The Art of Active Listening: Developing Better Communication Habits
There is no better way to connect with someone than to listen. It allows you room for error and strengthens your relationship with the other person by listening closely and acknowledging that their feelings are important.
Active listening can be a difficult skill to master, but it is a great habit to get into.
Active listening is a way of listening that allows you to truly understand the other person. This skill allows you to listen without interrupting with your own thoughts or feelings.
The purpose of active listening is to allow the other person the time and space to be heard and understood. While you are doing this, there should be no judgment or assumptions being made about what they are saying. Give them the benefit of the doubt and allow them their own thoughts and feelings without trying to change or judge them.
You may have already noticed that active listening can be difficult when it comes to expressing emotions. It is important to acknowledge that you understand their feelings and thoughts without feeling the need to provide an opinion or suggestion.
Some active listening tips include:
Nodding your head or repeating the last part of what they are saying. This nonverbal feedback lets them know that you are still listening and it gives them the opportunity to continue without becoming defensive.
Pay attention to body language. People are more likely to trust someone who pays attention to what they say. Body language is a way for them to feel acknowledged, even if you don't verbally reflect their words.
It's not your place to tell them what to do. If they are upset, it's okay to let them know that you are concerned and you want to help them feel better. But don't tell them exactly how they should feel or what they should think.
Building trust with the other person is crucial for a healthy relationship as you are communicating with each other on a regular basis. Active listening allows the other person the opportunity to be heard and understood while offering you the opportunity to provide your well-wishes without disrupting their day (the so-called "active listening" part of it). This can lead to an open and honest relationship, which will eventually grow into a stronger bond as time goes on.
Active listening is a skill that can help you develop better communication habits. It will also provide you with the opportunity to create and maintain healthy relationships. Even though it may be difficult to "be quiet" when someone is upset, trying to listen and understand them can make your relationship much stronger.
For more information on communication skills and improving your relationship, call us at (817) 203-2000 or email us at info@activelistening101.com!
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/relationships-articles/the-art-of-active-listening-developing-better-communication-habits-1208589.html
How To Start A Conversation With Anyone: Be Curious And Engage People Around You
By Elisabeth Malartre on Thu, 11 Aug 2017
Have you ever been attending an event and felt like you were so bored that you didn't even want to be there? Or have you ever been attending a party and noticed that it was really hard to start conversations with people? If so, then this article is for you. In here, I will cover how to start a conversation with anyone just by being curious and engaging people around you. (Note: I will be using male pronouns throughout the article for simplicity. However, these tips apply to any gender.)
There are many ways that you can start a conversation with anyone. However, there are also some strategies that people tend to follow when they want to start a conversation. I am going to go through the first set of strategies and then later on in this article I will give you another set of strategies that you can use if you want to continue the conversation.
The First Set Of Strategies: Be Curious and Engage People Around You
Whenever you interact with someone for the first time, it is important not only to have small talk but also to make them feel comfortable. When people are not comfortable, then they do not feel inclined to talk to you or share their interest with you. In other words, if you make them feel comfortable, then they will be more willing to start talking to you.
If I was asked a couple years ago what I would hate the most about going to the mall or a party/event, it would have been engaging strangers in conversation. The reason for this is because I would always be worried about saying something stupid or boring and not knowing what to say afterwards.
However, if you talk to people just by being curious and engaging them around you, then this should not be a problem for you anymore. In here, I will go through a couple of strategies that you can use to start conversations with anyone.
Strategy 1: Make Eye Contact
For starters, when someone is talking to you, it is important to make them feel comfortable. One way that you can do this is by engaging their eyes by making eye contact with them and smiling while they are talking. When you do this, it shows the other person that you are interested in what they are saying and makes them feel more comfortable around you.
This strategy works great as people tend to engage with others more when they feel engaged; therefore, making eye contact is a great way to make people feel comfortable.
Strategy 2: Ask People Something
If you want to engage someone in conversation that you are talking with, then the next thing that you should do is ask them a question. For example, if you see someone smoking a cigarette, then the next step would be to ask them if they mind if you smoke or not. The reason for this is because it shows them that you are interested in what they are saying and also helps to break up the boring small talk and engaging their eyes by making eye contact.
Another example of something that can work as a way of starting a conversation is by asking them how their day was; this shows them that you are interested in what they have to say about their day.
Conclusion
Engaging others around you is a great way to start a conversation with anyone. In here, I gave you several strategies that you can use to start a conversation with anyone. The first strategy that we looked at was how to engage their eyes by making eye contact while they are talking to you. This is a great way to make people feel comfortable and keeps them talking, unlike other strategies where the person just ends up talking about themselves.
The second strategy was by asking them something, which we discussed in detail above. This strategy really does help break the ice and helps people feel more comfortable around you as well as lets them share their interests with you.