How to listen like you are listening
“Every stranger comes with something new to learn”
Look, am going to get serious with you now. You always want to to be in front, first in everything, including first to say everything and anything during a conversation. Trust I can bet 70 per cent that that attitude has not increased you or your network one bit. So you should consider putting a big full stop to it.
I guess this attitude of being first just like mine it started in primary school where the most important part of the class is that moment when you get to raise your hand and answer the teachers question with so much pride and you get a rousing thunderclap that makes you feel comfortable as a reward.
Now, back to the real world far away from your days in kindergarten. If there’s anything that will improve peoples thought about you, is how well you listen. Not just listening to speak but, listen to listen. you get that right?. Now, here are a few steps to listening more and making sure you do not make an enemy of a life during your next hangout or meet up.
Steps to listening
Receive
I will be so plain to you, this is one of the hardest parts there is. This is the part where you give the other person talking to you all the attention there is in your entire universe. Nodding, pat on the back, crazy sound of acknowledgement are all part of it. please, don’t do it with a straight face, smile like you own it.
Appreciate
According to the Cambridge dictionary, the word Appreciate means “to recognize how good someone or something is and to value him, her, or it”
Before going into a talk or a conversation with someone, make a decision that you are going to respect your partners’ point of view and perspective both Visual and emotional. Doing this means you won’t bother to enforce your own view or coerce the person into seeing things from your own angle.
Summarize
There is something special about every discussion. There are some major key points that we can afford to overlook. what do we do with these key pointers we simply summarize them mentally. This shows that we are listening and not just watching the other person lips move.
Ask Questions
One of the few ways to show that we have listened apart from body language is asking questions in between pulses as we make a conversation with our partner. Imagine how you will feel if someone, ask not just any question but an in-depth question that relates to your conversation. Am sure you will feel important and delightful that someone sees your discussion with them as special.
There you go guys, you have it and now you should go ahead and practice it.
Big thanks to Ire Aderinokun for challenging me to write daily
