Listening Equals Love

Have you ever heard or read a quote that made you stop & ask to hear it again?

Yesterday that happened with this quote by David Augsburger:

“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable.”

Isn’t that powerful?!

Listening is a skill we all need to work on. Whether it’s in leadership, in relationships, in friendships or parenthood - we can probably all improve in this area.

Especially at a time of crisis when people are hurting, confused, anxious & scared, they need to feel loved (in other words - heard).

So I wanted to share a fun test to see if you are a good listener or where you need improvement.

Am I A Good Listener?

Steven Ash, “The Career Doctor” developed this listening test. It is a great

way to see where you rate as a listener. Good luck!

Give yourself 4 points if the answer to the following questions is Always;

three points for Usually; two points for Rarely; and one point for Never.

__ Do I allow the speaker to finish without interrupting?

__ Do I listen “between the lines”; that is for the subtext?

__ When writing a message, do I listen for and set down the key facts and

phrases?

__ Do I repeat what the person just said to clarify the meaning?

__ Do I avoid getting hostile and/or agitated when I disagree with the

speaker?

__Do I tune out distractions when listening?

__Do I make an effort to seem interested in what the other person is saying?

Scoring

26 or higher – You are an excellent listener

22-25 – Better than average score

18 – 21 room for improvement

17 or lower – Get out there right away and start listening