Empathy is characterized by three competencies: 1. Respectful listening, which is the ability to give careful and respect- ful attention to others; 2. Feeling the impact on others, which is the ability to assess and de- termine how situations as well as our words and actions affect others; and 3. Service orientation, which is the desire to help others. Competency 1: Respectful Listening Empathy requires us to respectfully listen to others. Respectfully listening means that we’re listening with the purpose of understanding. Too often, we listen for the purpose of refuting or building our own case. Respectful listening is especially important when we disagree with someone.
