Hearing is a natural sense that allows you to detect sound. Listening is when you make the effort to pay attention to someone’s words and sentences.
To communicate well, it takes both hearing and listening.
Our brain can actually process words faster than people can speak them. People speak, on average, about 125 words per minute, but our brains are capable of taking in 800 words per minute. That’s why we can take in words, but still be thinking as the words are coming in.
The amount at which we listen depends on how much we care. Listening = LOVE.
Practice Being an Active Listener
Ask good questions:
You can follow what the speaker is trying to convey and respond back with detailed and accurate questions to push the conversation further.
Be curious:
Curiosity has the power to take us to greater levels. When you express curiosity during listening and genuinely want to know more, you will be better focused and pay attention.
Wait to speak:
One the hardest parts about being a listener is not interrupting. To actively listen, you have to rely on the cues that someone is done speaking before you open your mouth to talk. Listen to them close a sentence or thought before you jump in.
Stay focused:
Being focused means that you have to silence the other thoughts in your mind and pay attention to the words being spoken. This practice will help you learn how to be present so that when you are in the middle of a conversation, your mind is focused on what is happening with the other person, rather than thoughts about the past or future.
Don’t fill in holes:
If there’s a part of someone’s story that feels missing, don’t fill in the blanks yourself. Instead, ask the questions that will help you clarify and make better sense of the information.
When someone is “Listening” it is a way that we feel understood. Active listening requires the other person to focus and care about what we are saying, it is how we know that they are understanding our thoughts, feelings and desires.
By listening, we are able to:
Understand and exchange knowledge
Share information and memories
Pass on ideas and stories down to the next generation
Discuss and resolve conflicts
Create better solutions to existing problems
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