Building the Empathy Movement
Empathy Training Module 2
Defining Empathy: A Way of Being for a Better World
Take this training to develop a deep understanding of the definition and meaning of empathy.


"An empathic way of being with another person has several facets. It means entering the private perceptual world of the other and becoming thoroughly at home in it. It involves being sensitive, moment by moment, to the changing felt meanings which flow in this other person, to the fear or rage or tenderness or confusion or whatever that he or she is experiencing."
— Carl Rogers

Why This Course?

We can all benefit from empathy: as individuals, as families, as communities, societies and cultures. To begin this journey, we need to know what empathy is.

A great deal of confusion exists about what empathy means. In this course we want to create deeper clarity and understanding.

This course is designed for everyone who wants to grow in empathy and will always be open to the general public.

To Build an Empathy Movement: Together we are building an Empathy Movement for greater societal wellbeing. For that movement be need clear definitions of what it is about.

Objectives (edit)
After this course, the participants will:

1. Know

   1. 1. 1. Develop a deeper understanding of the meaning of empathy

         2. (Understand a model of empathy as a Way of Being.)

         3. Understand the blocks to empathy

2. Be Able to

   1. 1. 1. Enlarge your empathic capacity.

         2. Take part in and facilitate an Empathy Circle

         3. Identify the facets of an Empathic Way of Being

         4. Be able to evaluate how people are using the word empathy, in conversation, articles, books, etc.

Course Prerequisites

• Participation in two or more Empathy Circles is required. We would like you to be familiar with and have experienced the Empathy Circle process since it is foundational to this course.

• The course is Module 2 of the Empathy Training Series. While it is Module 2, it can be taken before or after Module 1: Introduction to Empathy Circle Facilitation Training.

Course Time Requirements
The course takes 3.5 hours a week, which is 21 hours over the 7 weeks. This is the estimated time for total lessons, assignments, worksheets, buddy calls, etc. . There are:

• 2.5 hours a week in meetings for 5 weeks. (Total 15 Hrs.)

• ~30 minutes a week in Empathy Buddy Calls. (Total 3 Hrs.)

• ~30 minutes a week in reading, watching videos, session feedback, etc. (Total 3 Hrs.)

Open Source

We are working to spread empathy as widely as possible. The training is Open Source and we invite others to contribute to develop it, use it for your trainings and build on this training. Just give attribution to the source of any material you use.

Iterative Framework

This is a practical working framework to refine and build on. We invite others to use the empathy circle to map onto your definition of empathy and compare it to the Way of Being Model.

Course Reading List

1. 1. 1. Video: How To Take Part in a Basic Empathy Circle (25 min)

      2. Empathic: An Unappreciated Way of Being by Carl Rogers

      3. Active Listening by Carl Rogers and Richard Farson

      4. Roadblocks to Listening by Gordon Thomas

      5. These Things Called Empathy: Eight Related but Distinct Phenomena by Dan Batson

      6. etc.

      7. (We need some shorter articles and maybe videos)