The EPIC Programme

Developing habitual empathic practice

Course Type - Face-to-face Workshop (open or in-house)

Course Duration - 2 days (15 hours)

Led by - Neil Lewis

Pre-requisites - None

We know the word. We may even know what it means. But here’s the truth – empathy is hard! In order to be a truly empathic leader and individual, there are basic principles that must be learned and mastered. The aim of the EPIC Programme is to uncover your own unique pathway to becoming more empathic so that you have the greatest chance of habitually becoming truly empathic in every interaction and with everything that you do.

Why attend a course like this?

This level of investment in yourself – not to mention the on-going investment required to change your behaviour – is massive. But what’s in it for you? Previous clients that have committed to the programme unanimously report stronger, healthier and more equal relationships in all areas of their lives, as well as a stronger sense of personal happiness and security. Leaders report better engagement with and performance from their people, as well as higher levels of commitment, innovation and resilience. But the best news is that Empathic Practice is win-win, which means that as a habitually empathic practitioner, you’ll not only have a greater chance of getting what YOU want out of every interaction, you’ll also have the greatest chance of enabling others to get what THEY want as well. No-one loses, and everybody wins! Previous clients almost unanimously report how challenging this course can be, so please enter into it with open eyes – this isn’t a ‘quick fix’, and requires a commitment to live and breathe the knowledge and skills for the rest of your life to truly see a shift.

What’s the course content?

The 2-day intensive face-to-face programme is split into two parts:

Part 1 – Empathy with Self

In this first part, you will uncover the root of empathy by looking inwards. What impacts your ability to be empathic? Where do our judgements come from? Where are our vulnerabilities? This part is deep-dive, experiential exploration of yourself – your views, values, beliefs and experiences. This is about tapping into your sources of natural empathy, as well as identifying your personal barriers. Whether we can empathise with someone or not isn’t down to them – it’s down to us.

Together we will explore the following areas:

Self-Awareness – Your opinions, judgements and ability to empathise comes from somewhere – but where? Being truly self-aware means getting to grips with your personal impact, and with unconditional, positive regard. Judging ourselves is what stops us from viewing our personal impact objectively. We’ll put intention before impact, and will struggle to accept when the impact differs from the intention. It’s time to get deeply and non-judgmentally reflective.
Emotional Literacy – Facts, figures and opinions are easy to define and articulate. But what about emotions? How do we identify them? How do we communicate them? Before we have a chance at understanding the emotions of others, we need to first be able to understand and articulate them for ourselves.
Self-Esteem (Courage) – Where do we locate our esteem? Where does any sense of success or achievement come from? Very often, we don’t know, but by not knowing, we are denying ourselves the opportunity to see how brave we are and can be. Do we know where our sources of internal strength are? Where they come from? Do we observe our own resilience? Do we every take the time to acknowledge our strengths?
Personal Security (Vulnerability) – Time to get really serious. What do we struggle with? What do we fear? What threatens us? What do we have a hard time letting go of? And why? Often, the things we judge the most in others are the things that we fear in ourselves. It’s so important to be able to witness our own judgement WITHOUT judgement and seek to understand the origin of the things we fear the most. This isn’t just about acknowledging our vulnerabilities, but deliberately uncovering and accepting them so that true growth can occur. This is how we master the art of empathy first with ourselves. Only then can we have the best chance of empathising with others.

Part 2 – Empathy with Others

Inspired by nursing scholar Theresa Wiseman’s extensive studies on Empathy, we will explore'EPIC' - the 4 core qualities of empathy: what they are; what they mean; and most importantly how to demonstrate them habitually, every day, in every interaction, with everyone.

Together we will explore the following areas:

Enter another's world/Experience their experience – how do we truly take the perspective of someone else? How do we understand that perspective fully and without agenda?
Put YOURSELF aside – stepping back into Part 1 briefly to recall the barriers to empathy, particularly those that create judgement.
Identify the emotion – what does what we see and experience from the other person tell us about their emotional state? And how do we accept that state, regardless of our own opinions?
Communicate clearly, accurately and authentically – PROVING to the person that we understand them in our responses and how we support them moving forward in the final step. Everything up to this point is about BEING empathic. This final step is about how we DEMONSTRATE empathy to others, which is the lock that positively secures that connection.

The 2-day event is highly interactive and experiential. You’ll be encouraged to reflect personally in a safe environment (no judgement, remember!), as well as explore your own personal case studies of relationships that have been/are challenging. You’ll walk away with knowledge, skills and your own personal action plan for developing and measuring habitual empathic practice every day, as well as comprehensive support following the programme through a private online community and lifetime membership to our exclusive online resource area, ‘My Empathy Coach’.

What does it cost?

There is a personal investment of £800 + VAT to attend the 2-day course and all of the on-going support provided. We can also arrange in-house courses for teams and organisations, which can often be more cost effective if you have a number of people wishing to attend.

For a no-obligation chat, please contact us!

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