How to be a Better Listener

Written By Colēgia

Listening is a crucial skill in our daily lives and we need to give it the time and attention it deserves. Being able to communicate effectively is a lifelong skill that can help us immensely. Today we want to go over a few ways we can become better listeners.

Make Space For Your Emotions

Even if you're one of the best listeners around we still need to make space for our emotions. Some things may affect us much more than we think they do. Rather than allowing ourselves to get caught up in these feelings, slowing down and giving ourselves the time needed to handle them is important. We can do this by asking someone to give us a moment to process things. This shows that we care about what the other person is trying to say while also respecting our boundaries. Feeling angry can make it that much harder to focus for example. Each of our emotions carries a different weight in conversation such as happiness which makes it easier for others to approach us. Emotions come and go and we need to treat them with respect since being in the right state of mind is necessary to be a good listener.

“Even if you're one of the best listeners around we still need to make space for our emotions.”

Listen Without Interrupting

If we truly want to be better listeners, we need to listen without interrupting. One of the most frustrating things many people experience is when someone is rushing to get their turn to speak. Listening requires us to give our full attention to what the other person is saying since it shows that we're being sincere. When we slow down we're able to see what someone is really saying which can give us better clarity on their message. It also teaches us the value of patience. Being patient allows us to get the things we really want in life. For some, it's having a meaningful relationship with those around us. Taking the time to listen to others without interrupting is the best way to tell them that you care.

“If we truly want to be better listeners, we need to listen without interrupting.”

Don't be Judgmental

While it's tempting to want to be biased toward our own ways of thinking, we need to be non-judgmental if we want to be good listeners. Nobody is perfect nor should we strive to put these sorts of expectations on others. It's easy to listen to someone's story and say they should have done something different. The problem with doing this is that it devalues all the knowledge and experience someone had when they did the things they did. Instead of doing this, we need to practice acceptance and celebrate that everyone has their own unique tale to tell. Being a better listener requires us to make active steps to better ourselves as a person. Being empathetic gives us the ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes and see how it feels when we're heard. Everyone wants to feel acknowledged and listening is a great way to do that.

Colēgia

Colēgia

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