We all would think we are good listeners. A calm person listens very well. The reality is we talk too fast and for the most part we are just adequate listeners. An other reality is we only listen to ourselves part of the time too.
What is effective listening? It is more than simply avoiding the bad habit of interrupting people while they are speaking, very stressful to everyone, or finishing their sentences, equally stressful. Effective listening is being calmly content to listen to the entire thought of someone instead of stressing and impatiently waiting for your chance to hurry and respond.
Our whole stressed lifestyle reflects our failure to listen properly, We treat communication of all types as if it were a race. Competition for the next phrase slot. Little wonder we even take time to breathe.
Have you ever eavesdropped on conversations around you? Does it seem that no one is really listening to one another? It sounds more like they are taking turns not listening but just throwing out words, similar to bad text messaging. So may chances of misunderstandings, false facts and mega stress.
By slowing down your responses, becoming focused and a better listener, you aid yourself in becoming a much more relaxed communicator. It truly takes stress pressure from you. How does this help you get more out of life, minimize stress and maximize calm?
Now just take a moment to think and visualize about this, you will notice that it takes an incredible amount of energy and is intensely stressful to be sitting or standing at the edge of your conversation, trying to guess what the other person in front of you is going to say so that you can fire back a response, like verbal warfare.
Instead wait for the person you are communicating with to finish. By simply and calmly listen and watching for cues, calmly listen more intently to what’s being said, you will notice that all the pressure is gone. You feel instantly more relaxed, more calm and in tune. This will radiate to the person you are talking or listening to.
They will also take the cues and feel safe in slowing down their own responses because they will not be in completion with your talk/ listening time.
Once you become a person who can manage to be more relaxed and calm you become a much better listener, this will take practice. You make yourself a more patient person as well. You will find your relationship quality enhanced.
A relaxation managed person finds that everyone loves to talk to someone who truly listens to what they are saying. Your authority and profitability if you are a business person will be greatly increased as well.