Day #10: Empathy Starts with Curiosity
Being ADEPT | Be Empathetic

Welcome to Day 10 of the 30-Day Say It Skillfully Challenge! Kudos for persevering and strengthening your ability to advocate, embrace difference, and expand what gets heard. Now we move into the next core ADEPT capability: Be Empathetic—a skill that dramatically improves dialogue when things matter most.

Being empathetic encompasses three sub-skills, if you will (Be Curious, Be Clear, and Be Love). Today, we start with curiosity. 

Curiosity isn't passive listening or polite nodding. It's an active choice to seek first to understand before responding or solving. When genuine curiosity leads, people feel safer, conversations slow down in the right way, and real understanding becomes possible. Without it, even well-intentioned communication can miss the mark. 

Today's Challenge: Choose one conversation today, ideally one with some tension, uncertainty, or emotional charge, and practice leading with curiosity before offering your perspective. 
Resist any urge to jump in to explain or respond right away. Simply try getting curious with a simple "Say more," or "Help me understand." 

Your goal is not necessarily agreement or resolution. Curiosity creates space for someone to feel that you're trying to understand what it's like for them. As you continue building this skill, you'll find that understanding doesn't slow progress down; it accelerates it. 

Cheering for you to make the most of this 30-day challenge—whether you're recommitting to a resolution, trying something new, or simply choosing to turn over a fresh leaf this year. One small step today can change how you show up all year long. You've got this!