Today, Mark is joining me to talk about an important, though often forgotten, topic: listening. Listening is a skill that takes practice, focus, and a willingness to set aside our thoughts and engage with others. It’s not always easy, but when we put in the effort, the benefits to our relationships with loved ones, friends, and coworkers are significant.

We work with people to improve their listening skills all the time in our coaching and have seen firsthand how much of a difference it can make. Whether it’s with our kids, friends, or relatives, when we listen better, we communicate better, and all relationships improve. So, let’s commit to working on this together and seeing the amazing benefits for ourselves!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  • Why it is important that we are quick to listen
  • The four principles for becoming a better listener
  • How to let people know you care by validating their feelings
  • And more!

I hope this is a helpful episode for you today! Listen closely! 😉

Resources mentioned in this episode:

My Key Takeaways:

1) Practice McDonald’s drive-thru listening. This is one of our four phrases to help remember good listening principles. The McDonald’s drive-thru listening means that you practice repeating back what you just heard and asking if there is anything else. This helps avoid assumptions when listening. It has the added benefit of keeping the ball in their court to make sure they feel fully heard before you respond.

2) Step into another person’s emotional experience. Instead of trying to fix something (prescribing), by putting ourselves in another’s shoes for a moment we can practice empathy. This helps us connect to another person’s heart. We can do this by understanding someone else’s experience and imagining ourselves in their position. You might respond to someone with empathy by saying, “I can only imagine how hard that is for you.”

3) Good listening is NOT efficient. We need to dispel this thought dead in its tracks. Good listening and good communication take a LOT of time. It is in no way efficient or fast. By approaching listening with this in mind, we can patiently invest the time necessary to be good at it.

 

 

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