Andrew Lloyd Beaver PA | Why You Should Actively Listen

 

Beaver, PA - We all have heard how “active listening” is an undervalued skill and why you should practice it whether in the workplace or in personal conversations says Andrew Lloyd Beaver PA.

But being quiet and carefully listening is now more important than ever, why asks Andrew Lloyd of Beaver, PA?

People have been self-isolated for more than a year, and therefore only social interaction with people they want to connect with was virtual,

But now as things are getting back to “normal” people are anxious to talk about themselves and what they suffered through.

A lot of these people have lost someone they care about or suffered other forms of disasters like job loss, going broke, shutting down their business, etc.

So as these people come up and start a conversation with you it is your job to listen to them carefully and not interrupt their flow.

As a human, we are socially active beings so it is important for us to have someone hear about our lives.

So without further ado, here are few tips on being a good listener post Covid:

1. Listen to understand not to respond:

One of the oldest tricks to be an active listener is to listen not just as a means to respond says Andrew Lloyd Beaver PA.

Half of the time people are only listening to say what they want to say, they don’t even digest the information given by the speaker and start talking.

So one of the first steps you can take to be a good listener is to listen to hear them out not just to respond.

Doing this may help them feel good when talking to you and also ensure that you don’t come out as an irritating person to them.

2. Don’t interrupt the person with your relatable story:

We are human beings so the chances are really high that some of us have the same experience about a thing that the other person faced.

It is only natural for us to start talking about our stories and interrupt their flow while ruining their experience of storytelling says Andrew Lloyd Beaver PA.

Interruption is always hated let that be in form of anything, you can’t simply expect the person to hear “don’t take it personally” and they won’t.

It is just not how it works, actions speak louder than words, and especially if they are talking about something serious it sends vibes of irritation to the speaker.

3. Don’t do them a favor:

Andrew Lloyd Beaver PA says listing patiently to the other person is not about doing them a favor, we get 80% of our information by listening.

Let that be you listening to a podcast, YouTube video, or talking to another person about their personal life.

Listening can help you understand that person better and give you pointers about things you should and shouldn’t do around them.

Hearing out opinions about certain things can help you match their intent with actions and understand your role around them.

So don’t think of listening as doing a favor, of course, you can speak your heart out when they are done with their side of the story.

4. Don’t have high expectations:

If you have a previous conversation with the same person you have some idea of what to expect from them, so before entering into any conversation with them it is often best to not set your expectations high.

Why? It would only make your job harder, listening is a bigger pie of our communication skills according to studies it is indicated that we spend about 9 percent writing, 16 percent reading, 30 percent speaking, and 45 percent listening.

But even though listening is a big part of our communication it is hard for people to not respond or listen without the expectation of getting something from it.

But why shouldn’t you have any expectations asks Andrew Lloyd?

Like the purpose of this article, we are discussing that you should listen to people post-Covid so it is obvious that having expectations can be a sign of selfishness.

5. Be a little empathetic:

Lastly, nobody wants to speak what’s on their mind only to be judged by the listener.

Making any harsh criticism around people who have lost a lot because of the pandemic, is not only a bad thing but can also make them lose their faith in you.

Last year the whole world has been stressed out the way things took a turn and chances are the person you are listening to has suffered from it too and some of them are having a hard time being on their own two feet.

So comparing their situation with others or being a critic and giving out harsh advice to perform better is probably a bad idea and can hurt their feelings.

When people are emotionally driven they remember what was done and by who, so when listing to other person have a little empathy for them and consider this fact.

This can also make them trust you and your judgments better.

Thank you for reading! Follow Andrew Lloyd Beaver PA.