It sounds so easy yet can be so hard. Is it a coincidence that listen and silent are both spelled with the same letters? Listening requires a heavy dose of silence. We may say we are listening, but are we really? Sometimes we are just pretending to listen while we rehearse what we are going to say. Maybe our mind is racing with a vortex of unrelated thoughts. Hearing is receiving the sounds; listening requires attentiveness and comprehension.
Practice truly listening. Be comfortable in the silence and just hear what’s being said. It’s one of the most important skills you can develop. Put aside the distractions and focus on the person speaking. One way to improve listening is to pick a point on the person’s face and just focus on it. You will automatically become more attentive. As you listen, repeat back what you’re hearing and your listening skills will naturally improve. Listening is so refreshing to others, it’s like a cool breeze in the furnace of our day-to-day workplace fires.