* Empathy focuses on understanding: Empathic listening aims to understand the speaker's emotions, perspective, and the meaning behind their words. It's about connecting with their feelings and experiences, not judging them.
* Evaluation can be judgmental: Evaluation involves forming opinions and judgments about the speaker's message. This can be counterproductive in empathic listening, as it can make the speaker feel judged or misunderstood.
* Empathy requires non-judgmental listening: Empathic listeners strive to listen without bias or preconceived notions. They suspend their own judgments and try to see the world through the speaker's eyes.
Instead of evaluation, empathic listening prioritizes:
* Active listening: Paying full attention to the speaker's words, both verbal and nonverbal.
* Reflection and clarification: Reflecting back what you hear to ensure you understand the speaker's meaning.
* Validation: Acknowledging the speaker's feelings and experiences, even if you don't agree with them.
So, while evaluation has a role in listening, it's not central to empathic listening. Empathic listening focuses on understanding and connecting with the speaker's feelings, rather than judging them.