Listening is an intense mental skill different from the physical capacity of hearing. Listening is multifaceted consisting of interpreting words, voice stress,

Listening is an intense mental skill different from the physical capacity of hearing. Listening is multifaceted consisting of interpreting words, voice stress, posture, body language, and facial twitches. Truth occurs for a communicator when those facets are in agreement. Listening well involves focus and intense concentration. Watch their body and face as they speak. Watch and listen for the smallest of changes. —— To be more empathetic talk to people to learn what they are doing and why. Remember that not everybody will be fully honest. The dishonesty is likely not deliberate as the person may not be aware of their own mixed signals. That is called cognitive complexity and frequently results from internal conflict. Many people lie to themselves and do astonishingly poorly even at that. Remember that empathy is not sympathy. A shared emotional experience is often an irrelevant distraction. —— As for me I am a higher than average empathy person with very low sympathy. That is sometimes called low gives a shit. When people come to with challenges and failures I am evaluating them on multiple levels to look for stressors in order to properly respond with a guidance for improvement. What I won’t do is feel sad or sorry for them, which is them seeking comfort and agreement. Often the best answer to conflict is something the audience doesn’t want to hear. You cannot control their receptiveness, but you can control the level of persuasion add additional stress for noncompliance.