Active listening
Don't you agree that, it is important for you to be an active listener? Because active listening makes it easier for you to understand what the speaker is saying. You will be even more connected and easily engaged actively, emotionally, mentally and physically.
Let's get started with understanding the semantics of 'listening' and 'hearing'. Of course, hearing and listening are interrelated. Hearing is simply a detection of sound without any form of processing by the brain; while listening is the processing of sounds which leads to understanding. You may at times be looking at a person, hearing the words but yet actually not listening at all. Just think of a time when you were nagged on and you will understand what it means to hear, and yet not listen.
Point to ponder: An active listener constantly makes choices on what to do with what he has heard. Are you an active listener?
Agents such as slow mental processing and absent mindedness are major roadblocks to listening.
Here are some tips to keep make you an active listener
Tip 1: train your mind. Practice listening and understanding every day. Watch comedians as they tell jokes .simple as a joke seems, it is a quick way to develop your listening skills. Understanding is required for anyone to think a joke is funny; jokes silently push you to think fast.
Tip 2: it is OK ask questions. Verify with the speaker in order to promote your understanding and to prevent misguided assumptions.
Tip 3: Some of us tend to wander off mentally when listening to certain speakers because we cannot speak up. Yes I know that we were all trained to believe that silence is golden. I am not judging, I am simply saying, if you can’t connect, speak up! Conversing with the speaker shows him that you acknowledge him even if you really don’t. But whatever you say or ask must be short and sharp or you may well be the speaker of the day.
Tip 4: competition is good, but pride is a fool’s game. We cannot be right all the time and the next person’s opinion is just as important as our's. We should make it a note to use our ears more than our mouth, that is why we have two ears and only one mouth.
The more we speak, the less we learn. Listen more.
Are you an active listener? If you are you will definitely fall into one of these categories
Enthusiasm-do you listen with enthusiasm?
Reaction – Your reaction determines whether you have been listening or just staring into space.
Try to focus more on what you are hearing rather than the movement of the speaker’s mouth.
Our listening ability can be improved by these few shortcuts.
Posture – Your posture affects your mind greatly. So the next time you want to sit for a discussion or any kind of conversation, sit up! Slouching is a rocket to the planets of absent mindedness, day dreaming and dozing off.
The pen and paper were made to be used. Use them to take notes and you will always be on track with the speaker.
What you listen to is very important .Try not to waste your time listening to jargons. It will only suck up your brain’s vital juices.
