Empathic Listening and
Effective Communication
Skills
How to increase effective and
compassionate listening and sharing.
Dr. Athena Y. Baca-Chieza
Clinical Psychologist
Rocky Mountain Blood and Marrow Transplant Program
Your Role as a Buddy is Priceless!

“Buddies are there to listen, offer support,
and share their experience.”
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You are buddies because each of you have
walked down the same road as the peers with
whom you have been connected.

You are able to connect with these people in
a way that most professional caregivers are
unable to do.
How can you offer support and honor the
unique experience of every buddy, while
using your personal experience to guide you?
You Can by engaging in:
EMPATHIC LISTENING and
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION!!!
Empathic Listening & Effective
Communication

Empathic listening (also called active
listening or reflective listening) is a way of
listening and responding to another
person that improves mutual
understanding and trust.

It enables the listener to receive and
accurately interpret the speaker's
message, and then provide an appropriate
response.
Empathic Listening & Effective
Communication

Through empathic listening the listener
lets the speaker know, "I understand your
problem and how you feel about it, I am
interested in what you are saying and I
am not judging you."

The listener unmistakably conveys this
message through words and non-verbal
behaviors, including body language.

In so doing, the listener encourages the
speaker to fully express herself or himself
free of interruption, criticism or being told
what to do.
Role Play
Buddy-Athena
 Patient-Jeannie


Take note of the interaction. What do you
notice?
Guidelines for Empathic Listening and
Effective Communication

Be attentive. Be interested. Be alert and
not distracted.

Create a positive atmosphere through
nonverbal behavior.

Be a sounding board -- allow the speaker
to bounce ideas and feelings off you while
assuming a nonjudgmental, non-critical
manner.
Guidelines (cont.)

Don't ask a lot of questions. They can
give the impression you are "grilling" the
speaker.

Act like a mirror -- reflect back what you
think the speaker is saying and feeling.
“It sounds like you are really struggling
with this.”

Don't discount the speaker's feelings by
using stock phrases like "It's not that
bad," or "You'll feel better tomorrow."
Guidelines (cont.)

Indicate you are listening by:


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Providing brief, noncommittal acknowledging
responses, e.g., "Uh-huh," "I see."
Giving nonverbal acknowledgements, e.g.,
head nodding, facial expressions matching the
speaker, open and relaxed body expression,
eye contact.
Invitations to say more, e.g., "Tell me about
it," “What was that like?”, "I'd like to hear
about that."
Electronic Communication

Often a lot can be missed or misinterpreted
when only email is exchanged.

When using email, one is limited to the
words typed, when trying to communicate.

Be thoughtful of how you use or don’t use
punctuation, emoticons, and phrases.
Electronic Communication

Remember that when speaking verbally,
there are cues that demonstrate emotion,
leaving less for misinterpretation.

When emailing, one cannot pick up on
such cues, and misinterpretation is
common and can be damaging to a
relationship.
Guidelines (cont.)

Follow good communication "ground rules:"







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Don't interrupt.
Don't change the subject or move in a new
direction.
Don't rehearse in your own head.
Don't interrogate.
Don't teach.
Don't give advice.
Don’t interject personal experiences with
treatment, etc., when not expressly asked by
speaker.
Do reflect back to the speaker what you
understand and how you think the speaker feels.
The BUDDY System

When engaging in a “Buddy” interaction, remember
these steps tips to good communication:
Be clear about your role (support vs. expert)
Understand the speaker’s needs
Determine what to share and when to share it
Don’t feel pressured to always say the “right” thing
You are making a difference by simply listening.