The Empathy Map: Understanding People Beyond What They Tell You

This is the easiest section to fill out because it's what you can directly observe or quote. What does this person actually say in conversations, meetings, interviews, or feedback sessions? These are their literal words, not your interpretation of what they mean.

This focuses on observable behaviors and actions. What do you actually see them doing? How do they spend their time? What are their habits and routines? Sometimes what people do tells a very different story than what they say.

This is where you start to read between the lines, but carefully. What might they be thinking but not saying out loud? What beliefs or assumptions might be driving their behavior? This section requires some inference, but it should be grounded in what you've observed, not wild speculation.

What emotions might they be experiencing? Are they frustrated, excited, worried, hopeful? Again, this requires some thoughtful observation—looking at body language, tone of voice, energy levels, and emotional cues that might not be explicitly stated.

When you take time to understand your client's full experience, you can respond more thoughtfully. You might realize that your client's hesitation about a proposal isn't about budget—they're worried about how the change will affect their team's morale and productivity.

Understanding how your employees think and feel helps you frame your leadership approach in a way they can actually receive. If you know someone is feeling overwhelmed by new systems, you'll approach training and implementation differently than if they're feeling confident and eager for change.

Many products fail because entrepreneurs solve for what they think the problem is, not what customers actually experience daily. Empathy maps help you identify the underlying challenges and emotional drivers that your solution needs to address.

Whether you're managing a team, serving clients, or trying to influence organizational change, empathy maps help you understand what will actually motivate and engage the people you're working with. This leads to better outcomes for everyone involved.

Start with one specific person whose perspective would significantly impact your business success. This could be a key team member whose engagement affects overall productivity, a major client whose satisfaction drives referrals, or a target customer whose needs represent your broader market. Consider who you need to understand better to achieve your business goals.

Spend time observing and listening with business outcomes in mind. What do they actually say in client meetings, team discussions, or feedback sessions? How do they behave during product demos, project updates, or when facing challenges? For entrepreneurs, this might mean sitting in on customer service calls or attending team meetings as an observer. For HR professionals, it could involve shadowing employees during their typical workday or listening to feedback from exit interviews.

Start with the "Says" and "Does" sections since these are based on direct observation from your business interactions. Be specific and use actual quotes from client calls, team meetings, or performance reviews when possible. Document concrete behaviors you've witnessed during work situations, project collaborations, or customer interactions.

For the "Thinks" and "Feels" sections, base your insights on patterns you've observed in business contexts. If an employee consistently asks for detailed timelines during project meetings, they might be thinking about workload management or feeling concerned about meeting deadlines. If a client frequently mentions budget constraints, they might be feeling pressure from their own stakeholders or thinking about ROI justification.

Look for recurring themes in their professional behavior and communication that impact your business relationship. What consistently frustrates them about current processes, products, or services? What gets them most excited about new initiatives or solutions? For employees, this might reveal workflow inefficiencies or career development desires. For clients, it could uncover unmet needs or success metrics that matter most to their business.

The real test of an empathy map is whether it helps you serve your people more effectively. Try adjusting your management approach, client communication, or product features based on your insights. Does employee engagement improve? Do client relationships strengthen? Are conversion rates better? Use business metrics to validate whether your empathy map insights translate into better outcomes.

Have participants start with the "Says" and "Does" sections—what they can directly observe. This builds confidence before moving to the more interpretive sections.

Guide participants through the "Thinks" and "Feels" sections with specific questions: "Based on what you've observed, what might they be concerned about?" or "What patterns do you notice in their behavior that might indicate how they're feeling?"

Help participants identify underlying motivations and challenges.

Ask:

Some participants jump to conclusions without evidence. Remind them to ground their insights in specific observations and to distinguish between what they know and what they're inferring.

Others might create overly broad characterizations. Help them focus on specific contexts and acknowledge that people behave differently in different situations.

Watch for participants projecting their own experiences onto others. Guide them to consider perspectives that might be very different from their own.

Keep the focus on understanding rather than evaluating. The goal is insight, not assessment of whether someone's responses are right or wrong.

Use for improving team communication and collaboration. Teams that understand each other's perspectives often work more effectively together.

Excellent for understanding client needs and communication preferences. Particularly valuable for identifying unspoken concerns or motivations.

Helps leaders understand their impact on others and develop more effective approaches to motivation and communication.

Can reveal underlying concerns and needs that aren't being directly expressed in disagreements.