A person will always feel bad after knowing that the person in front of them with whom they were speaking was not listening. That is the case with most people nowadays. The majority of people are not good listeners. They are good pretenders. Quality conversation and true listening is all about give and take and it requires time and work along with patience if you are on the listening end.
The eight tips mentioned below will surely help you become a good and active listener:
Paying Proper Attention
A sincere and good listener always pays attention to what the other person standing in front is saying. You must not engage yourself in some other activities like looking at your watch, checking your phone, staring on the opposite side, etc. Staying focused and listening in this way is also termed as ‘active listening’.
Maintaining Proper Body Language
One can understand a lot after reading a person’s body language. The person in question, whether is bored, tired or even uninterested can get easily detected from body language. Try to stand straight, slightly lean forward while listening to the person speaking in front of you.
Never Interrupt
This is a bad gesture and also goes on to show disinterest and disrespect. Let the person speaking to you complete it first and then give your response. It never matters if a person is asking you a question or not. You must listen to them completely and only respond accordingly once they finish.
Asking Questions
Asking questions to the person speaking goes on to show that you are interested in the topic of the conversation. The person speaking to you will surely take a positive note and will be more encouraged to speak to you as he/she will be eager to share more.
Only Listen
A conversation must always happen from both sides. But there are some instances where a person should only listen to the one speaking in front. The person speaking may be in a sad or disheartened state and an active listener must read the situation and act accordingly by simply listening. These are situations when the person speaking in front of you doesn’t need you to react to their words.
Following Up
Suppose a person speaking with you is continuing with a long conversation about one of their trips for example and somewhere in between if they stop and ask ‘What was the first thing that I just said?’. This is a situation in which you will have to be active and must seriously listen to the person from the very beginning and remember and follow up. This goes on to show that you care about the conversation that is taking place. So, from the next time just remember and follow up.
Lip tight & Confidential
During a conversation, a person may share many facts that can be confidential as the person speaking may do it unintentionally. In those situations, try not to react if they tell you about something you are not supposed to know, and also be careful that you must not reveal it to anyone.
Maintaining Eye Contact
Maintaining eye contact during a conversation is very important as it helps make the speaker feel valued. People speaking something to you will never want you to look at your phone or watch. Instead, they would like your whole attention and focus on themselves. So, maintaining eye contact is a vital step in the process of becoming a good listener.
