The word comes from the Greek, made up of en-, "inside", and pathos, "suffering or feeling" and was used to indicate the relationship of emotional involvement that tied the author/singer to their audience.

Empathetic listening happens when we are able to listen and understand the emotional state of another person, without being affected by it.
Empathetic listening allows the accommodation of the other but also the expression of feelings or different opinions.
It manifests itself as understanding without judgement.

In conflict situations it is an important resource for enabling communication between the parties.

CAUTION! Empathetic listening does not mean agreeing with what the other person says, but understanding the other both from the emotional and the intellectual point of view.