Talk Less; Listen More: Learning to Listen without Ears
Be quiet and listen to someone you are with. Don’t talk so much – listen. This challenge is all about REALLY learning to listen but not just with with your ears. Whomever you’re with, watch them, listen to them. When you speak and you say something, pay attention to their response. How do they really feel about it? Don’t just listen to the words, listen, pay attention between the words. You try that as often as you can remember for at least 5 minutes at a time throughout your day. That’s your awareness drill. How much can I listen? How much can I pay attention? How much can I catch? “Huh, they’re not the way I thought they were. They didn’t respond the way I thought they would/should. Am I now mad because I’m not getting my way? Forget that! If the relationship’s important you, forget about getting your way. Start working more as a team. A ‘we’, not two I’s. Try that this time round – less talk and more listening.