What do you do if you're struggling to connect with others due to poor active listening skills?

You don’t need to be born with skills but you need to learn and teach your self that in life everything can be learned. Specifically this issue can be overpassed by educating your self patience in hearing out the other person , looking at information provided, way how it is delivered. This way you learn more , you prepare your self more.

The best thing one can do is to acknowledge the issue and start by consciously observing your behaviour once you are in a listening setup. This can also start from trying to understand deeply about the issue that the other person is talking about.

In my experience, I always try to be as concentrated as possible. Sometimes it’s not our weak listening capacity, but the weakness comes from the speaker. However, in a general context where I am not able to understand or follow what I’m hearing, first I try to be cool and avoid any distractions, because i don’t want to miss the rest of the conversation. I personally try to ask some questions from the speaker, or summarize what i have understood from their words. I can also ask for their confirmation. And, if we are in a personal or video conference where we can see each other’s faces, I try to use facial gestures in polite manners to indirectly let them know that I may not be able to follow their words.

In my experience gaining feedback from a third party is transformational, uncovering these blind spots will be eye opening, however you have to be open to receiving the feedback with a growth mindset. Focus on why you are asking for the feedback and your desired outcome, that way you can frame the conversation with clear questions vs being an opportunity for the person to share feedback in areas that may not be relevant to what you are focusing on right now.

To me Embracing proactive solicitation of feedback exemplifies managerial wisdom, illuminating a commitment to self-awareness and organizational excellence. The cultivation of receptive ears amidst interpersonal challenges signifies an astute recognition of the transformative power inherent in constructive critique, catalyzing professional evolution and fostering a culture of synergy and efficacy.

Seeking feedback from trusted colleagues, friends, or mentors can provide valuable insights into your listening abilities. Ask for specific examples of times when they felt you weren't fully engaged in the conversation or didn't understand their perspective. Be open to constructive criticism and use it as a guide for improvement. Regularly soliciting feedback and actively incorporating it into your efforts to enhance your listening skills can accelerate your progress.

In this situation, I seek out open discussions with trusted peers or friends, inviting their candid opinions on my listening skills. I understand it entails vulnerability, yet the feedback is invaluable for pinpointing areas needing improvement. Embracing both praise and critique helps me grow as a better listener.

Seeking feedback is the best way to move forward and to improve your relationships with others. You have to open yourself to it, which can be hard, but the most rewarding things include being vulnerable.

To become better at listening skills, you don't have to wait for a conversation to practice it. You can start with micro practices in your everyday life to become better at it. Here is an easy way to get you started. Sounds in the environment - Everyday spend just a few minutes to focus on a sound in your environment. The key is, when your are focusing on a sound, just focusing on it. If your mind wanders, bring it back to the sound. Start with just a few seconds and soon, you will be able to do it for a longer time. With this practice, you will be gradually building your listening muscles to become a better listener and communicator in your relationships.

Mindfulness techniques can help improve active listening by fostering present-moment awareness and focus. Practice being fully present in conversations without allowing distractions or internal thoughts to interfere. Pay attention to verbal and nonverbal cues, such as tone of voice and body language, to better understand the speaker's message. Mindfulness exercises, such as deep breathing or meditation, can help calm the mind and enhance your ability to listen

If you find that others have “poor” active listening skills it could be caused by neurodivergent capacities or maybe they are more a “visual” learner and listening is not their strong suit- a good way to work through this is practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness is: 1. Recognizing their struggles 2. Offering written or visual data to supplement 3. Relating to their struggles by recalling a particular skill you’re not the greatest at 4. Give them opportunities to be “active” in other ways. If they are able to keep up and perform as expected then problem is solved. If they are unable to keep up no matter the help that has been offered then perhaps there is a need that they need to express and deeper communication is needed.

From my experience in Psychology, practicing mindfulness is not only beneficial for you but for your surrounding circles. By thinking about an issue more, you can better apply yourself to how you want to improve.

I agree that mindfulness begins with breathing, but it is not paying close attention to it after a while. The breathing replaces thoughts. The thoughts become clouds that pass through. You are no longer attached to them. Once you are no longer attached, distracted, or indifferent to your thoughts, then you have achieved a meditative state that allows you to comprehend the world in a way that makes things easy. I am not there full-time yet, but I've experienced enough glimpses to feel that I am on the right path and my world becomes both larger and more clear.

One thing I've found helpful is to practice active engagement. Active engagement in conversations involves more than just hearing words; it's about being involved in the exchange. Show that you're engaged by maintaining eye contact, nodding in agreement, and offering verbal affirmations like "I see" or "That makes sense." These cues not only demonstrate that you're paying attention but also encourage the speaker to share more. Additionally, paraphrasing or summarizing what's been said can confirm that you've understood the message correctly. This approach not only enhances your listening skills but also fosters deeper connections with others.

It's basic psychology what active engagement looks like: eye contact, giving verbal affirmation that you're listening, etc. There's so much behind active engagement that it's definitely a skill to learn, but can be so rewarding in your interpersonal relationships as well as in the professional world.

Demonstrating engagement involves maintaining eye contact, nodding affirmatively, and providing verbal acknowledgments such as "I understand" or "That resonates." These signals not only indicate attentive listening but also foster a conducive environment for the speaker to elaborate further. Furthermore, employing paraphrasing or summarization techniques serves to validate comprehension and ensure accurate interpretation of the conveyed message. From my experience, incorporating these active listening strategies not only enhances communication but also strengthens professional relationships, fostering mutual understanding and collaboration.

Demonstrating engagement involves maintaining eye contact, nodding affirmatively, and providing verbal acknowledgments such as "I understand" or "That resonates." These signals not only indicate attentive listening but also foster a conducive environment for the speaker to elaborate further. Furthermore, employing paraphrasing or summarization techniques serves to validate comprehension and ensure accurate interpretation of the conveyed message. From my experience, incorporating these active listening strategies not only enhances communication but also strengthens professional relationships, fostering mutual understanding and collaboration.

I work in construction so safety and constructing correctly is extremely important. We make our workers repeat what we just told them to make sure our instructions were understood. Acknowledgment is not enough they must explain to us what they heard and understood. In addition training your workers to be organized. There are those that are natural at creating a structure to keep themselves organized and on task. While others are great workers but need a structure in place to help them stay on task, so train them to have a successful routine. It could be as simple as maintaining a calendar with tasks that need to done and completed by certain times. Then creating the habit of referring to that calendar every day.

Setting specific goals for improving your active listening skills can provide direction and motivation. Identify areas of weakness, such as interrupting others or becoming easily distracted, and establish concrete objectives for addressing them. For example, you might set a goal to refrain from interrupting others during conversations or to maintain eye contact for a certain duration. Regularly evaluate your progress toward these goals and adjust your approach as needed to continue improving.

Set listening goals: Setting specific, achievable goals can help improve your active listening skills. For example, you might aim to ask at least two clarifying questions in every work meeting or to refrain from interrupting when someone else is speaking. By having clear objectives, you can measure your progress and stay motivated. Remember to be patient with yourself; developing new habits takes time, and you're likely to make mistakes along the way.

Always helpful. Listening. Not so much the people that want to improve and insert themselves in conversations they have no place being in. If you're in a group meeting, it's not the time to question another team about their methods. It's time to say where you're at, where your expectations are, and what you might need from other resources.

One of the important factor for Communication is Listening… Art of listening is very important .. if we listen carefully then we can give proper feedback and we can connect strongly … also always be participating in any conversations so that actions will be in line with plan

Continuous learning is essential for honing active listening skills and staying abreast of best practices. Take advantage of resources such as books, articles, podcasts, and workshops focused on communication and interpersonal skills. Learn from experts in the field and seek out opportunities to practice and refine your listening abilities in various contexts. Embrace a growth mindset, recognizing that improving active listening is an ongoing process that requires dedication and effort.

One thing I've found helpful is embracing empathy. Actively putting yourself in others' shoes can naturally enhance your listening abilities. By genuinely caring about their perspectives and experiences, you become more attuned to their needs and emotions, fostering deeper connections. Additionally, recognizing that everyone has unique communication styles and preferences allows for more adaptable listening practices. Ultimately, empathy forms the foundation for authentic connections, transcending mere listening skills to cultivate meaningful relationships.

Aim For A Connection Active listening is key to creating a connection with the speaker. While mindfulness helps you to stay in the present moment, that on its own wouldn’t be enough if it’s generally hard for you to just listen if you have some neuro-divergence. The goal therefore would be to engage in a way that will drive a connection. Understanding body language cues would be very helpful here including tone to decode whether the speaker has gotten to an end of a thought. This then would be time to gently interrupt and reflect back to them what they said. The key here is to make is about them and not you. This makes the other feel that you are actively listening to them but understand and even empathise with them.

Charity begins at home Start listening to yourself 1st and best way to do this is meditate Once you start listening to your own thoughts/ voice and understand what's going in your head, that will make you calmer and better listener.