Listening Skills
One important aspect of communication isn't about speaking at all. It's about how we're listening to others around us! We'd like to highlight listening because it's often overlooked when we think about how we're connecting with others. We can get so focused on our message or conveying our message to the other person that we stop being present in the moment and miss out on what the other person is saying and experiencing. Has anyone ever had the experience of meeting someone new, but you're so caught up in what you're saying, how you're saying it, and your "end goal" for the conversation, that you forget to actually listen to what the person was saying?
It's easy for this to happen, especially when we meet new people, are preoccupied, or feel passionate about our own perspective.
But what does good listening even look like? How do we attend to another person's experience? Do you have experience with a particularly good listener? What did it look like and how did it make you feel?
Let's look at a few more ways that we can meaningfully listen here. While reviewing this list, please star or circle a skill that you would like to practice.