Greeting Beloved Ones!
OK, we are still talking about listening. Why? Well perhaps it is because we don't do it very well. To really listen takes focus, deep compassion, and a commitment to hearing the other person...hearing the "other" person!
Usually, when listening to another person, we are also focused on what we want or need to say in response. What if we just listened? What if we agreed with ourselves that we would not interrupt, offer advice, or tell our own story while listening to another? Everybody wants to be heard! Practice being an exceptional listener and you just might find out a few things about yourself.
. Do you consider yourself a good listener? If so, what makes you so?
. How do you handle listening when the statements made concern you and, they are erroneous?
. Do you give advice?
. How do respond to advice?
Make it a valuable day!
Rev. Sylvia
One of my pet peeves is to have people (even television and radio personalities) talk all over someone else’s words. It seems nothing gets heard (or digested) when that’s how the conversation is going. Unfortunately, I find myself doing it as well. I get impatient if someone’s point is not clear - to me or themselves; if it’s taking too long to spit out the words; or if I know the word or idea they’re searching for. And, I fight to keep myself from correcting mispronunciations and misuses. I am not proud to admit that when conversing with regularly rude friends, there have been times that I’ve even repeated a sentence in an increased volume because they keep talking all over my point. I’d better clean up my own act before expecting better from others!
ReplyDeleteI am a better listener now than I ever was, but, I am still not good at it. I struggle with the same issues of N-Jean-Yus (the previous comment). A very good friend once told me that it seems to be part of my character that I always want to help and fix things. While trying to listen to others, I still sometimes interupt to offer advice and fix their situation. She told me that I didn't always need to "FIX" things. Sometimes just listening is the fix. I'm still working on me!
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