Switch Hack

Although it appears to require a lot of hard work the benefits from becoming an active listener can be well worth the effort. However, to make a genuine connection with the people we are interacting with requires being authentic in our desire to understand what is being communicated to us.

In fact the term ‘authentic listener’ is increasingly coming into play to differentiate the people who have mastered the skill of actively listening in ways that enable them to achieve a very high level of understanding.

‘Authentic listeners’ are those people who have developed a keen awareness that comes from learning to appreciate and acknowledge what is being said in spite of whether they agree or disagree with the one talking. The ‘authentic listener’ demonstrates an understanding of what the speaker is saying from the speaker’s perspective without making a judgment on the content until they have the full story. This naturally puts them in a very strong position to influence those they interact with. To try seeing the issue from another person’s point of view opens the way to discussion of the issues that both parties need to resolve.