How To Be A Better Listener
Being a good listener is one of the most important life skills anyone can have. It helps you connect, understand and empathise with other people. Yet, few of us know how to do it properly.
It’s very easy to listen to someone talk about a problem and want to offer advice. But most of the time people just want to feel truly seen, heard and understood.
Attentive, empathic listening isn’t always easy to do. Sometimes it can feel almost impossible to get out of our heads and stay fully focused on the other person.
The key to being a good listener is to move your energy and focus away from yourself and onto the other person.
Few people are naturally great listeners, but anyone can get good at it if they practice these skills:
Be Fully Present
Put your phone away and try to fully focus on the other person. Pay attention to their body language and show that you are genuinely interested by asking open questions.
2. Be Patient
It can be tempting to jump in and complete other people's sentences but it's important that they find their own words and speak at their own pace. Allow for silences.
3. Be a Mirror
Show them that you have heard them by repeating back their important thoughts and feelings. Try using their language - it can make people feel truly listened to.
4. Be Agenda Free
When we have an agenda we tend to be formulating our response rather than processing what the other person is saying. Try to put aside your own thoughts.
