Active Listening
A very long time ago, I became aware of the fact that I was cutting people off mid sentence. I forced myself to start really listening, and curb the desire to cut people off.
I have gotten better with time and practice. So much better. I still cut people off occasionally but the difference between then and now is staggering.
The downside? I have become painfully aware of how often this is done to me, and how unaware people are that they are repeat offenders.
I've taken the habit of counting how many times I get cut off in any conversation, and usually I walk away wondering if the person realized they were having a monologue after cutting me off at least 3 times lol
My point is simple: the best way to show people that you care about what they think, what they are saying, regardless if you agree, is simply to listen and allow the person speaking the space to complete their thought.
You can show love simply by active listening ♡
For more info about active listening: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/active-listening.html
pLe0aVc3e,
Jessica
∞ ♡
I'm cutting off mofos spouting fallacious/statist/unscientific/ig'nant drivel!
I just spit my drink out I'm laughing so hard.
I loved this article, truly.
I think making the decision to really listen to someone makes all the difference. As soon as I make the decision, quite the me-mind, and share my awareness and curiosity with the other person things begin to change. It's not just a gift for the person you are receiving but it's really a gift for you. Fully receiving someone can start to give you a portal into their world and something like that is so valuable and educational.
It does take practice and we can get so much better over time.
In the past I found NVC (non violent communication) to be a helpful model to use. Check it out; http://www.nonviolentcommunication.com/aboutnvc/4partprocess.htm
There are NVC trainings and also free/very-cheap workshops everywhere in north america. I learned so so much from attending just one workshop. Spending even a few hours just trying to work on your listening skills with a trained instructor can have a very long lasting impact, it did for me.
This is good stuff. I appreciate the links both in the article as well as the comments.
One thing I think is critical in communication is being choosy with who you spend time with.
Speaking from the other side of this coin...
I don't know if it's my tone of voice or my demeanor, but for some reason, I often get ignored in conversations between myself and two or more people. I get talked over constantly. But it happens a hell of a lot less when I'm spending time with the right people.