If you’re a leader, listening is one of the best skills you can have. And even if you’re not a leader, listening is one of the best skills you can have. To be able to actually hear what another person is saying makes that person feel valued, and it can make the listener feel valued as well.

The action we rarely choose in a conversation is silence, yet it’s an option. And if we want to be a good listener, it’s a very good option, even if there is some awkward silence occasionally. Allowing the person to verbalize their emotions can help them see things more clearly. And if we choose to NOT jump into the conversation the moment they take a pause, we have robbed them of the time they need to really share all their thoughts and emotions.

We can practice listening. How many conversations do you think you have on any given day? A lot, probably. How many of them do you intentionally enter into with the purpose of listening first? How many times have you said, “Are you even listening to me?” How many times has that been said about you? Right. So today, let’s put on our “listening cap” and see how the day goes. There is no greater gift we can give someone than the act of heartfelt listening.

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth