Switch Hack

To be a good listener you need to understand your own listening style.

We are all disposed to listen to some people more than others and that is because we have preferences for different types of information. Some of us seek out new ideas while other people’s ears twitch at the details, some people find their attention is drawn to practical information and others gather in on orientated discussions.

More self-awareness about your listening preferences means better ability to manage the majority of interactions you become involved in.

Greater awareness will help you to pick up on the mood of the speaker and thus enable you to modify your responses to align with the speakers expectations. Your aim as a listener is to keep the person speaking on a balanced emotional state for the more negatively emotional they become the greater distractions they will experience. For example, if the speaker is not interested in, or does not believe your responses are genuine they are more than likely to just switch off. The interaction essential to any form of communication is easily lost and the chances of them actually disagreeing with you or challenging you quickly diminish. Furthermore, if  you yourself are not aware of your own listening preferences and mindsets the probability is high that interests will clash between you and speaker leaving all at odds.

Being aware of your preferences and what influences your mindset puts you in a strong position to manage your thoughts and emotions.

The more balanced you are the better able you will be to listen and observe the speaker and to identify what they really want to say, never mind the words that come out. Tune into the moment and align your listening and response to meet the needs of the speaker whilst at the same time influencing to achieve your own goals. It is a well know secret that when you have developed a strong, empathic relationship with a speaker the outcome is more than likely to be a positive one that is mutually beneficial.