68 | COSERE 2.1. Empathy. Empathy is “a complex cognitive-affective skill that allows us to ‘know’ (resonate, feel, sense, cognitively grasp) another person’s experience” (Jordan 2010, 103). Putting it in simpler terms, the Cambridge Dictionary defines empathy as “the ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation” (Cambridge Dictionary, 2024). It is, in a sense, the psychological manifestation of the commonly cited adage that before judging someone, you should “walk a mile in their shoes”. In communication theory, empathy’s place is paramount, with Hoffman suggesting that it is the glue that makes social life possible (Hoffman, 2000). We previously established the reality that meaning is both disseminated through our communication, whether it was wilfully leveraged to do so or unwittingly, as well as constructed by the person or people being communicated to. A major component in this process, on both sides, is empathy. A person inclined to a higher level of empathy is likely to communicate in a more conscious way, which can contribute to the development of a more meaningful connection. Similarly, a more empathetic person on the receiving end of a statement or question will naturally tend toward a more compassionate interpretation of the speaker’s intention, allowing them to feel more secure in the communication process. Albeit a little utilitarian in his summation of the process, Rector enunciated on the topic of empathy in education by suggesting that “it may be hypothesised that one of the important factors in the achievement of educational goals is the extent to which students and instructors can predict, or to project themselves into the responses of each other” (Rector, 1953). This description affirms the uncertainty reduction theory discussed previously, namely, in student-teacher relationships, beneficial educational outcomes are produced when both parties 1) know what to expect from one another, and 2) can empathise with each other. This concept logically extends to all interpersonal relationships within education, including between colleagues. So, understanding the significance of empathy in interpersonal relationships is relatively straightforward. By extension, as the workplace is one defined by the said relationships (particularly in an industry like education, where interpersonal interaction is placed at the centre of daily life), empathy’s role in education is somewhat self-evident. But how do we go about integrating this vital trait? In Unit 2 of this subtopic, we will discuss effective communication techniques, including active listening and reciprocal understanding, which should go some way in answering this question.
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