This is a great activity for helping team members develop empathy for others and also gain awareness into how they are perceived.
Split your team into pairs. Ask the pairs to share with each other a time they have disagreed with someone, whether it’s a recent customer interaction or something personal. Give them five minutes to do this.
Next, explain to your team that they now need to completely remove themselves from the situation and consider it from the other person’s perspective. Ask them to consider a few questions (and write them up on a whiteboard or flipchart so they can be seen.)
- How does the other person see you?
- How does the other person feel they get along with you?
- What does the other person need from you?
- What would the other person like to get out of your interactions?
Explain to the group that the person who is listening will need to make sure the conversation stays from the perspective of the other person – it can be very tempting to lapse back into explaining things from your perspective.
Give the pairs ten minutes or so to do this.
Then, ask the pairs to share together any insights they had or things they have learned. Give them five minutes or so to do this.
Ask for any volunteers to share their thoughts.
