{"id":41188,"date":"2020-09-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/empathy-exercises\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T05:17:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T12:17:24","slug":"empathy-exercises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/","title":{"rendered":"Empathy exercises: How to be empathetic in an increasingly online world"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We learn empathy at a young age. Through everyday observations and interactions, we continuously grow to recognize and understand the thoughts and feelings of others. It\u2019s inherent in all of us to some degree.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But as we get older, the pressures of life combined with hundreds of daily distractions force us to subconsciously separate some of our feelings of empathy from many of our interactions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And that\u2019s understandable\u2014being empathetic to every person you meet in a day would be mentally and emotionally exhausting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But it\u2019s still an important trait that we should be using more often\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">especially in our professional lives<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It makes us more mindful and provides perspective. And that can have a profound impact on the way we work and the results we get.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, we\u2019ve identified a few ways you can both teach and learn empathy in the workplace. In this post we\u2019ll look at a few empathy building exercises that can be applied both online and offline<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#benefits\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The benefits of empathy at work (why do it?)<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#two\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 simple ways to build empathy when your interactions are almost all online<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#four\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 general empathy exercises for teams<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But first, let\u2019s look at a more concrete idea of what empathy is.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\">\ud83d\udd11 Spoiler alert: a powerful communication tool is one key to better connection in an increasingly online world. Grab the free checklist to help you choose the right one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\n<div class=\"download-form-widget standart-download-form\" data-url=\"https:\/\/assets.ringcentral.com\/us\/checklist\/communications-system-ex-cx.pdf\" data-id=\"6a0939c0584e6\" id=\"6a0939c0584e6\">\n\t\t<button tabindex=\"on\"  on=\"tap:6a0939c0584e6.toggleClass(class='open')\" class=\"open-modal-download-action download-form-button\" type=\"submit\">\u2705  Free checklist<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-body\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-content\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-title\">\ud83d\udc40 \u200a Get this free checklist to pick the right communication tool for your business. <\/div>\n<form class=\"download-form SMB\" method=\"post\">\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Full Name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"text\" name=\"fullname\" placeholder=\"Full Name\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"text\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"email\" autocomplete=\"on\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"email\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"popup_form\" value=\"1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"Asset_ID__c\" value=\"ODAM-02455\" class=\"download-form-input\"><\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"Lead_Entry_Source__c\" value=\"RC Blog\" class=\"download-form-input\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"download-form-submit\" type=\"submit\" data-dl-element=\"button\" data-no-auto-dl=\"true\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\" data-dl-name=\"Get it now\">Get it now<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<button on=\"tap:6a0939c0584e6.toggleClass(class='open')\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"  class=\"download-form-modal-close\"><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-thank\">Enjoy! <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 20px;\"><strong>What is empathy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Empathy is a common term that\u2019s sometimes both misused and misunderstood. For example, empathy is at times confused with sympathy. They\u2019re similar concepts that both have to do with connecting with another person through emotion, but with a few important distinctions. To be \u201csympathetic\u201d is to feel pity towards someone\u2014you may not have experienced what they\u2019re going through or fully understand it, but you feel bad for them. But to be \u201cempathetic\u201d towards them is to share their perspective and understand it. (Most likely because you\u2019ve experienced it yourself.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can imagine, in most cases, empathy is the more powerful of the two. (How many times in movies and films have you heard someone say \u201cI don\u2019t want your sympathy\/pity!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #434343; padding-top: 15px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The academic definition<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">research paper<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by Jean Decety and Jason Cowell offers a more in-depth definition of empathy that\u2019s useful for understanding its different aspects:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Empathy consists of three parts:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emotional sharing: experiencing the same feelings as others simply by observing them\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Empathic concern: the desire or motivation to care for individuals in need\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perspective-taking: the ability to put yourself in someone else\u2019s shoes\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To paraphrase, <\/span><b>empathy is the ability to recognize someone\u2019s emotions and put yourself into their shoes to\u2014and this is the part that most people forget about when they think of empathy\u2014create a positive outcome in a given situation.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe\" id=\"new-rc-subscribe\"  style=\"background-image:url('\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ringcentral\/assets\/images\/temp\/subscribe.png')\">\n\t\t<button class=\"close js-popup-close\"><svg class=\"icon_close_mobile\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\"><use xlink:href=\"#icon_close_mobile\"><\/use><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__wrapper_text\">\n<h3 class=\"rc-subscribe__title h2\">Stay informed with RingCentral<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__subtitle\">Subscribe to our emails for the latest blogs, events, and exclusive content on AI-powered communication solutions. Stay ahead with insights and tips from the leader in trusted AI communications.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/legal\/privacy-notice.html\" target=\"_blank\" data-dl-name=\"Privacy Notic\" data-dl-element=\"link\" data-dl-additional-info=\"social\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Privacy Notice<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__wrapper_form\">\n<form class=\"\" data-event-init=\"true\" novalidate data-js-form>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<input\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tname=\"email\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplaceholder=\"Email address *\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Must be valid email. example@yourdomain.com\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tminlength=\"4\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmaxlength=\"255\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"email\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trequired\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpattern=\"[a-z0-9._%+\\-]+@[a-z0-9.\\-]+\\.[a-z]{2,}$\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"field__control\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tautocomplete=\"on\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-required=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-events-hover=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-element=\"email\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-additional-info=\"LET'S WORK TOGETHER\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Email address *\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-errormessage=\"email-subscribe-errors\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"field__errors\" id=\"email-subscribe-errors\" data-js-form-field-errors><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<select\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tname=\"Country__c\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trequired\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"field__control\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-required=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-expanded=\"false\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Country *\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-errormessage=\"country-subscribe-errors\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t><option value=\"\" disabled=\"disabled\" selected=\"selected\">Country<\/option><option value=\"Canada\">Canada<\/option><option value=\"United_States\">United States<\/option><\/select><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"field__errors\" id=\"country-subscribe-errors\" data-js-form-field-errors><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"rc-subscribe__row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"submit\" data-event-init=\"true\">Subscribe<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"confirm-form\" role=\"status\" aria-live=\"polite\" style=\"display: none;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"confirm-form__text\">Thank you for your interest in RingCentral<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 20px;\"><strong><a id=\"benefits\"><\/a><br \/>\nEmpathy in business: why it\u2019s important<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, we all know that being able to put yourself into someone else\u2019s shoes is a pretty important skill to have in life. But, what does that mean in the context of work, or running a team?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As it turns out, empathy is extremely beneficial in business. In fact, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">empathy was considered a key trait of the most innovative teams at Google<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><sup>2<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Let\u2019s break down the ways in which high empathy drives better results at work:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #434343; padding-top: 15px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It improves collaboration<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teamwork makes the dream work. And empathy is a key ingredient in making that happen. It empowers teams to see the forest <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the trees, and to recognize how everyone\u2019s individual challenges and goals come together to achieve the overall larger goal. (If <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/working-in-silos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">working in silos<\/a> is a problem for your team, empathy can help!).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #434343; padding-top: 15px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can enhance creativity and problem-solving<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThinking outside of the box\u201d is a term often used for being creative. Practicing empathy allows people to step away from their own perspective and look at problems from a different angle. Using empathy to see the world through the eyes of your customers, clients, and coworkers can help you come up with solutions you may not have been able to from your own point of view.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It helps you provide better customer service<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nowhere is empathy a more effective tool than in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer service<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. When you practice empathy, instead of just seeing someone as a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/how-to-deal-with-difficult-customers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">difficult customer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you might be able to better recognize and acknowledge their challenges and see the problem from their angle. This will go a long way in helping you show them that you really want to help them\u2014and can make difficult conversations much easier, even if the problem at hand isn\u2019t necessarily solved in that moment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It strengthens loyalty<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similar to customer service, empathy creates loyalty\u2014and we\u2019re not just talking about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/return-customer\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">repeat customers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If your customers, clients, and coworkers see that you care about their problems, challenges, and goals, they\u2019re more likely to reciprocate\u2014which can make it easier for you to do your job (and reach your own professional goals).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can help you sell more<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Good salespeople employ empathy in every professional interaction. It helps them identify and acknowledge prospects\u2019 challenges and goals, see things from their point of view, and provide a way to overcome their unique challenges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It boosts morale<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/improving-employee-morale\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> employee morale<\/a> has a positive impact on every facet of the way a company works. And high morale starts with empathy at the management-employee level. Being able to empathize with the challenges that your workers are up against allows you to provide the support they need to be successful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"rc-bottom-cta rc-bottom-cta__landscape\" style=\"background-color:#FF8800;flex-direction: row-reverse;\">\n<div class=\"bottom-cta-img\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"930\" height=\"700\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Blog-hero-4.png\" class=\"responsive-image\" alt=\"Read our new ...\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"bottom-cta-copy\">\n<div class=\"rc-bottom-cta__text\" style=\"color:ffffff;\">\n<h3\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"rc-bottom-cta__title headline-copy\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>Read our new report, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How AI is Changing Employee &amp; Customer Experiences,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to learn how top-performing companies are deploying AI to benefit their customers and employees<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"rc-bottom-cta__btn-wrapper\" style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg rc-bottom-cta__link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Read now\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/report\/ai-changing-employee-customer-metrigy-report.html\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-name=\"Read now\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-element=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-additional-info=\"bottom cta banner\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-no-auto-dl=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tonmouseover=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tonmouseout=\"this.style.backgroundColor='';this.style.borderColor='';this.style.color='';\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>Read now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"two\"><\/a><br \/>\nHow can you practice empathy in an increasingly online world?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developing empathy for your teammates is simple enough when you\u2019re all working in the same office and see each other physically every day. But what about distributed teams and remote teammates?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If everyone is working from home and only seeing each other <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/face-to-face-interactions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">face-to-face<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the odd video conference call (and even when people use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/the-best-video-conferencing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">video conferencing tools,<\/a>\u00a0sometimes they don\u2019t turn their video on), what challenges does that create?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because so much of conveying empathy relies on communication, that is the biggest thing you can do in order to maintain a high level of empathy toward your team when everything is physically apart from each other. If you can\u2019t communicate with someone, you can\u2019t show them you\u2019re feeling empathetic\u2014and you can\u2019t receive empathy either.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, here are three quick tips for practicing empathy when you\u2019re communicating in an online world:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Turn on the video (if you can)<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In most cases, being able to see the other person\u2019s facial expressions and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/body-language-video-call\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">body language<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> helps support active listening and build empathy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ve probably experienced this. It\u2019s something that\u2019s plagued almost all of us. You\u2019re talking to someone over text, make a little joke, but the other person misinterpreted it. It\u2019s harder to read someone\u2019s tone accurately when you don\u2019t have that other visual and audio information\u2014even a phone call, which is slightly better since it gives you the sound component, doesn\u2019t give you the full picture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nuances like sarcasm and little jokes often get lost in conversations when you can\u2019t see the other person\u2019s visual cues, and that\u2019s why having the video on in a meeting can help smooth the path for communication and ultimately, building empathy. If you&#8217;re on a phone call and a tough topic comes up, turning that phone call into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/video-call.html\">video call<\/a> might help you get through that conversation more easily.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/rcapp.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RingCentral app<\/a> lets you transition between different types of calls easily:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43036\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/541703413-Call-to-Video-Blog-Post-Images_mobile.gif\" alt=\"flipping a call between devices\" width=\"375\" height=\"812\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But let\u2019s face it. Video meeting fatigue is real.<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3, 4, 5 <\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether it\u2019s a perceived expectation that we have to act chipper all the time on a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/virtual-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">video call<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or the face-to-face interaction without the rewards of being in the physical presence of coworkers we may be friends with, the praise for video conferencing is starting to take a toll on, well, most people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, for this tip, if you can muster it, do it. But if not, we get itt.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Have other forms of communication handy\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From using emojis to being more conscious of how your tone comes across over text, there are so many ways to be more mindful of how we convey empathy at work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not every interaction you have with a colleague or client is going to be in-person or over a video call. Often, you\u2019ll be messaging each other (or even texting). And for most people, they may not have a strong preference for a certain <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/communication-channels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">channel of communication<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But some of your teammates may prefer to talk about things on a call rather than type it out. Someone may be working from home because their house needs repairs\u2014and things are a little messy, so they\u2019d rather not be on video this week. Maybe you find that you\u2019re much more productive over text because your days are usually booked up with meetings and you want to minimize unnecessary calls when you can.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being cognizant of these needs is another, less explicit, way to practice empathy. Think of it as a way of meeting your teammates and clients halfway and being thoughtful of how to help someone be their best self when working with you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And sure, you may think that this is too \u201cfluffy\u201d of a consideration when it comes to your teammates since it\u2019s just a job and they have to communicate in whatever way the company mandates, but what about your clients and prospects? (We\u2019d also argue that even from an internal standpoint, this would make your group projects and tasks go much more smoothly\u2014which is valuable in itself.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, how can you do this? Well, one simple way is to have the right tool(s). Make things as easy as possible for your team\u2014instead of having one app for talking over messaging and another for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/best-video-conferencing-for-small-businesses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">video conferencing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (and another, and another\u2026), see if you can find platforms that have multiple communication options in one place:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation\" title=\"RingCentral app for Desktop: Message. Video. Phone.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EbIAZJd9rCU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading h2\">4 empathy exercises for teams<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We know why empathy is so important in the workplace\u2014but understanding the benefits of empathy and practicing them are two different things. These exercises can help you teach empathy in a way that makes it easy to apply in everyday professional scenarios.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ll include a summary of the empathy exercise, what it\u2019s best used for, how to do the exercise, how long it takes, and how many people are needed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #434343; padding-top: 15px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Active listening<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re all guilty of it. Someone begins talking to us and we unintentionally zone out. It\u2019s not that what the person is telling us is unimportant or that we don\u2019t care. Sometimes we just need to apply focus. And that\u2019s what active listening is: forcing yourself to listen to what the person is saying and being proactive in the conversation by actively participating in what they\u2019re telling you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Ideal for:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Customer service, sales, day-to-day interactions<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>People required:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 2<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Time needed:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 10\u201315 minutes<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How to do the exercise:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Have everyone in your group choose a topic they can speak about at a conversational level.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few examples:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What you did over the weekend<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The last amazing restaurant you ate at<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A podcast you recently listened to<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A funny thing your kid did\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once topics are chosen, break the group into pairs and have them go off together. The first person takes their turn speaking about their topic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second person\u2019s role is to listen intently to the story, stopping every so often to restate what the first person said, but in their own words.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using the podcast example, imagine the first person explaining how a podcast host and guest had a disagreement on the show:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSo they got up and left? Just like that?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When appropriate, the second person should prompt the first for more information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWow. What did the host say?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the first person has finished telling the story, switch roles. When they\u2019re done, each person should be able to repeat the other\u2019s story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why it works:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This exercise makes the second person an active participant in the story. It lets the first person know that they\u2019re listening and interested in what they have to say. The result not only makes for a more in-depth conversation that\u2019s understood by both participants but also continuously builds trust between them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #434343; padding-top: 15px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Two sides to every story<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demanding coworkers, irritable customers, and unreasonable clients. We\u2019ve all dealt with them. While not something we typically remember fondly, those experiences do offer an opportunity for learning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea of this exercise is to try to defend some of the more unreasonable or absurd demands we\u2019ve experienced. To do this, we have to truly put ourselves in the shoes of the person making the demand. The goal isn\u2019t necessarily to agree with what they\u2019re asking but to begin understanding it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Ideal for:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Customer service, sales, marketing, HR<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>People needed:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 2<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Time required:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 15\u201330 minutes<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How to do the exercise:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Have everyone recall a time in which they felt someone was being unreasonable. Break the group into pairs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start with one participant telling the story about the situation from their point of view. The other person is to listen closely (this is a great opportunity to use active listening skills if you\u2019ve already completed that activity) and make mental note of the key details.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second person should try to imagine what the \u201cirrational\u201d person\u2019s position was. As they\u2019re hearing the story, try to imagine:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why the person was making this request<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How they felt<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What the impact of the situation was on them<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reasons why it may not be so unreasonable\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the story ends, the listener should attempt to play devil\u2019s advocate and explain why they understand the \u201cunreasonable\u201d party\u2019s position.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why it works:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Everyone has a point of view, and often, they differ. Instead of siding with the person telling the story, this exercise forces the listener to closely examine the circumstances around the scenario and imagine why the other party felt a certain way. This can highlight points of view that weren\u2019t considered and create a greater sense of understanding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #434343; padding-top: 15px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Best and worst<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Team meetings usually involve you and your team updating each other on certain projects and sharing a couple of wins. These important meetings keep people motivated and projects moving along. But they\u2019re also a great opportunity to get real with each other, share, and empathize with your team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This activity encourages you to share both the good <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the bad. In addition to highlighting challenges that an individual may need help with, it\u2019s a great temperature check and does wonders for getting everyone on the same page.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Ideal for:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Any team that meets on a regular basis<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>People required:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 3\u201310<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Time:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 5\u201330 minutes, depending on team size<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How it works: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At your next team meeting, add the \u201cbest and worst\u201d exercise to the agenda. After each person shares their necessary updates, get them to share the best and worst part of their workweek.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe best part of my week was completing the project ahead of time and under budget. The worst part was trying to get our headcount spend approved.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Why it works:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Sharing is caring. When teams can share both the good and the bad, they\u2019re making others aware of the challenges they\u2019re up against. This may also highlight other challenges that team members may not have been aware of, too. In the end, it causes us to see things from a perspective that we may not have previously considered.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #434343; padding-top: 15px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Laural, Yanny, and the dress<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re not familiar with \u201cLaural and Yanny\u201d, it\u2019s a soundbite that\u2019s heard differently by different people. Similarly, \u201cthe dress,\u201d was a 2015 meme that pictured a dress that different people saw in different colors. There is a scientific explanation for why people experience these things differently, but that\u2019s not important for the sake of this exercise.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Ideal for:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Everyone<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>People required:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Time needed:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 10 minutes<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How it works: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Play the \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Laural and Yanny<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d clip to the group. Ask them which name they hear. Put those who hear \u201cLaural\u201d on one side of the room and those in the \u201cYanny\u201d camp on the other:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation\" title=\"Yanny or Laurel 10 hours\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Z9AbND6qsZo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then pair everyone with someone from the opposite camp. Have them listen to the clip together and talk about what makes them hear the name that they do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also do the exercise using \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/a\/a8\/The_Dress_%28viral_phenomenon%29.png\/220px-The_Dress_%28viral_phenomenon%29.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the dress<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d in which case participants will see either a white or blue dress.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why it works:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The neat thing about this exercise is that there is no right and wrong. Those who see blue or hear Laural, really do. Those who see white and hear Yanny do, too. It forces participants to accept that someone else can interpret something differently without being technically wrong.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 20px;\"><strong>Beyond just empathy exercises<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While empathy is often thought of as a touchy-feely soft skill, it\u2019s so much more than that. Time and time again, it\u2019s proven to be a trait that brings people together, builds trust, and creates strong relationships. And those who employ empathy in professional situations tend to be great collaborators and problem solvers that others enjoy working with.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With results like that, who wouldn\u2019t want to be more empathetic?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These exercises can help you teach both you and your team some critical skills for employing empathy both in and outside of work. But perhaps the most important way one can teach empathy is the same way that we learned it as children: by example. As leaders, we have to use empathy at every opportunity to demonstrate that it\u2019s more than just a skill, it\u2019s a better way to be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><sup>1<\/sup>researchgate.net\/publication\/263475388_The_complex_relation_between_morality_and_empathy<\/p>\n<p><sup>2<\/sup>washingtonpost.com\/news\/answer-sheet\/wp\/2017\/12\/20\/the-surprising-thing-google-learned-about-its-employees-and-what-it-means-for-todays-students<\/p>\n<p><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3<\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nationalgeographic.com\/science\/2020\/04\/coronavirus-zoom-fatigue-is-taxing-the-brain-here-is-why-that-happens<\/span><\/p>\n<p><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4<\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/brain-waves\/202007\/why-zoom-fatigue-is-real-and-what-you-can-do-about-it<\/span><\/p>\n<p><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5<\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hbr.org\/2020\/04\/how-to-combat-zoom-fatigue<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We learn empathy at a young age. Through everyday observations and interactions, we continuously grow to recognize and understand the thoughts and feelings of others. It\u2019s inherent in all of us to some degree.\u00a0 But as we get older, the pressures of life combined with hundreds of daily distractions force us to subconsciously separate some &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1046,"featured_media":58091,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17901],"tags":[3642,18009,18010,1491],"class_list":["post-41188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-leadership","tag-collaboration","tag-empathy-exercises","tag-empathy-tips","tag-teamwork"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.3 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to be Empathetic in an Increasingly Online World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn about 4 easy-to-implement empathy exercises that\u2019ll help you communicate and collaborate more effectively at work.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Empathy exercises: How to be empathetic in an increasingly online world\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn about 4 easy-to-implement empathy exercises that\u2019ll help you communicate and collaborate more effectively at work.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"RingCentral Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ringcentral\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-30T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-14T12:17:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-1616722308-1024x683.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zac Zuber-Zander\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ringcentral\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ringcentral\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zac Zuber-Zander\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"16 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zac Zuber-Zander\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2270dec5d27ecfacc0bec8f881be3fa7\"},\"headline\":\"Empathy exercises: How to be empathetic in an increasingly online world\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-30T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-14T12:17:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/\"},\"wordCount\":3148,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-1616722308.png\",\"keywords\":[\"collaboration\",\"empathy exercises\",\"empathy tips\",\"teamwork\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business &amp; leadership\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/\",\"name\":\"How to be Empathetic in an Increasingly Online World\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-1616722308.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-30T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-14T12:17:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn about 4 easy-to-implement empathy exercises that\u2019ll help you communicate and collaborate more effectively at work.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-1616722308.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-1616722308.png\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1365},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Empathy exercises: How to be empathetic in an increasingly online world\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"RingCentral Blog\",\"description\":\"Intelligent Communications\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"RingCentral\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ringcentral-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ringcentral-logo.png\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":309,\"caption\":\"RingCentral\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ringcentral\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/ringcentral\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ringcentral\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ringcentral\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2270dec5d27ecfacc0bec8f881be3fa7\",\"name\":\"Zac Zuber-Zander\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9191f51651dfa5c6b82de171556fbefe9939fc5a7f0e978d834e80472f46658f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9191f51651dfa5c6b82de171556fbefe9939fc5a7f0e978d834e80472f46658f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9191f51651dfa5c6b82de171556fbefe9939fc5a7f0e978d834e80472f46658f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Zac Zuber-Zander\"},\"description\":\"Zac Zuber-Zander is a writer and editor who loves grammar, punctuation, and learning new ways to be productive while sitting on the couch. He's written for world-renowned architecture firm Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, marketing agency Digital Surgeons, online review BoatTEST.com, and M&amp;A firm Woodbridge International. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/zac-zuber-zander-a2847079\/\"],\"url\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/author\/zac-zuber-zander\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to be Empathetic in an Increasingly Online World","description":"Learn about 4 easy-to-implement empathy exercises that\u2019ll help you communicate and collaborate more effectively at work.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Empathy exercises: How to be empathetic in an increasingly online world","og_description":"Learn about 4 easy-to-implement empathy exercises that\u2019ll help you communicate and collaborate more effectively at work.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/","og_site_name":"RingCentral Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ringcentral","article_published_time":"2020-09-30T00:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-14T12:17:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":683,"url":"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-1616722308-1024x683.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Zac Zuber-Zander","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ringcentral","twitter_site":"@ringcentral","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Zac Zuber-Zander","Est. reading time":"16 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/"},"author":{"name":"Zac Zuber-Zander","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2270dec5d27ecfacc0bec8f881be3fa7"},"headline":"Empathy exercises: How to be empathetic in an increasingly online world","datePublished":"2020-09-30T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-14T12:17:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/"},"wordCount":3148,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-1616722308.png","keywords":["collaboration","empathy exercises","empathy tips","teamwork"],"articleSection":["Business &amp; leadership"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/","url":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/","name":"How to be Empathetic in an Increasingly Online World","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-1616722308.png","datePublished":"2020-09-30T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-14T12:17:24+00:00","description":"Learn about 4 easy-to-implement empathy exercises that\u2019ll help you communicate and collaborate more effectively at work.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#primaryimage","url":"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-1616722308.png","contentUrl":"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-1616722308.png","width":2048,"height":1365},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Empathy exercises: How to be empathetic in an increasingly online world"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/","name":"RingCentral Blog","description":"Intelligent Communications","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#organization","name":"RingCentral","url":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ringcentral-logo.png","contentUrl":"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ringcentral-logo.png","width":2048,"height":309,"caption":"RingCentral"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ringcentral","https:\/\/x.com\/ringcentral","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ringcentral\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ringcentral"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2270dec5d27ecfacc0bec8f881be3fa7","name":"Zac Zuber-Zander","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9191f51651dfa5c6b82de171556fbefe9939fc5a7f0e978d834e80472f46658f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9191f51651dfa5c6b82de171556fbefe9939fc5a7f0e978d834e80472f46658f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9191f51651dfa5c6b82de171556fbefe9939fc5a7f0e978d834e80472f46658f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Zac Zuber-Zander"},"description":"Zac Zuber-Zander is a writer and editor who loves grammar, punctuation, and learning new ways to be productive while sitting on the couch. He's written for world-renowned architecture firm Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, marketing agency Digital Surgeons, online review BoatTEST.com, and M&amp;A firm Woodbridge International. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/zac-zuber-zander-a2847079\/"],"url":"\/us\/en\/blog\/author\/zac-zuber-zander\/"}]}},"rc_img_url":"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GettyImages-1616722308.png","rcblog_by_author":"<a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/author\/zac-zuber-zander\/amp\" data-dl-events-click=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"link\"><span class=\"image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9191f51651dfa5c6b82de171556fbefe9939fc5a7f0e978d834e80472f46658f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\" alt=\"\" width=\"30\" height=\"30\" layout=\"fixed\"><\/img><\/span><span class=\"by-author-name\">Zac Zuber-Zander<\/span><\/a>","rc_author_full_name":"Zac Zuber-Zander","rc_author_avatar":"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Headshot-of-zac-zuber-zander-scaled.jpg","rc_author_link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/author\/zac-zuber-zander\/amp","rc_post_categories":"<a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/category\/trending\/business-leadership\/amp\">Business &amp; leadership<\/a>","amp_link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/empathy-exercises\/amp","excerpt_title":"Empathy exercises: How to be empathetic in an increasingl...","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1046"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}