A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Let’s start by exploring some core concepts that are related to Empathic Active Listening.
Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication
People often misunderstand the fact that interpersonal Communication involves more than just spoken words. In fact, recent research conducted by Gabor et al. reveals that a mere 7% of Communication relies on verbal content, whereas 38% comprises vocal nuances, leaving a significant 55% contingent on non-verbal cues. Conversations lean on less than 35% Verbal Communication, with non-verbal cues taking precedence[6]. This is where the term “Non-Verbal Communication” comes into play.
Non-Verbal Communication encompasses the entirety of an individual’s expressions and actions during interaction, excluding spoken words. This encompasses a wide array of signals and body language employed when conveying messages[7]. It resides in an individual’s eye movements, facial and hand gestures, and body language, all of which convey profound emotions and attitudes regarding the information being conveyed[8].
Empathy
When we talk about Empathy, we mean the ability to feel the emotions of others, understand their behaviour, and communicate that understanding to them[9]
To show Empathy while communicating with another person, is to let the other person know that we experience the same feelings he or she feels, putting ourselves in the other person’s shoes, getting, for a moment, inside his or her mind[10], and grasping, from the speaker’s point of view, just what it is that is communicated to us. More than that, we must convey to the speaker that we are seeing things from his or her point of view[11]. It should be noted that Empathy is different from sympathy and compassion, even though the three terms are often used interchangeably. In relation to compassion and sympathy, which are regarded to be more passive approaches, Empathy entails a much more active effort to comprehend another person[12][13]
When it comes to relationships between adults and children, Empathy refers to the ability of adults to see the world from children’s perspective and comprehend their experiences. This can be more challenging in adult-child relationships because it involves applying this empathetic understanding to the unique developmental needs of children. Typically, children are in a phase of growth and development, often lacking the emotional vocabulary and cognitive skills to fully express their feelings. This means that adults must use a highly sensitive form of Empathy, one that can bridge the gap between the child’s limited ability to express themselves and the depth of their emotional experiences. However, it is worth the effort because by nurturing Empathy, adults can provide children with a secure foundation for them to communicate their emotional experiences, which can have positive effects on their development[14] .