Brief Description of situation
A member of staff called to say that she couldn’t do her shift because she had had some major personal issues that had put her in a precarious mental state.
how did you demonstrate empathy?
I told her that I was sorry to hear about her situation and expressed that I would not know what to do myself if it had happened to me. I told her not to worry about work as family is more important and I would arrange to get her shift covered.
What difference did it make to the person?
It gave her an opportunity to offload her personal issues, made her feel like she had a sympathetic ear and made her feel less guilty about taking time off work.
how did you demonstrate active listening?
She was very upset but just having someone to listen to her seemed to help a lot. I demonstrated I was listening by repeating back to her what she had said in my own words for confirmation that I had I understood.
How did that enhance effective communication?
She became less frantic and more relaxed.