Listening to Hear Tips 2 & 3

Remember, we aren’t trying to solve all of our listening issues. We’re offering a few tips to get us on the road to listening to hearing so we can more effectively share our message.

A few helpful tip are: Being (covered in “Tip 1”), Seeing, and Hearing

SEEING the person

Listening involves the eyes as well as ears.

People of tremendous worth (including you) are involved. Which is helpful to consider as we talk to each other. Rather than give into cultural pull to prove our point, why not consider and see the person, the human being that matters, to whom we are talking.

We can do this by;

• Seeing the actual person/people, not preoccupied with ourselves

• Seeing what is real rather than allowing expectations to crowd the scene

• Holding back snap judgement

• Looking beyond the surface (clothes, hair, styles, body art, etc.), espeically when different than our own, and

• Appreciating

By seeing the person, whether the interviewer or audience, we just might be able to meet them where they are, with their point of view which will likely differ from our own.

HEARING the person

Listening TO HEAR means:

• No pre-determining what we are (or what someone else is) going to say

• No preempting

• No putting words in their mouth

• No expecting what they will say

• No formulating response

• No one-upping

• No interrupting. Unless necessary. Which if is the case, remember to be gentle.

Just listen, whole listening, which includes hearing body language.

Again, because at the end of the day, it’s all about the people – individually and collectively – that matter.

As does your message and the way it will positively impact those who hear it.

Practical Tips:

• Take a deep breath – a deep breath literally resets your body.

• Paraphrase – “so, just to recap”

• Practice.  Practice listening to hear – opportunities surround us all day every day

Listening to hear invites worth into the conversation and opens the door to genuine connection. Especially as we consider the persons POV, to which we can both agree to disagree if necessary while maintaining relationship.

Which is a gift to all involved.