I remember the first time I saw the Brene Brown empathy video. We were sitting in a large hotel conference room in a Chicago suburb. I was there to learn about The Nora Project, a project that teaches kids about empathy through promoting inclusion for children with disabilities. Empathy was a skill I knew about, but honestly, had never really learned about as a student or explored as an adult. Here was this video, which was not only visually appealing but so clear and insightful.
If you’re a teacher who is teaching students about empathy, then you must show your students the Brené Brown empathy Video! Not only is it clear ad concise, but it is also animated, making this the perfect video to teach students about empathy.
Want to know more about how to teach empathy and other soft skills in the classroom? Download the soft skills guide for teachers by clicking here!
What is the Brené Brown Empathy Video?
Brené Brown is a famous researcher who specializes in topics such as shame, vulnerability and leadership. She has a podcast, is friends with Oprah and has one of the most viewed Ted Talks of all time.
Brené Brown gave a now-famous speech for the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) on vulnerability. A small clip from this speech, in which Brené talked about the difference between empathy and sympathy was then turned into an animated short.
Using woodland creatures, the video shows what empathy and sympathy each look like. According to Brown, Empathy fuels connection, whereas sympathy drives disconnection.
How to Include the Brené Brown Video in your Teaching
This video is great to show students if you are working on:
- Understanding Empathy
- Conflict resolution
- Disability Awareness
- Social-Emotional Learning
Empathy is a difficult topic to understand. Even adults grapple with the concept of empathy. This video could be a great mid-unit or project viewing if you are noticing that students are struggling to understand the difference between sympathy and empathy.
I would not suggest using this video as a hook or provocation at the beginning of a unit. I think students need to be at least introduced to the concept of empathy and sympathy in order to understand the video.
Click here to download the soft skills guide for teachers! This free guide shares ways to teach soft skills, such as empathy in your classroom.
Before Watching the Brené Brown Video with Students
It’s important to familiarize students with the concept of empathy before watching this video. If students watched this video and have never heard of the word empathy before, you may lose them.
Fueling understanding through discussions is a great alternative for starting to teach this concept. Click here to check out these empathy discussion task cards!
Before watching this video, I also suggest asking students to define empathy and sympathy. Some questions to ask students include:
- What does it mean to show empathy?
- What does it mean to show sympathy?
- Is one better than the other?
I recommend doing a think, pair-share, in which students discuss their answers with a partner, and then as a class. Display students’ responses on a large sheet of paper.
While Watching the Video
While watching the video, allow students one or even two opportunities to watch the video before asking for feedback. This video can be challenging to digest, especially for younger students, so give them time to do so. Students may even ask to take notes or to write down important quotes from the video.
Post-Watching Discussion Questions
After students have watched the video a couple of times, lead a meaningful discussion about what they saw and how they felt about the video. You may then want to re-ask the questions you asked before watching the video. A cool idea is to have students write their new responses on a new sheet of paper and compare it to the responses they wrote down before viewing the video.
Some possible discussion questions include:
- What did you think about the video?
- Can you give an example of a time you were shown empathy?
- What does it mean to show empathy after watching this video?
- What does it mean to show sympathy after watching this video?
- Is one better than the other? How so?
- Can you give an example of a time you showed sympathy? Could you think of what you could have done differently in that situation to be more empathetic?
Post-Watching Activities
Here’s a list of some activities to incorporate in your empathy-focused teaching:
Final Thoughts
Have you already used the Brene Brown empathy video in your classroom?
Comment down below and tell us how it was received by students? We’d love to hear your tips and strategies for using this video in your classroom.
Be sure to check out the Brene Brown Empathy video if you have not yet done so! If you do end up showing the video to students, tell us how it goes!
Don’t forget to grab the free soft skills guide by clicking here!
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