Map Facts Before Feelings
Use an empathy map to distinguish observable evidence from inferred emotion or motive.
Facts first does not make empathy cold. It makes empathy fair. Why the map matters A stakeholder read usually contains mixed material: quotes, behaviors, timing, emotional tone, and your private interpretation. Empathy mapping separates those layers so the group does not mistake a tidy explanation for the person's actual experience. The rule of evidence Put direct quotes in Says. Put visible actions in Does. Put inferred beliefs and emotions in Thinks/Feels only if they are explicitly marked as hypotheses. Then use perspective-getting to ask what the hypothesis is missing. The candid version A direct question can be empathetic: We noticed…
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