Empathy at Work | Trauma-Informed Communication & Culture

Name: Empathy at Work | Trauma-Informed Communication & Culture
Rating: 4.1 (11 reviews)

Empathy training | Trauma-informed business | Communication skills | Psychological safety

Created byCrystal Hutchinson

Last updated 6/2025

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Comprehensive Understanding: You'll gain a deep understanding of the impact of trauma and memory on decision-making processes within your business.
Empathy Mastery: Learn to foster empathy in your professional relationships and leverage it for business growth.
Effective Communication: Develop top-notch communication skills, including trust-building and soft skills essential for business success.
Business Etiquette: Master business etiquette from a trauma-informed perspective, creating a respectful and inclusive workspace.
Empowering Body Language: Discover the power of nonverbal communication and how it can drive positive business outcomes.
Listening Skills: Enhance your ability to listen actively and respond with empathy, fostering meaningful connections with clients and colleagues.

Course content

5 sections • 20 lectures • 1h 3m total length

Introduction and Welcome1:22
learn trauma-informed care in a business context, understanding what trauma is and why empathetic, safety-focused communication matters when serving clients who may have experienced trauma.
General Housekeeping2:03
Crystal Tamala introduces Wisdom Academy and its diverse courses. She highlights watchable lectures, visuals, demonstrations, exercises, downloadable journals, slow pacing, playback controls, Q&A access, and ratings for a five-star experience.
What Is Trauma? What Are Types of Trauma; Trauma Informed Care4:48
Understand that trauma is an emotional response to a distressing event, prevalent in 70–90% of adults, and affects memory, focus, and behavior in the workplace.
Parts of Memory and Relating Memory To Trauma4:34
Understand memory as encoding, storage, and recall, and how trauma can alter encoding, trigger flashbacks, and cause details to change over time.

Trauma and Memory Formation3:33
Explore explicit and implicit memory formation, detailing semantic, episodic, procedural, and emotional memories, and how a traumatic event shapes thoughts and behaviors through the brain.
Parts of the Brain, Memory and Trauma2:47
Explore how trauma shapes explicit, implicit, semantic, episodic, procedural, and emotional memory, with brain areas like the temporal lobe, hippocampus, striatum, and amygdala, and implications for empathetic, trauma-informed communication.
Decision Making Trauma and Triggers4:43
Explore how trauma shapes decision making by activating the brain's flight or fight response, leading to risk avoidance and heightened sensitivity to triggers like sound, tone, dates, and smells.

Trauma Informed Care for Business Operations Safety2:49
Explain how trauma affects memory and why a safe environment matters in business. Apply SAMHSA’s six trauma-informed care principles, starting with safety through well-lit, orderly spaces.
Tenets Of Trauma Informed Care for Business Operations3:59
Promote trauma-informed business operations by designing safe spaces with calm lighting, low noise, flexible seating, and eye-contact options, while using soft speech and respectful distance to build trust.
Communication Skills Trust Building in Business Communications3:24
Explore trust-building, collaboration, empowerment, and historical, cultural, and gender awareness to apply trauma-informed care in business communications, enabling clients to choose options with respect and understanding.
Soft Skills Communication Skills Screening for Business Communication Practices3:06
Implement trauma-informed screening and open listening to understand clients’ needs, then adapt communication to build trust and avoid retraumatization in business relationships.
Business Etiquette Principles Trauma Informed Care1:55
Build trust with clients by keeping commitments, delivering thorough, accurate work on time, and communicating issues promptly. Emphasize reliable, trauma-informed care to support clients who have experienced trauma.
Business Communication, Communication Skills for Trauma Informed Care2:30
Learn to build reliability and predictability in trauma-informed care by outlining next steps and the big picture, including court hearing expectations and deadlines, to avoid retraumatization.
Business Communication Trauma Informed Care, Soft Skills, Etiquette2:43
Build trust through transparent, crystal-clear communication that explains every step—documents, meetings, court appearances, and travel—so no surprises and clear expectations prevail. Maintain open dialogue and proactive support.
Communication Skills, Body Language, Empathy in Business Communications3:47
practice proactive client outreach by anticipating issues, maintaining regular contact, and validating feelings to build trust, while reading body language and adjusting comfort to support their needs.
Email Writing and Etiquette; Conversation Skills3:58
Build trust by establishing availability and clear communication channels—email, text, phone, or online meetings—and responding promptly. Practice trauma-informed listening and genuine conversation to foster respectful client relationships.
Exercise on Business Communication, Empathy and Trauma Informed Care

Listening Skills, Nonverbal Communication4:10
Develop trust with clients by mastering listening skills and nonverbal communication, reflect back what you hear with 100% focus, and read body language to validate emotions in trauma-informed contexts.
Communication Skills2:31
Develop trauma-informed communication by using nonverbal cues like posture and hand movements, active listening, and reflective mirroring, speaking soothingly and prompting for details with 'keep going' and 'what happened next'.
Applying The Tenets of Trauma Informed Care for Business Settings

Course Conclusions and Thank You!2:15
Explore trauma-informed care for customers and clients, recognize verbal and nonverbal cues like anxiousness, and learn to avoid triggers while applying these insights to practice.
Bonus Lecture0:47
Celebrate completing the course and explore the bonus lecture with attached resources, as the Pursuing Wisdom Academy team invites you to continue your educational journey and join future courses.

Requirements

Computer or Phone and Internet Access

Description

What you’ll learn

Define empathy and trauma-informed care in workplace settings
Strengthen communication skills for trust, respect, and safety
Recognize trauma triggers in business environments
Apply active listening and nonverbal communication skills
Foster inclusive, empathetic leadership across diverse teams
Communicate with clarity and compassion in challenging moments
Create a culture of psychological safety through empathy
Navigate burnout, soft skills screening, and workplace etiquette
Write empathetic, professional emails and team messages

In today’s evolving workplace, empathy isn’t optional—it’s a leadership skill, a team strategy, and a business advantage.

Empathy at Work | Trauma-Informed Communication & Culture provides you with the skills to lead, listen, and build trust across teams—especially in times of stress, change, or conflict. Designed with practical business examples and supported by neuroscience and trauma-informed care principles, this course will reshape how you communicate in meetings, emails, and team interactions.

Whether you lead teams or support them, this training helps you understand how trauma affects memory, decision-making, and emotional safety. You’ll walk away with tools to lead with clarity, manage conflict compassionately, and build a psychologically safe work culture.

Inside the course, you'll find:

Bonus Toolkit: Trauma-Informed Leadership Toolkit (PDF)
Optional Completion Badge: Earn your certificate and download your Pursuing Wisdom Academy course badge for professional sharing

With over 100,000 students across 197 countries, our courses help professionals upskill with confidence, clarity, and real-world relevance.

Who this course is for:

This course is perfect for business professionals, entrepreneurs, managers, and anyone looking to improve their business communication, empathy, and soft skills.
Whether you're a seasoned executive or just starting your business journey, the principles of trauma-informed care will take your business practices to new heights.

Empathy at Work | Trauma-Informed Communication & Culture

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction To Trauma Informed Care for Business Course4 lectures • 13min

Trauma and Memory3 lectures • 11min

Business Communication, Communication Skills Relating to Trauma Informed Care9 lectures • 28min

Communication and Listening Skills2 lectures • 7min

Course Conclusion2 lectures • 3min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: