2024/12/30 Showing empathy is an excellent way of getting someone on our side. They state their case, expect us to react defensively and then feel they can relax when we agree with them. This encourages them to lower their defensives too, especially when they see a conversation they thought was heading into tense territory is about to do otherwise. Showing empathy toward a certain person can do so much now to encourage them to drop their defenses.