Deep listening is a skill that can enrich your life and help you better understand and connect with yourself, others and the wonderful world around you.
It can also lead to better communication, improved relationships, and even peace of mind. In this short and simple guide, we’ll explore what deep listening really is, how it can be practised in your daily life and its impact.
Deep listening means being present
Mindfulness is popular nowadays for a reason. Being present is about being aware of your thoughts, feelings and actions on a moment-to-moment basis. It’s a practice lots of people swear by and can allow you to be more focused, less stressed and more in control of your mental state.
Being present also has a positive impact on the quality of communication between individuals because it helps people to be present in the moment when they are communicating with others.
Notice your fears when they arise.
Do you notice your fears? Or do you turn away from them? But what happens when you face your fears and when you notice them arising?
In a conversation, when you notice a fear arising, take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out slowly through your mouth. Repeat this until the feeling passes, or until you’re ready to move on with the conversation.
If you need some help getting started with this process, try writing down some of the things that make you nervous or uncomfortable before an interaction with someone else–maybe it’s : “I’m afraid I will look foolish if I say something wrong.” Then ask yourself: “How do I want this person to perceive me?”
Practice active listening.
Active listening is another skill that’s really important for our personal and professional lives. It’s not simply hearing what someone says but also understanding what they mean.
When we actively listen to each other in a conversation, we pay attention to our surroundings (without being distracted by them) so that if someone else speaks up or makes noise around us, we don’t miss any important information being shared by our partner or friends.
This way everyone has an opportunity to be heard without interrupting one another–and no one feels left out because their voice wasn’t heard during an exchange!
Learn the art of silence and observation.
Learn the art of silence and observation. It’s a beautiful thing!
Be patient and wait for the right moment to speak. Be aware of just thinking about what you want to say, without listening deeply to the other person.
Allow yourself to be present, and aware of your surroundings, other people, and your own thoughts and feelings. You’ll know when it’s time to speak–and how much you need (or want) to say at that moment in time.” You can learn more about this in the three levels of listening.
Be patient with yourself and others in the process.
Be patient with yourself and others in the process. Unfortunately, we can’t learn new skills like Neo learned Kung-Fu instantly through a software program in the Matrix.
It takes time to learn new skills, so don’t expect perfection right away. If you make mistakes, don’t give up! Just keep practising and trying new things until it becomes second nature for both you and your partner(s).
Learning to be a deep listener is a skill that can enrich your life and help you better understand and connect with yourself, others, and the world around you.
The art of deep listening is a way of connecting deeply with others by being fully present to what they say without judging or interrupting them.
It’s also a way of connecting with your inner-self by focusing on what’s most important in each moment–your own feelings and thoughts. Rather than getting distracted by other things (like worrying about how someone else might think).
Deep listening isn’t just about hearing words; it’s about sensing what someone feels as well as perceiving their underlying message. This requires us to drop our assumptions and preconceptions about people so we can hear them clearly without imposing our own ideas onto what they’re saying or projecting our own agendas onto them; instead, we should listen from an open place within ourselves where there are no judgments or expectations attached whatsoever–just curiosity about finding out more information about something new that has been said which might help us understand something better later down the line!
Conclusion
So, what’s the takeaway? In short: be patient with yourself and others in the process.
Listening takes time and practice, but it can be a life-changing experience. By learning to listen deeply–and by practising active listening techniques like silence, observation and reflection–you can improve your communication skills and build stronger relationships with those around you.