Do you want a higher score for your OET speaking roleplay? We can help you with that! You should:
1. Read this article.
2. Watch its companion video to learn how expressing ‘empathy and sympathy’ relate to the ‘effective communication’ speaking assessment.
3. Finally, go to e2testprep.com, sign up for free and practice a few OET speaking exercises.
Effective communication is crucial in a healthcare setting as it enables healthcare professionals to understand a patient’s needs, provide appropriate care, and build trust and rapport with patients and their relatives.
Expressing Empathy and Understanding
So, whilst empathy is not specifically listed as an OET speaking assessment criteria, it is an important aspect of effective communication. As such, it falls under the OET assessment criteria of “appropriateness of language” and “interactiveness“.
For example, a candidate may use appropriate language to show empathy towards a patient who is anxious about their medical condition. This could include using phrases such as “I understand how you feel,” or “It’s natural to be worried in this situation”.
The candidate may also show empathy by actively listening to the patient’s concerns and responding in a way that addresses those concerns.
By expressing empathy and sympathy in your OET speaking role play, you demonstrate to the OET interlocutor that you are in command of the scenario, as reflected in the language you use. This demonstrates that you understand the context of the role play to the interlocutor. It also improves your professionalism to your patients, too.
Examples of Empathetic communication
Practice and find your style in empathetic communication; listen to the audio file of the below communications.
Other examples of empathetic and sympathetic communications are:
“I can understand how difficult this must be for you.”
“I’m sorry to hear that you’re feeling this way.”