February 9 - Listening II

“Listening with your Heart”

Now that we have removed the barriers to listening, let’s focus on active listening or listening with your heart.

Active listening has several benefits.
· It allows people to listen attentively to the other person.
· It avoids misunderstandings, as people have to confirm that they do really understand what another person has said.
· It tends to open people up, to get them to say more.

To become an active listener it takes time and practice. It is our natural tendency to allow barriers to get in the way of truly listening.
· To actively listen focus your attention on the other person. Allow the other person to know that your heart is in it.
· Repeat, in your own words what you think the other person has said. This does not mean that you agree with them, you are merely stating that you understand what they said. The provides the other person the opportunity to know that they were heard and listened to. You can use phrases such as:
o What I heard you say was……
o You feel…..
o You observed….
o I understand that you …..
· Use non-verbals to indicate that you are truly listening.
o Make eye contact
o Lean into the other person to show that you want to listen to what they have to say.
o Use encouraging sounds – Mmm.. Ohhhh….Hmm… This encourages the other person to continue talking to you.

Take time today to practice actively listening to someone you love. Put your heart into it, you will be amazed by the results.

Blessings
Robin