Do you find solace in music? How do you engage with your favorite tunes? Why do I think that active listening is very similar to a musical approach?
During my teenage years, I found joy in memorizing the lyrics of beloved songs—a practice I continue today. Mastering lyrics becomes effortless when I immerse myself in the melody, replaying the same song multiple times.
This parallels my interactions with people. In today’s fast-paced world, many prioritize speaking over listening. However, true understanding requires attentive listening, reflecting respect and empathy towards the speaker.
Active listening is a powerful technique employed in coaching and counseling. This communication method allocates approximately 70% of focus on listening, with the remaining 30% divided into 20% for questions and 10% for personal input.
Ensuring comprehension involves paraphrasing the speaker’s statements and seeking confirmation. Utilizing open-ended questions is crucial, encouraging detailed responses and fostering a deeper connection.
Consider non-verbal cues like body language; avoid crossed arms or legs, as they may convey closed-mindedness or impatience. Maintaining an appropriate physical distance, around one meter, promotes effective communication in a close yet comfortable manner, accounting for cultural nuances.
Crafting open-ended questions is an art, aiming to elicit thoughtful responses. Examples include:
- Who or what precisely…?
- When did it happen?
- Why do you believe that…?
- How did it happen? Describe it more precisely.
By embracing the principles of active listening, you can enhance your connections with others, fostering understanding and creating a harmonious exchange of ideas—much like the lyrics of a cherished song.
Have you ever used active listening techniques?
Thank you for reading Wise&Shine. You can read more from me on my personal blog crisbiecoach.
Well put. I volunteer for a charity for children in spare time and we use Active listening. It is a powerful tool.
Happy to know that you are using this technique! Thank you for commenting!
I love this encouragement of active listening, Cristiana. Especially, “Utilizing open-ended questions is crucial, encouraging detailed responses and fostering a deeper connection.” Wonderful!
Thank you Wynne!
Absolutely, I couldn’t agree more with your perspective on active listening. Just as we engage with our favorite music by immersing ourselves in its melodies and lyrics, we can deepen our connections with others by actively listening. It’s a powerful way to show respect and empathy towards those we’re communicating with.
Beautiful comment, thank you!
Active listening is an excellent tool, unfortunately in unhealthy families, it feels very unnatural and stilted, but with practice we do become better at it.
Yes, practice is key Tamara. Thank you for commenting!
That 70/20/10 breakdown is such an important concept! I like to think of myself as a good listener but I probably talk too much 😰
As a side note- I’m so bad at knowing song lyrics that’s it’s a family joke 😁 but I do know the bass lines, melodies and instrument solos to many songs! 😁🙃
It’s good being a good listener Todd! I smiled reading your family joke 😀. Thank you for commenting!