Listening

Listening is something everyone does on a daily basis; it is something that is naturally and we have been doing since we were babies. If you take a step back and think about listening, you will probably realize it is something you are not great at. We also suffer from engaging in pseudolistening, selective listening and monopolizing the conversation. Everyone’s favorite topic is themselves and it is so much easier to just talk about yourself rather that actually listening to someone else and talking about them. Though once you realize that your listening skills could use some help, there are ways to improve. One thing you can do is judge the content of what someone is saying, not how someone says something. This way you are actually understanding what they are saying and judging their thoughts. Another thing you can do is not interrupt. Sometimes when you are having an intense conversation you cannot help but interrupt, but that is not good. You are interrupting someone’s thoughts and not allowing them to make their whole point. Another really important thing to do is listen out for the main idea the other person is trying to present and not the details. That way you are understanding what they are saying as a whole and not nitpicking the details.