, she treats him with 'empathy and respect.' How does it work? ...
So what do I do when my kid misbehaves? Take a Valium and give him a pat on the head? Not at all. I try to shift my focus from his behavior to the needs behind it. My son is only three, so there's still a fair amount of guesswork involved in this process. Sometimes I'm better at it than others.B ut I attempt to meet those needs with love and empathy. ..
I believe that treating my son with respect and empathy will in turn teach him to be empathetic and respectful, which are traits that I value far above mere obedience.
April is Autism Awareness month, and a perfect time to teach your children about compassion in the classroom... Compassion in the Classroom
*See the world through their eyes. Help your child imagine how challenging a day at school must be for a child with autism. Appreciating how well their autistic peer does in school given his social characteristics will help your child appreciate the student.
*Be proactive. Ask the teacher! The teacher has a close relationship with the children and parents in her class. Certainly, he or she is aware of the things that help make each student tick.
*Teach tolerance. Treat people with autism the way you would want to be treated, even if they do not know how to respond appropriately.
Active listening is a communication technique that requires the listener to understand, interpret, and evaluate what (s)he hears. The ability to listen actively can improve personal relationships through reducing conflicts, strengthening cooperation, and fostering understanding.
When interacting, people often are not listening attentively. They may be distracted, thinking about other things, or thinking about what they are going to say next (the latter case is particularly true in conflict situations or disagreements). Active listening is a structured way of listening and responding to others,
Effective listening skills can help a person who is suffering from deep emotional wounds, or involved in a serious interpersonal conflict, to vent.
Empathic listening skills require a different subset of proficiencies than conversing, and it is certainly an acquired skill. Many individuals, at first, find the process somewhat uncomfortable.
It is has been proven that teaching children kindness and empathy towards animals leads them to treat each other the same way.
Then we have the many passionate education officers like me who present their own animal care and welfare programmes highlighting compassion and empathy, throughout local schools, and there are many people coming on board every time.
You can create the antidote to the epidemic of bullying!
.. you focus a laser-like intensity on nurturing empathy in your own child. Empathy is the ability to feel compassion for another human being, the ability to know what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes. And it goes hand-in-hand with other anti-bully qualities like kindness and a willingness to help those in need.
Without empathy our world would be chock full of people who cared only about themselves and who turned a blind eye on the suffering of others. A lack of empathy is one of the hallmarks of sociopaths and most likely missing in most bullies as well.
Expanding your empathy might offer just what you are looking for. Empathising is an avant-garde form of travel in which you step into the shoes of another person and see the world from their perspective. It is the ultimate adventure holiday – far more challenging than a bungee jump off Victoria Falls or trekking solo across the Gobi desert.
Here are my five top tips for transforming yourself into an empathetic adventurer over the coming months.
According to the experts, empathy is an ability that is partially inborn and partially developed. Nobody gets off the hook. So like kids who struggle with reading, kids who struggle with empathy need some extra tutoring. Research shows that, to improve these skills, first children need to know they have emotional safety at home. We feel pretty good about that one. Empathy needs to be modeled by the caregivers. OK, that happens fairly often. Then they need to get some skills. Suggestions for this include...
Whether it's with a toddler or a high school senior, connecting on a meaningful level as a parent is a skill worth honing.
4. Be a mirror. Reflect with empathy what you notice your children are feeling and what you hear them saying. Active listening helps kids of all ages cope with their emotions. They often get frustrated, especially if they can’t express themselves as well as they would like. When you repeat back to them what you think they’re feeling, it helps to relieve some of that frustration. It also makes them feel respected and comforted
How to Improve Empathetic Listening Skills. Listening is an important skill in any situation.Listening is an important skill in any situation. Empathetic listening is a concentrated effort to ensure that the speaker feels that you are truly comprehending and valuing them without judgment. It is a skill that may not come naturally but can be improve.
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