As an intersectional gender analysis consultant and coach, I often get asked, how do we interact with others so that everyone feels as though they had been offered equal consideration and respect? Sometimes I get asked, how do we check our own cultural, social biases that shape our perceptions of the world around us, and can sometimes prejudice us against others, or they might share. I'm afraid I'll mess up and offend someone, because the language and terminology related to our multiple identities is constantly changing. My response to all three of those questions is the same. You apply an empathetic approach to your stakeholder and community engagement work. I've come to think of empathy as the bridge that enables program developers and policymakers to better understand their communities, residents, participants and stakeholders. When it comes to underserved communities, applying an empathetic approach is a good place to begin, to build trust and connection that supports authentic and transformative relationships. Empathy requires us to be open-minded, objective, and to set aside our opinions and perspectives in order to focus on other people's experiences in a meaningful way. It requires a strong sense of self so that you can stop yourself from rushing to interpret information or making judgments. An empathetic approach encourages you to center the voices, needs, and experiences of others, in order to really understand their reality in context. An empathetic approach also consists of several important competencies, including active listening, humility, observation skills, checking your ego, curiosity, and authenticity. For the purpose of this video, I'm going to focus on empathetic listening because it is one of the most valuable tools that can be utilized to foster respectful and thoughtful communications, and if done properly, empathetic listening can engender feelings within others. Feelings that their voices and experiences have been taken into consideration and respected. In short, people feel heard and supported. I'm going to outline four steps that will help you to become a better empathetic listener. Number 1, you're giving the person, you are connecting with, your full attention. Number 2, you are not interpreting or interpreting what they're seeing. Empathetic listening means that it is your job to actually hear what is being said and to achieve a full understanding of their narrative or story. Number 3, once they have finished, you then mirror what they have said or paraphrase or offer a summary of what you have heard. This means you take what you have heard and reword it, offering them a summarized version of what they said. This affirms to them that you were listening and reaffirms to yourself what you heard. It also offers an opportunity for additional clarification or correction if needed and Number 4, you can further support the speaker by asking them open-ended, non-directive questions to help them try out their ideas. For example, you can ask them, can you say more about that? What else can you tell me about that? Tell me more, or can you give me an example? In this fast paced world, of short attention spans, empathetic listening is a skill that has to be practiced. But again, if done well, it is a great practice that builds connection and respect by demonstrating an openness to learning. It helps to build a safe and trusting space for problem-solving and sharing experiences by eliminating judgment and perceived notions. In Summary, communicating with empathy and applying it an empathy based approach to your research and engagement with community stakeholders, coupled with a strong participatory engagement strategy, are valuable approaches that encourages teams, to put the complex lives of people at the center of their work. It can be used to deepen understanding, spark conversation, change minds, and challenge assumptions. It is the first step to inclusive and equitable thinking. With the insights that come from taking an empathetic approach, you are equipped to create valuable and equitable services, policies, and programs, that benefit a broad and diverse range of people.