Don’t Just Hear Yourself
How many times have you felt ignored, belittled, and maybe even bullied by those who refuse to listen to you? No matter your age, you will have a lack of listening episode diminish your soul. Listening is a key characteristic to keeping your Humanity. You need to hear what others say to earn their respect and enhance your brand through interaction.
Life moves so fast these days. Listening enables communication which leads to solutions. Do not let deadlines, pressure, or personalities get in the way of becoming a good listener. You will only invite added pressures and wasteful roller coaster rides by mentally moving faster than the speed of someone else’s sound.
Avoid falling into the following listener categories which impair your ability to listen:
Dreamer: Do not drift during a face-to-face conversation. People will resent this after asking “Could you repeat that?” several times.
Anticipator: Trying to guess what someone is going to say next tunes out the person trying to get you to listen.
Comparer: Comparing what one is saying to you while trying to assess what others have said makes you miss their story.
Derailer: If you change the subject before someone finishes their sentence they will know you aren’t interested.
Fighter: You quickly challenge what is being said by criticizing or discounting it.
Experiencer: If you refer everything you hear constantly to your experience you will miss someone else’s interpretation and reality.
Screener: If you selectively screen what you hear you will only hear yourself in others.
Placater: Avoiding conflict by constantly agreeing does not make you a good listener.
Effective listening helps avoid foreseeable problems and will save you enormous time. Listening also helps diminish the drama or emotional rollercoasters in our lives.
No matter who you are, you will suffer from at least one of the above listening ailments as you evolve. Inoculate yourself from catching them.
