I encourage and challenge others to listen more (not to hear more but to listen more) regularly within my work - now more than ever it's crucial as leaders, managers, partners, parents, carers, guardians and as humans we listen to each other.
We hear with our ears, we listen with our brains and our hearts.
There are many reasons why we find this hard at times - we don't have time, we know the answer, we have the solution, we find it hard to concentrate, we can't focus, we don't agree, we don't care enough......
As a Coach and Consultant I have to be a strong listener - it goes with the territory. This doesn't mean I'm perfect at it, I still have to work hard at it and will often reflect on discussions and think what could I have done better and how can be a better listener in the future.
Next time someone approaches you and wants to share, beforehand...
-Consider how you can be in the moment and truly listen
-Ask them how you can help them by just listening
-Ask them for feedback on how you helped them by listening
-Ask them if they actually want/need your insight/guidance/solutions before offering them
We know how valuable it is to have the opportunity to download, share or just have a rant at times without the other person telling us what we should do. A good listener is all we need a lot of the time.