Empathetic conversation
Preparation: 5 min
Time required: 5 min
We do a short role play where participants practice describing feelings and expressing support as an interlocutor. There is a range of statements to choose from. Then, one person will play the role of someone telling about their feelings and the other person will actively listen and express support.
Practicing empathic conversations not only helps in developing the ability to adopt different perspectives and listen actively, it can also help develop self-compassion. So feel free to use this exercise as part of your self-compassion work, for example by asking the question: How would you treat a close friend? Only that close friend is the person themselves.
Listen actively
We will now do a short role play divided into pairs. The aim is to practice expressing feelings and giving support. I will read out a sentence that describes how a person feels. Then one of you will talk about their feeling. The other person actively listens and expresses support.
- I feel very stressed about my test tomorrow.
- I’ve had a fight with my sibling and it’s really hard.
- I am sorry that my dog is unwell.
