How are your listening skills? We all know it’s important to pay attention. But most of us, including me, lose focus from time to time.
Why don’t we listen?
“I am distracted.”
“I don’t like the person.”
“They don’t communicate clearly.”
“I don’t care about what they have to say.”
“Their voice drives me crazy.”
But then you get caught. You haven’t been paying attention. And there’s that feeling of being called on in class and not knowing the answer. You ask the person to repeat themselves. To rewind. Or you don’t, and pretend you know what they said.
You can become confused. You can’t respond appropriately. People will feel you don’t care.
All of this is easily avoided by committing to listen. The decision is yours. You can opt in or opt out. But by committing to listen, you create the focus you need to stay in listening mode.
Listening is critical for building trust, and for preserving the trust you have already built in a relationship.
Commit to listen. Clear your mind of other thoughts. Decide that you are going to focus only on this person and what they have to say. Listening well from the beginning is a lot easier than rewinding.
by Denise Gifford