The world might always have a shortage in empathy.

To understand someone’s worldview that is foreign to yours is the hard work of being human. We need space to critically think and also have the support of people who possess a compassionate understanding so that our assessments aren’t entirely self-serving.

Empathy is a conscious choice—a decision to hit pause on our emotions, say hello to our hidden biases, and acknowledge the information that we’re not seeing or are choosing to ignore.

Below are five talks from our archives that teach the beauty of empathy in multiple contexts: leadership, product design, social change, technology, and for the people you work with (including yourself).

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1. How to Design Change with Empathy by Colleen Clines, CreativeMornings/Louisville

In this talk, social entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Anchal, Colleen Clines, talks about design-thinking and how empathy was at the core of her process.

Anchal’s mission is to address the exploitation of women by using design-thinking to create employment opportunities, products, and services that support economic empowerment. Five years after its start, Anchal has offered over 100 commercial sex workers alternative careers in textile design; the products have been sold in Urban Outfitters nationwide and featured in Harper’s Bazaar.

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2. Millennials, Technology, and Practicing Empathy by Simon Sinek, CreativeMornings/SanDiego

In this talk, author and speaker Simon Sinek does what most media and people have failed to do: empathize with millennials and explains the root causes of their behaviors. He also digs into the impact of technology and why empathy is the language of leadership. Also check out his first CreativeMornings/NewYork talk on loving your work.

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3. Creatively Inclusive: Empathy + Design by Kate Hanisian & Ramsey Ford, CreativeMornings/Cincinnati

The flip-side is worth asking: can problems be solved without empathy? Maybe not for math problems, but for people problems, empathy is the catalyst for change.

In this talk, the co-founders of Design Impact, Kate Hanisian and Ramsey Ford, share their process in how they bake empathy in their design work and problem-solving.

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4.The Importance of Empathy For Yourself, Your Collaborators, and Your Clients by Ryan Booth, CreativeMornings/Houston

On the journey to making better art, it’s natural to be critical and hard on ourselves. This desire stems from wanting to improve rapidly so that we can make the impact we seek to make. According to filmmaker Ryan Booth, without empathy and compassion for ourselves and others, we delay the incremental improvements that shape us on this journey.

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5. Why Technology Doesn’t Replace Empathy by Abhay Adhikari, CreativeMornings/Berlin

It has become easy to say, “there’s an app for that” for difficult problems, but rarely does technology solve it.

In this talk, Abhay Adhikari shares a project focused on creating an age-friendly environment, and rather than focusing on the technology available, he explains how he starts with empathy and tries to make tech invisible in the process.

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This playlist was made possible by the support and volunteer efforts of our Talk Watch Squad. They’re a robust, remote team that volunteers to watch talks, provide feedback, and suggestions that make playlists like this possible. Interested?