5 reflections on our conversation with Dr Fabienne Palmer and Winston Clements

What is empathy, and why is it so important – especially at work? In our most recent webinar, psychologist Dr Fabienne Palmer and international keynote speaker Winston Clements explain the concept and their experiences of it in practice. Here are our five highlights from their discussion.

When it comes to empathy, there’s an old maxim that perhaps describes it best: “We must understand before we judge.” Empathy is the building block of how we develop and nurture connections with other humans – and part of that process is informed by how we seek to understand one another’s experiences.

But what does empathy really mean – and how do we apply it when thinking about race and intersectionality? This is the question that psychologist Dr Fabienne Palmer and keynote speaker Winston Clements sought to answer in our most recent webinar. 

Hit play below to watch it, and keep reading to find out our five key takeaways.

1. Empathy is the ability to step into someone else’s shoes

Concepts of what empathy means have evolved throughout history. However in the 19th century, German philosopher Theodor Lipp came up with what forms the basis of the definition we use today. Einfühlung, he described, was the practice of projecting oneself onto the object of perception. Or, as Dr Fabienne described: Empathy helps us understand the pain and suffering of others. It’s about our ability to share the experiences of another person. It’s empathy that helps us support one another and build better relationships.

2. There is more than one type of empathy

We often think of empathy as a one-sided concept – but it's more than that. Emotional empathy is what Dr Fabienne describes as a more automatic, or innate feeling that comes naturally to us: “When we’re thinking about emotional empathy, we’re connecting with this inbuilt empathy. For example, seeing someone that looks like you or someone that has gone through similar experiences to you and being able to connect to them on a basic human level.”

Cognitive empathy takes this one step further, and describes our ability to truly consider things from someone else’s perspective. “Cognitive empathy is really cultivated when we really try and put ourselves in someone else’s shoes,” Dr Fabienne explains. “It’s about doing different activities or exercises that help us to hold other people in mind. It has been shown to be something that combats racial, ethnic, religious, or physical differences.”

3. Empathy is a two-way street

Empathy is critical to how we seek to understand and learn from one another’s diverse experiences. But cultivating empathy can only work when each individual is willing to play their part and learn from the other. “Empathy is a two-way street,” Winston notes. “It’s about reaching an understanding from all sides of the table, and making sure all perspectives are heard. This creates a space where we can all embrace our identity and individualism.”

4. Empathy is a building block of workplace culture

We spend the majority of our lives at work, so it makes sense that the best workplace cultures are built on empathy, understanding and trust. This in turn creates a workplace that has high levels of psychological and emotional safety. To nurture this culture, Winston recommends implementing some empathetic affirmations, including taking steps to pronounce colleagues’ names correctly, taking the time to get to know people, and practising active listening.

5. Empathy is everyone’s responsibility

Whether at work or in our personal lives, it’s everyone’s responsibility to be empathetic and inclusive to the people we know and meet. But in order to broaden our understanding, we might need to have some difficult conversations and understand where one another's boundaries lie.

“The responsibility of empathy shouldn’t just fall on one person – [there is] the need to understand and meet in the middle,” notes Winston.

Dr Fabienne agrees, adding that people have blind spots and can lack the confidence to ask questions about what they don’t know, while others may seek information in a way that seems harmless, but may be harmful to the recipient. We need to be willing to be curious, learn from our mistakes, and understand one another’s perspectives.

If you missed our last webinar featuring Ruby Wax, click here to take a look.