A superb listener is ready to be completely current and centered whereas the opposite particular person is speaking. “We may be current by listening and resisting the temptation to interpret, assume, predict, or give you a reply whereas the particular person remains to be speaking,” licensed therapist Steph Tuazon, LCSW, not too long ago informed mbg.
To Tuazon’s level, you’ll be able to inform you’re not really listening to the opposite particular person if, whereas they’re speaking, you’re additionally excited about what you need to say in response. When you’re in your head analyzing their phrases as they’re nonetheless talking—or worse, attempting to interrupt them to insert your individual feedback—that’s a giant signal that you just’re not listening properly.
Why? As a result of your focus is definitely on getting your individual level throughout (or proving your level proper, or proving your accomplice’s level fallacious), reasonably than really understanding what’s being mentioned to you, and ensuring the speaker feels understood—the most important marks of a great listener.
To know if you happen to really perceive your accomplice’s level, Tuazon suggests attempting repeating again what you heard proper after they completed talking. When you can’t repeat what they mentioned precisely, you then weren’t really listening.
One other nice take a look at for you: After a tense dialog or argument together with your accomplice (or whoever), see if you happen to can precisely clarify their perspective to a different particular person—importantly, with out your judgment, interpretation, or opinions inserted into it. Why have been they upset? What did they really say in response to particular stuff you introduced up?
“Not being current in a dialog can appear like lacking an entire dialog,” she notes. When you can’t actually give a play-by-play of their aspect of the dialog, that’s a transparent signal that you just didn’t actually perceive or internalize what they mentioned—in different phrases, your listening expertise may most likely use some work.
