Listening to Hear

How many times do we walk away from a conversation unclear on what has actually been communicated?

I did just yesterday.

My chat happened at the end of a long day while walking in the house and being greeted by two very needy barking dogs. The participants included a teenage boy, a menopausal mom and a walking-by sibling. Needless to say, each person came to the conversation with a lot on their mind, loaded with assumptions.

You might wonder why even enter a conversation with all that at play. We shouldn’t have. But we did. So — very little of what each intended to communicate actually was.

Some conversations go more smoothly than others.

Our hope is that all your conversations that involve a microphone or audience land on effective communication where we all walk away with clarity and encouragement.

So - You’ve honed your message and worked hard to be able to say what you want to say.

Now let’s talk about listening to insure what you say is what is heard – in part by your listening. Because …

communication is as much what is said as what is heard.

Sound confusing?

Stay with us.

Truth be told, we can all be better listeners. Maybe we haven’t been taught how to listen. Quite possibly we’ve been groomed & taught to make points, made to feel that we need to win discussion. Maybe we’re a bit insecure, more concerned about being heard than hearing. OR maybe there’s so much nose in our head, listening is snuffed out before it begins.

Breathe, give yourself a break. Listening isn’t easy. It takes work, but not much. Because the person on all sides of a conversation matter.

You’ve crafted a message to help people clearly you care about the people.

 To say something SMART, you have to be able to listen to hear.

To be cont. … (Listening to Hear Tip #1)