Communicating with Empathy and Understanding: The Leadership Superpower You May Be Overlooking

You carefully crafted your message, covering all the points you wanted to make. You explained your rationale, and even practiced your delivery. But when the meeting ended, the questions were off base and the energy had left the room.

What went wrong?

Sometimes it’s not about what you say, it’s about what your listeners perceive. This is especially true when your audience comes from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and have different norms for communication. In this case, getting your message across requires more than just well organized content. You also need to employ awareness, empathy, and adaptability.

The truth is, effective leadership communication isn’t only about clarity. It’s also about connection. And one of the most powerful, often overlooked, tools for creating connection is empathy.

Empathy is often thought of as “fluffy”, just one of those soft skills. But in reality, it’s a skill that when practiced, can provide a strategic advantage.

Why Communicating with Empathy Matters

It is natural to assume that our message is received the way we intend it to be. But we have to remember that every listener brings their own perspectives and biases, shaped by upbringing, culture, language, and lived experience.

Empathy can help us to bridge that gap.

It forces us to ask:

What assumptions might I be making?

How might this message land for them?

Is there a way I can make my message accessible to everyone?

When we make the effort to take into account someone else’s experience, we can shift our communication. We can slow down, watch for audience reaction, and use examples to clarify what we mean. This is what we refer to as culturally intelligent communication

I’ve been privileged to teach and coach across cultures and industries in my career and one consistent theme that has emerged is that when leaders learn how to tune into difference and communicate with empathy, their influence multiplies.

For example, a simple nod might signal agreement by one team member, but signal doubt in another. A leader who’s well-versed in differences in communication styles knows how to correctly read those signals. And more importantly, they know how to ask the right questions to create an atmosphere where team members feel seen, safe, and supported to speak up.

Empathy in Action: 3 Practices You Can Use Today

Use accessible language. Swap idioms or jargon for universally clear terms. This minimizes confusion and honors linguistic differences.

Mirror and clarify. When someone speaks, paraphrase what you heard and ask if you understood correctly. It’s a small gesture that can quickly build trust.

Don’t assume: ask open questions. Instead of “Did you understand that?” try “How does that land with you?” It encourages open, honest dialogue.

The Leadership Outcome

When empathy is part of your communication toolkit, you don’t just speak, you connect, and you are more likely to communicate successfully across cultures. Empathy enables you to reduce gaffes and build teams where people feel valued, heard, and empowered.

Empathy doesn’t just improve your ability to communicate. It makes you a better leader.

Visit my tool kit page for resources to assist you in improving your communication skills: https://boldtglobal.com/toolkits