When to use it
Use it when a conversation feels tense or the other side is holding back their real concerns.
How to apply it
- Listen fully without planning your reply.
- Mirror the last few key words they said, as a question, to encourage them to elaborate.
- Label their emotion or concern, for example 'It sounds like budget is tight this year'.
- Pause after labelling and let them respond.
- Summarise their view until they agree that you have got it right.
Tip: Empathy is not agreement; you can acknowledge their constraint and still hold your position.