Empathy: 40 Useful Performance Feedback Phrases

Empathy is the understanding of another person's condition from their perspective by placing yourself in their shoes and feeling what they are feeling.

Empathy: Exceeds Expectations Phrases

• Listens well and also pays attention to nonverbal communication, picking up subtle cues almost subconsciously
• Puts clients' needs first; goes out of the way to help meet those needs and look for ways to improve clients' satisfaction
• Takes pride in helping other employees by acting on their needs and concerns and helping them to bring the best out of them
• Leverages diversity; creates opportunities through different kinds of people and relates well to everyone, regardless of their background
• Has an insatiable curiosity about new employees and frequently chats with them in order to understand the world inside their heads
• Examines own attitude and motives when solving a dispute with a colleague in order to find a viable solution
• Always flexible and is prepared to change direction as the other person's feelings and thoughts also change
• Takes an active interest in colleagues concerns and shows sensitivity to their feelings and perspectives
• Is able to navigate company's relationships effectively and achieve what other colleagues may previously have failed
• Always asks colleagues for their opinions or feelings regarding a situation as a way to learn more about them

Empathy: Meets Expectations Phrases

• Rewards and praises colleagues for their accomplishments and strengths, and provides constructive feedback designed to focus on how to improve
• Provides mentoring, coaching and stretching assignments that help colleagues and team members to develop to their full potential
• Able to challenge bias, stereotyping and intolerance, and creates an atmosphere that is respectful towards everyone
• Pays attention to the surrounding, the expressions, feelings, and actions of the people before interacting with them
• Makes the customer feel valued; offers trusted advice to customers who want to develop a long-term relationship with the company
• Sets oneself the challenge of having a conversation with a stranger every week in order to understand life in another person's perspective
• Does not just want to be right to proof a point, rather, is truly interested in the best outcome or solution to a problem
• Maintains an eye contact when having a conversation with a colleague and does not let one's own gaze drift all over the place
• Tries to come up with answers that truly explain one's own feelings and refrains with negative answers such as "I don't know"
• Opens up emotionally when connecting with others in order to deepen the connection with the other person

Empathy: Needs Improvement Phrases

• Is egoistic and often keeps distance from co-workers; does not show willingness to mingle with other members of the team
• Demonstrates non-caring and a ruthless competitive relationship with other colleagues
• Does not care about own words and actions and the perception they create in others
• Has trouble dealing with interpersonal conflicts at work, home and in the community
• Often loses focus when answering a question and feels under pressure to come up with an answer, whether appropriate or not
• Ignores and hides the emotional content in a conversation with colleagues making them not to open up fully
• Finds it hard to withhold immediate judgment especially when first meeting or interacting with colleagues
• Does not show interest in people outside one's own social circle or new employees
• Does not seem to care about the needs of different people in the community and does not see the need to offer help to them
• Does not take time to imagine what is going on in another person's life or allow time to walk in their shoes

Empathy: Self Evaluation Questions

• Can you think of a time when you had to deliver less than ideal news? How did you go about it?
• How can you tell that a colleague needs help? What steps would you go through to provide comfort?
• What is one or two things you have learned from caring for or helping others at work?
• Think of a time you had to address an angry client. How would you assess your role in diffusing the problem?
• In your opinion, what are the ingredients in building and maintaining good relationships with colleagues at work?
• Describe a time when you were able to strengthen a relationship between colleagues using effective communication. What made your communication effective?
• What is one thing you wish other colleagues knew about you, but they don't?
• Why is it important for employees to show empathy towards each other as well as towards their customers?
• Can you think of a time someone interpreted something you said negatively, even though you didn't intend for it to be negative?
• Have you ever decided to delay presenting some information to a colleague because you felt the timing was not right?