Empathy in Communication - Essay Example

The beginning of empathy is being aware of the feelings of another person. It is easier to know about other people’s feelings by asking them how they feel, guessing, making personal judgments and interpreting of non-verbal clues. After figuring out about another person’s feelings, the next step is showing empathy through acknowledgment of the emotion (Adler, 2011). I have used empathy severally in my communication; however, I remember this particular instance that I did not use empathy.

I was addressing a friend of mine who seemed to have difficulties adjusting to his new school because one of his new teachers was extremely hard on him. It was affecting him to the extent of not concentrating on his studies well. I remember passing through the same ordeal some time back, early in my education, but, with time I managed to adjust because I had a strong character. I did not refer this to my friend, and, hence, I did not seem to be of help to him. If I had mentioned that I had been in the same ordeal, my friend would have felt much better, and it would have helped him with his adjustment process.

I once told my teacher that I did not finish his assignment in time because there was a power shortage in our area. The teacher came from my neighborhood, and I expected him to understand me since he was in the same situation. However, he rubbished my excuses and still punished me by asserting that he does not care whether there was power or not. I did not feel good about the experience since I expected him to empathize with my situation. Empathy is necessary for life as it enables others to feel well even when faced with difficult situations.

When empathy is applied in people’s professional and personal lives, it ensures that there are noteworthy relations between people and that people faced with difficult situations are able to adjust effectively.