Chase Tachau

Facebook: Chase Tachau

workshops/2015-08-06

Ed interviews Chase

How did you feel about the empathy circle?

During the empathy circle, it brought my attention to how useful and important empathy is. How it can be applied to every conversation. It made me very aware.

Did it feel comfortable to you?

It still feels a little unnatural that people don’t just repeat back what they hear, but it is an exercise that helps strengthen the empathy muscle.

Metaphor: Practicing empathy is like going to the gym and lifting weights. We don’t lift weights in public, yet benefit from the practice.

How is your experience with improv connected to empathy?

When practicing improv, I see empathy everywhere, how I can help the other person receive what I am saying. With acting, a lot of energy is spent considering how they other person is going to receive me.

Thinking about the “never disagree,” have you done any Meisner Technique repetition exercises in improv?

Not sure, maybe something like that.

The exercise in practicing noticing the other person, and repeating back, sensitized Chase to all the little details about the other person in an interaction.

I Like… we all connected through something most of us had never done before.

Wish… we all could connect more easily although we have our different perspectives

What if… - empathy was a habit that everyone used on a daily basis.

team-6/2015-08-24

Intention

I set the intention to increase my understanding of empathy and practice effective use of it.

Wendy interviews Chase

How was your experience of the Empathy Circle?

Easier to listen and speak when there is a connection and trust among participants.

More enjoyable to do empathy circles with people he knows.

I’ve done it before, with 3 people I know, doing it with people I know is more enjoyable.

This one was cooler because I know people,

What made it easier to do with people you know ?

It’s harder to share while simultaneously building a connection with people.

Do you try to practice empathy in your daily life.?

I do. sometimes, it gets hard because I want to talk about myself while other people want to talk about themselves.

Empathy is a high priority for me, and I still end up speaking about myself. I still forget the POV of others, and take my own.

I may not always be attuned to empathizing when speaking with others.

i try to understand and have empathy even when it’s not my focus. and I think I offer more empathy than most people who may not make time for it at all.

I dont’ try to have empathy with every single encounter. I do it more than the average person would.

Do you find yourself exercising empathy more with people you know than people you don’t know ?

Less focus and effort are required to empathize with people I know vs people I don’t know. More fluid, less complicated

when you don’t know them, it takes a lot more to figure out if you don’t know.

What is your

What is your goals in empathizing with people?

I will feel better with myself and can help or offer to help that person.

being on the same page with people

it’s hard to say. more on the same page, the more connection and more enjoyment.

to be nice to people and get it in return

empathizing with others helps me feel better in myself because I understand what’s needed and how to help. I can be there for people or happy with them, when I know where they are at. Being on the same page as people. So hard to articulate.

Would you say you feel good about yourself? How do you feel about yourself when you practice empathy?

I like to practice because I know I will get better,

More empathy in my life

How would worldwide empathy impact the world?

Whoa. People would be nicer to each other. Empathy is putting yourself in hands of others, and mutual trust, reciprocal attention. People will take care of each other’s needs, not just their own needs. It would promote more trust and people taking care of each other.

Wendy Interviewee Name: Chase

Insight: That empathy should be practiced daily and the world will be a better place.

Feedback: empathy made a priority

Feeling

• eager

• hopeful

• open

• determination

• commitment

Needs

• valuing empathy, get others on the same page

team-6/2015-08-31

Intention:

My intention is to get a better understanding of the workshop’s goal

Wendy interviews Chase

What was your experience of the Empathy Circle?

What parts of the Empathy Circle did you have trouble with and why?

Etc.

Wendy: Why is empathy important to you?

Chase- Emp is imp to me because i like to be nice to people and have more authentic connections with people. i like understanding where ppl come from and when people understand where i am coming from.

more authentic connections wi

Wendy: Do you think your upbringing influences why empathy is imp to you?

Chase - it is more than influence, it was teaching.

Wendy: Let me rephrase it, were you born with it or was it from your parents?

Chase - i agree that my empathy was in me and in my upbringing. the reasons for me thinking the things i think is because of how i was brought up. if i was brought up with different parent, i would be different. it wasn’t only in me since i was born. the way i was brought up influenced how important it is to me, but not intentionally.

Wendy are you saying it was part of you and your upbringing fostered and cultivated it?

Chase - anything part of me is a result of my upbringing. If i was brought up in a different culture, i’d think differently, and have different values

Wendy - How would Emp education impact schools and communities?

Chase - People would be nicer to each other and there would be less aggression and violence. verbal, physical etc violence

less aggression and unnecessary violence

Wendy- that’s how it would impact community as well

Chase - in school, it would be less performance based and less competitive, and people would get farther. people get farther lifting other people up than stepping on others.

Wendy- Do you think it would lift all of these traits, are you aware of them?

Chase- I’m aware of most of them. I had done it before so I was thought to do empathic listening.

Wendy- do you think this comes naturally?

Chase - I don’t think 90 % of ppl would repeat back what they’re hearing.

Wendy- Do you ever see our world at some point becoming a more empathic world, on a global world leader range

Chase: its a conscious effort to listen empathically. My first empathy circle people want to talk and be storytellers and share their stories rather than focusing on others, therefore active listening is unnatural.

Wendy: Do you ever see our world at some point becoming a more empathic world, not only on our level, but on that of world leaders?

Chase: It is definitely possible?

Wendy- can it be accomplished?

Chase: I really don’t know. Worldwide empathy can be accomplished. half worldwide, maybe or 3/5ths of the world. people are too different. too many different places.

Wendy Interviewee Name: Chase

Insight: Chase believes that empathy would promote kindness

Feelings

• hopeful

• optimistic

• safe

Needs

• positive

• authenticity

• mutuality

• genuine connections

team-6/2015-09-07

Intentions

To be empathetic to everyone in the circle and to contribute to our goal.

Empathy Circle

• • how are you?

  • it’s a cool connection that I create the design chat

  • and that we are here now

  • looking forward how Shelly will affect the dynamics of the group.

  • don’t have much more to say.

  • interested in the next class - interested in getting into the research and brainstorming

Edwin interviews Chase

Edwin: Hey Chase, so can you tell me about your experience? What was your experience the fourth time around?

Chase: It feels almost repetitive and stagnant, because we haven’t made a thing, created something. and that’s just the way i look at things. haven't’ gone anywhere. we’re stuck in place. repetitive. makes me lose interest. I feel like we uncovered this new thing looking into emotions. whole new can of worms.

Edwin: You’re feeling that the empathy circle is stagnant because that sense of creation. What could help that?

Chase: we were talking about the empathy tents and bring empathy into the world, farmers mkts, so i feel thats a thing that could happen. or develop something for everywhere, i don’t know what we’re supposed to create. the new way of doing the EC, possible new way of listening to emotions.

Edwin:

Chase: I would definitely be interested in leading EC. outside

Edwin: How do you feel about your ability to host an empathy circle?

Chase: i think i cld do it. i did it w/ my family. I’ve hosted EC. I have a good understanding of it. I could explain it to someone.

Edwin: This week if you were to put together an empathy circle now how would you go about doing it?

Chase: I like the idea of doing to farmers mkt and setting up a tent. I feel like it would be fun to do it. not sure about details.

Edwin: So it sounds like you're really itching to start doing it and implement the empathy circle maybe lead one.

Chase: i like doing a lot more than and making than talking.

Edwin: Ok so what other making ideas do you have what’s coming up around the notion of making?

chase: putting more felt experiences in the circle. that’s what wks for me the best.

Edwin: So if we look at, kind of add those layers we were talking about add that felt experience. We were talking about empathy, why is empathy important to you?

Chase: empathy is important, Shelley said it communities, relationships and connections is what really matters, i feel that’s important too. Empathy is the simplest way to relate to people on a humane level..

Edwin: Thank you Chase