Listening - Part of Our Communication Needs!

I often wonder whether people are really truly understanding what I am communicating to them because it feels like they are there really only in body and not listening properly, to what I am communicating to them. They are not meeting my communication needs as I need them to listen properly.

Our communication experiences are enhanced when we understand what the communication needs of the people involved in the conversation are. One of these needs is active listening. Active listening means putting everything else out of your mind and acknowledging the other person with eye contact, facial gestures, words that confirm you understand, and perhaps even touch so they have feedback that you are listening properly and valuing what they have to say. Here are some of the reasons that active listening improves communication.

• When people notice how well you listen to them, they usually reciprocate and try to understand you better. They feel valued and therefore value you more.
• Communication improves, Relationships improve. Friendships develop and deepen.
• You receive more accurate information because communication is more effective. People explaining problems are more inclined to give you the whole story.
• People encouraged by your active listening often discover solutions to their own problems. The opportunity to talk things over is all many people need to see the issue in its proper perspective.
• You get on better with people. Active listening combined with empathy makes it easier to solve problems or at least reach a compromise.
• You can discover not only what people are saying, but why they are saying it. You learn more about what is really going on ‘between the lines’ through more effective communication

They all seem pretty good reasons to take the time to improve active listening skills and a small investment for our prize of better communication through meeting the conversation needs of whoever you are conversing with.

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