Learn to Listen

One soft skill we should all develop is to be great listeners. Be it with our spouse, children and friends. However, we have built into our daily lives a series of habits and patterns and our subconscious automatically kicks in when we hear something be it good or bad. This is due too the stress and worries we face each day from our work and daily lives. We sometimes jump into conclusion without analyzing the words we hear. Perhaps we hear without listening correctly.

If we do not like what we hear, we invariably switch off and consequently; we misconstrue messages or just stop listening. We should at least digest the words and ponder. Stand back and really listen to what is being said. Stop and think before hitting “auto-respond ”.

I think I still have to develop this skill in making me a better listener especially listening to my children. With my spouse I think I have achieved great success. hahaha. Do we really listen?

“Figure out what went wrong, not who was wrong, when communication breaks down.”