#19 Listening like a Champ

This is the final episode in the Communication series and we hope you’ve had a lot of take aways so far. Maybe the single most important piece of the whole process is listening. It sounds easy but it can be hard to do well and in this podcast, Leslyn and Leslie outline some important tips and tricks to enhance the silent side of your communication.

SHOW NOTES:

Communication is a skill that you turn into an art. Listening is at the cornerstone of that skill set. Sometimes there is a difference between listening to the sound of someone talking and actually ‘hearing’ what people have said. We are often distracted and not present as we engage in listening; particularly with the addition of electronics.

Leslie and Leslyn share tips for listening based on the acronym of L.I.S.T.E.N and discuss experiences and antidotes to help you improve the skill.

Understanding that the first duty of love is to listen, this episode reviews the basic tenets of demonstrating respect for the speaker. They discuss how to focus on a conversation so that the speaker knows you are interested, involved, focused, and have understood and are able to evaluate what has been said.

They talk about listening without emotional attachment, how to maintain eye contact, how to self soothe when a defense is activated, and how to engage a speaker to let them know they’ve been heard.

A tip sheet is also available for this skill as an addition to the tips offered in the communication series.