Empathy Training Videos are Changing the Way We Understand Others
What Are Empathy Training Videos?
In today’s fast-moving and diverse workplaces, empathy has become one of the most valuable soft skills. It’s not just about being kind — it’s about understanding the emotions, perspectives, and lived experiences of others. One of the most innovative ways to develop this skill is through empathy training videos.
Empathy training videos are short, immersive films designed to help viewers step into someone else’s story. Rather than watching from a distance, you experience a situation through another person’s eyes — seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, and reflecting on how you might respond. These powerful visual experiences are being used in corporate learning, education, and healthcare to improve communication, teamwork, and inclusion.
Introducing Empathable: Empathy You Can Experience
A leading example of this new learning method is Empathable, an online program that brings empathy to life through interactive, first-person video experiences. Empathable allows participants to “walk in another’s shoes” through emotionally engaging short films that encourage deep reflection and self-awareness.
Unlike traditional diversity or empathy lectures, Empathable doesn’t tell viewers what to think or feel. Instead, it places them in the center of a real-life moment — through the first-person perspective of someone whose experiences or background might be very different from their own. The goal is for each viewer to come to their own conclusions about another point of view.
Empathable’s approach is backed by psychology and neuroscience research. By engaging both emotion and cognition, it helps people not only understand others intellectually but also feel that understanding — a process known as perspective taking.
The Science Behind Empathy Training Videos
There’s growing scientific evidence that immersive media and first-person storytelling can increase empathy, compassion, and prosocial behavior.
One landmark study from Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab found that participants who used virtual reality to experience homelessness (“Becoming Homeless”) showed lasting increases in empathy compared to those who only read about it. The researchers concluded that immersive perspective-taking helps people connect emotionally and retain compassion longer than traditional learning formats.
Similarly, reviews of empathy and VR training in the Frontiers in Psychology and Computers in Human Behavior journals have found that first-person experiences can activate empathy circuits in the brain and translate into real behavioral changes — such as more inclusive decision-making and cooperative teamwork.
Empathable applies these same principles, using high-quality video storytelling instead of full VR to make empathy training accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Each video is carefully designed with psychological insights and real-world feedback, ensuring that the experience is emotionally authentic and scientifically grounded.
How Empathy Videos Enhance Diversity and Inclusion Training
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs are vital in today’s organizations. Yet many companies struggle to make their diversity training truly effective. Studies have shown that one-time workshops or mandatory lectures often have limited long-term impact.
That’s where empathy training videos like Empathable come in.
By showing life from another person’s perspective — whether it’s a co-worker facing bias, a patient feeling unheard, or a team member managing invisible challenges — empathy videos bring abstract concepts to life. They make diversity training personal, relatable, and emotionally engaging.
When combined with guided reflection, discussion, and practical action steps, empathy videos help employees internalize what inclusion feels like — not just what it means on paper. This emotional engagement is what drives meaningful change in workplace culture.
How Empathy Supports DEI Goals
- Reduces unconscious bias: Seeing from another person’s point of view helps challenge stereotypes and automatic assumptions.
- Builds trust and collaboration: Teams that understand each other’s perspectives communicate more effectively and resolve conflict faster.
- Improves leadership: Empathetic leaders are better at motivating diverse teams and fostering psychological safety.
- Encourages allyship: When people feel emotionally connected to others’ experiences, they’re more likely to advocate for fairness and inclusion.
A Sample Empathy Training Session Plan
Empathy training is most effective when paired with structured reflection and action. Here’s a simple 60-minute session model organizations can use with Empathable’s empathy training videos:
- Set the intention (5 min):
Introduce the session goal — for example, “Today we’ll explore what it means to see through another person’s eyes.” - Watch the empathy video (10 min):
Choose a first-person film relevant to your organization, such as a workplace misunderstanding or a cross-cultural interaction. - Guided reflection (15 min):
Invite participants to share reactions:- What emotions came up?
- What surprised you?
- Did any assumptions shift?
- Perspective exercise (15 min):
Ask participants to write a short reflection or role-play the other person’s side of the story. - Action planning (10–15 min):
Discuss what behaviors or changes participants can take forward — from listening more actively to checking bias in decisions. - Follow-up:
A few weeks later, revisit the key takeaways to reinforce learning and measure changes in communication or inclusion.
This approach transforms empathy from a momentary emotion into an ongoing habit.
Why Empathy Training Matters in Every Industry
Empathy training videos are not just for corporate DEI programs. They’re proving valuable across multiple sectors:
- Healthcare: Empathy improves patient satisfaction and reduces burnout among healthcare workers.
- Education: Teachers who use empathy training report better classroom climate and student engagement.
- Customer service: Understanding client emotions leads to better experiences and loyalty.
- Leadership development: Empathy helps leaders connect authentically, retain talent, and manage conflict effectively.
In each context, the goal remains the same — to help people understand, connect, and collaborate more deeply.
The Future of Empathy Training
Technology and neuroscience are opening new frontiers for human connection. As empathy training videos evolve, we’re seeing more programs like Empathable use realistic first-person storytelling, data-driven insights, and digital accessibility to make empathy training scalable.
Imagine a future where every workplace or school begins the day with a five-minute empathy exercise — where understanding others becomes as routine as checking your email. That’s the kind of quiet revolution Empathable and other empathy innovators are leading.
Final Thoughts
Empathy training videos represent a powerful evolution in how we learn to understand others. By combining science, storytelling, and reflection, programs like Empathable are helping organizations move beyond check-the-box diversity training toward real behavioral change.
When people can see through another person’s eyes — even for a few minutes — perspectives shift, relationships deepen, and workplaces become more human. And that’s what true empathy is all about.