Are you Listening when in Conflict?

After hearing the explanation, Rosy quipped, “I heard what you said but you did get me what I asked for!”

I don’t have to tell you the entire story, do I? Humans are wired to form images and perceptions and that makes us unique, fast and intelligent. We have been gifted with the ability to communicate (Listen and Talk) to reflect on others’ perspectives, however, this skill is very rarely used.

Listening to each other helps us establish and strengthen those loving relationships.

According to the Conflict Research Consortium at the University of Colorado Boulder (CRC at CU Boulder), active listening is a type of communication in which a person attends to and responds to another person to help improve mutual understanding.

The act of listening should be with the intent to improve mutual understanding. In most cases, people are busy telling their version of the story.

I’d encourage you to visit this post on LinkedIn highlighting how ill-informed opinions can be detrimental to the individuals.

I found this blog and loved the point #3 – “…When you listen with your answer running, you’ve stopped listening. Listening is not, as approachability speaker Scott Ginsburg says, just waiting to talk. You may look like you’re listening, but really, you’re inside your head, thinking about your response.”

What would be your advice to others on improving listening skills?