Sindhu Varma - UNstuck Coach Sindhu Varma

Empathy is when one puts oneself in another's shoes and shares their feelings. It is essential for growth; both in career and in life as a matured, evolved individual.

In this podcast, I have tried to differentiate between empathy and sympathy; and also to bring out some of the subtler aspects and actions related to empathy.

Examples:

1. Empathy is not about tolerating someone’s faults or about looking down on them

2. Empathy means tweaking your message/words/emotions to suit the context or feelings of the other person.

4. Empathy means perceiving something deeper or looking past the obvious behaviors of people to that what is actually triggering them

5. Empathy means raising yourself to a higher level of emotional maturity and acting responsibly

6. Empathy is sometimes just plain respecting someone’s privacy;  leaving them alone to cope

7. Empathy can spur you on a mission or drive you to do charity  - not for tax exemptions or feeling of righteousness but for the pleasure of giving.

Please comment below and share your thoughts about it.

As the famous Author and Speaker Earl Nightingale says "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal".

How many of us can honestly say that we are actually living a life that we want or doing a job/running a business that we have always wanted?

Not many of us can say that. If you are feeling a little confused about the topic, check out these ten points that I put forward in this podcast. It will help you to analyze your current situation/job/business objectively.

How to identify diff learning styles and communicate accordingly?

Ever felt frustrated trying to explain something to a person who still looked puzzled at the end of your explanation? Or having explained, described a process to a new team member or employee countless times, he/she still makes senseless mistakes? You felt you gave precise instructions to do something but the job was shabbily done?

As the speaker/communicator, it is your responsibility to make sure the other person got the message accurately. For that, a grasp of how people absorb, process and retain information will be useful. 

In this podcast, I explain about the different learning styles, how to understand them in others and how to use that knowledge effectively to communicate better.

1. Visual learners – like to see things, spikes their imagination, understands better if they can see what they are learning.so graphs, pics, videos, PowerPoint slides etc engage them. As you explain the images form in their mind and easier to retain that image of the information conveyed.

2. Auditory learners – likes to listen with unbroken attention. Repeats sentences or words after the speaker. Summarizes things. Speaks loudly to themselves while thinking or learning.

2. Kinesthetic learners- loves to experiment, do with their hands, experience the learning and not content with seeing or hearing. Some write copious notes, likes to hold on to their books, pens or any object. They have to hold, feel, experience.

How to identify different learners? By observing them and listening to their words. 

Visual people use words related to seeing – observe, perceive, paint a picture, create, sight, outlook, flash, show, look, beautiful, say things with a simile or comparison. Eg: This is like a cloud passing by, isn’t it?

Auditory - hearing – ring a bell, listen here, mention, harmony, resonate with, tell, in tune with , sing

Kinesthetic – Feel, Relax, Grasp, Handle, Pressure, Smooth, Rough, Hard, Grip, Warm, Firm, Touch, Calm

Listening to their words is just one way of understanding their style but one which we can easily do.

How to make use of this knowledge?

For a visual person, whenever you are explaining things, paint a picture with words. Lead him on from point to point and ask him questions like, 'Can you see the plot now? Can you envision the report? Can you see where this is leading etc. He or she will focus on their internal image and be right there with you; thus ensuring successful passing of your message.

Auditory – ask them to repeat instructions, summarize what you have told them, explain things in details step by step etc. record instructions and they can review that

Kinesthetic – Show them some examples, if reports, show them a sample, if you have time, take them through what you want them to learn or know, use hand gestures to emphasis the point, look them in the eye, have good rapport as they are more leaning towards feelings and they connect more …make it a story, an example, a comparison and they will remember it more..

Practice makes perfect :-) So practice well and become an awesome communicator!

Cheers,

Sindhu Varma

Personal Growth Evangelist

Active Listening is a big part of the process of communication and this is also where most people do not focus. In this podcast, I am talking about certain questions that can be borne in mind while listening to a speaker - be it your client, boss, spouse or child.

Listen to this podcast to gain more insights about how to listen better and subsequently, communicate better.