The Art of Listening!

Listening can help us build and strengthen relationships, solve problems, build understanding, resolve conflicts, reduce errors and improve accuracy.

The following are seven ways to enhance the art of listening:

1. Give your full attention – Whatever you do, do it in totality. When you listen, then simply listen.

2. Avoid interrupting the speaker – If there is a point you have not understood, wait for them to pause and then ask them to rephrase or repeat the point you missed.

3. Refrain from immediate reaction/judgment – Even if you disagree with everything that the speaker says, try to begin your conversation with something you can agree with. This can include just allowing or acknowledging that they are feeling a certain way.

4. Empathize – While we can never truly understand what the other person is feeling, we can certainly imagine ourselves in their situation. Empathy is the essence of good listening. To experience empathy, you have to put yourself in the other person's shoes and allow yourself to feel what it is like to be them at that moment. This is not an easy thing to do and takes conscious effort, but it has the power to transform the quality of your outcomes.

5. Desist from offering unsolicited advice - When listening to someone talk about a problem, refrain from suggesting solutions unless asked.

6. Ask questions only to ensure understanding – Don’t ask questions to impress or divert the topic.

7. Give feedback – An ideal conversation includes three primary components, constructive questions, unmistakable clarity on the main points, and a sharing that confirms mutual understanding.