Day 1

What do we really mean when we say Empathetic Museum?

Visitor-centered. Civic-minded. Diverse.Inclusive. Welcoming. Responsive. Participatory.

The qualities of 21st century museums are impossible without an inner core of institutional empathy: the intention of the museum to be, and be perceived as, deeply connected with its community.

Day 2

What organizational characteristics are included in an Empathetic Museum?

Learn more: https://empatheticmuseum.com/take-action/maturity-model/

Day 3

Can we apply the facets of empathy to our organization?

One way to apply empathetic practice is to engage with multiple perspectives BEFORE creating a program, event, or exhibition.

Day 4

What should we consider beyond personal perspectives?

You may unintentionally have bias in materials or tour design. Be willing to examine your existing tour scripts, volunteer training materials, even your standard greetings to create an experience of empathetic inclusion!

Day 5

How can you share the message of Empathy in your organization?

Start by mapping! Consider the voices of those who are underrepresented and underserved by your institution. Are their identities evident on your board, staff, or members? Consider how many factors might define your community and seek to reflect the complexity of your area.

Day 6

Does implicit bias impact empathy?

Bias can make it hard to see how we may be using words, concepts, or constructs that are inherently offensive or harmful. By collaborating to create a shared understanding of appropriate language you signal an invitation for engagement and responsiveness. Preparing a shared vocabulary is a proactive strategy to build empathy!

Day 7

How does your organization reflect the communities around you?

“An institution that is not at its core truly visitor-centered, dedicated to inclusion, and committed to its community cannot, in my view, attract and retain the new and diverse audiences it may say it wants.”

Positive “Institutional Body Language” is a strong and sustained core of empathy reflected in an inner identity and set of practices that are in agreement with an institution’s outward image. The subtle, unspoken messages that a museum communicates reveal its true capacity for lasting empathetic practice and meaningful connections to diverse communities.

Day 8

Your Brain on Empathy: Cognitive Perspective Taking

Kenneth Nowack notes in “A Business Case for Building Empathy, Trust, and Psychological Safety in Teams and Organizations“:

Empathetic distress and perspective-taking are largely cognitive processes, whereas empathetic concern/compassion leads to observable behaviors such as volunteering, caring, and directly supporting others. In fact, empathetic concern/compassion as a type of empathy is largely mediated by the prosocial peptide oxytocin. When we experience others as friends, rather than as threats or foes, we release more oxytocin, signaling to the brain that we can safely interact, approach, and connect with others.

Day 9

“Empathy: Its ultimate and proximate bases“: In order to unify the various perspectives, empathy needs to be construed broadly to include all processes that rely on the emotional linkage between individuals.

Can you increase your Empathy? Yes!

Strict dictionary definitions have a hard time separating the feelings of empathy, sympathy, compassion, and pity. Often these words are used to define each other. However, research on the concepts has begun to pull them apart.

Empathy is considered a mirroring or vicarious experience of another’s emotions, whether they be sorrow or joy. Compassion is much like sympathy in that it stems from the suffering of another, but it also includes the need or desire to alleviate suffering (Eisenberg, 2002)

Jennifer Goetz

Day 10

Name your aspirations: How do you plan to practice empathy in 2025?
Tag us in your answer #10DdaysofEmpathy