Effective Communication starts when you Listen to Understand and not to Respond

Listening is a powerful action that can rebuild someone’s life. If you only knew what it feels like to have somebody who is always willing to listen to your stories, then you will realize that it’s one of the most wonderful gifts you could ever receive. It’s the best way for you to effectively communicate with others. So if you wanted to make your relationships grow, then listen to understand the person and not respond to them. Sometimes, when you are too full of your emotions, you tend to interrupt others and reply directly even if they haven’t finished sharing their stories. You immediately put some conclusions in your mind and fail to appreciate the person. This is the reason why you need to stop thinking about yourself and be more compassionate with others.

Make other people realize that you deeply care for them. Listening is one way of showing others that they are heard and accepted. Try to listen not just to the words that they say but observe how they share them. Look at their gestures and try to acknowledge the emotions that they feel. When they choose to open up to you, then it means that they are giving you the chance to know and love them. Do not put any conclusions, open your mind to new information, and stop assuming that you already know everything. Give them the chance to express what they feel and try to understand the stories behind their actions.

Sometimes, what others need is not advice but just ears that are genuine enough to listen. Letting them speak about their lives is already a form of serving them. It’s like you are showing to them the someone deeply cares for what they feel. Yes, you also wanted to share your opinions or even your experiences about certain things, but a person who is still hurting will find it hard to listen to your thoughts and advice. God will give you the time to speak, but as long as the person in front of you wanted to say something, just lend your ears and let them express what they feel.

It’s okay to respond, but before you do that, choose to listen first so that you will know the right thing to say. The only way for you to understand and settle your miscommunication with someone is for you to sit first and listen. When you show them that you deeply care, they will slowly learn to do the same thing. They will also open their ears so that you can share with them everything. And that’s when your relationship with others will grow.