In Rabbi Noah Weimberg’s book “48 ways to Wisdom,” which we began exploring last week, he teaches us the importance of Effective Listening and the tools so we can master this very important attribute.
The first step is to actually listen to what is being said and to make sure you understand what the other person is trying to convey.
Effective Listening is a difficult skill. How many times it has happened to us that we are trying to say something and feel we are being unheard? The other person could of been too distracted, or too busy pushing his own argument. Many people have a need to prove themselves right and this doesn’t allow room to allow another persons point of view. It can also happen that a person says something and his completely misunderstood by the other. Each person reacts depending where their mind is.
How many times do we think we are listening to someone but our mind is somewhere else? Everyone is guilty of this.
In order to have good communication skills we have to master the art of being able to not speak and listen first to what the other person is trying to say. You might agree or not agree, that is not the point. What is important is to give a voice to someone else by giving them attention.
Try to understand what others are saying, ask questions instead of answering back or giving your opinion. Asking questions allows the person to be clear with you and not feel threatened. The questions themselves are very powerful and bring the person who is talking to the root of what he wants to express.
Clear definitions of terms enable us to attain objectivity and arrive to mutual understanding. They keep us honest and make it more difficult to distort and twist the truth.
The more sensitive we become to others the more it will allow us to be more assertive in the way we develop our relationships.
#wisdom#communication
#assertiveness
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