Empathy Conversations - Testing their effectiveness as a policy-making instrument: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Empathy is often defined as the ability to sense other people's emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. This pilot study tested a method for creating empathic exchanges between two groups of fourteen people - one group of seven, who were in a position to influence policy development, and the other group of seven who were experiencing financial and employment difficulties. The differences in the participants' lived experiences were significant, and included financial wealth, organisational influence, and educational attainment. All participants were provided with background information and training, prior to having a phone conversation with a member of the other group. This preparation and conversation method was found to be practical and acceptable for both groups of participants. The study findings indicate that the background training and empathy conversation processes provided to the participants, enabled them to connect with the person from the other group at a depth that both surprised them and allowed them to take on the others perspective.