I recently heard a TED Talk about listening. As opposed to hearing, real listening involves paying attention to whom your talking to. Appreciating what they are saying. And then follow up summarizing what they have said or asking a question regarding what was said. This is different to hearing someone talk while you are thinking about what you want to say.
Real listening is an energetic and compassionate act because people want to be truly listened to and heard. Conversations are not a race. Instead, conversations are made up of dialogue that is an exchange of ideas and/or opinions among two or more people.
When you feel listened to what is the listener doing while you are speaking. Start paying attention when speaking as to when you feel listened to. Observe what the other person is doing. Notice their body language, eye movement and any sounds they are making. You will begin to notice that some people are better listeners than others. Try mirroring what the other person was doing while you were speaking when they are speaking.
The more you give off signs of listening, the more likely people will reciprocate in listening actively and compassionately to you. It is nice to be heard.
