“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” [James 1:19-20. NLT]
Life is all about relationships. Relationships are built on good communication. Good communication only occurs through effective listening. Listen more this year, beginning today. Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
- Listening communicates love and value.
- Listening helps you understand other people.
- Listening earns you the right to be heard.
Poor listening habits include inattentiveness, interrupting, and advice-giving. Learn to be attentive, which is ‘showing a person’s worth by giving full attention to their words’. Seek to understand and ask good questions.
Every time we open our mouth we’re getting ready to either talk (sharing what we already know or feel) OR ask a question (finding out what other people know or feel). Questions are powerful – they get people to open up, they stimulate thinking, and they give us valuable information.
Are you a good listener? Click here to take a quick quiz to rate your current listening skills.
Talk a little less this year. Ask a lot more questions. Listen more.
You’ll be a better friend … you’ll learn a lot … and you’ll probably end up making a greater impact on your world.
“We have two ears, but only one mouth, that we may hear more and speak less.” [Source Unknown]