Mindful listening is an important skill to master in order to strengthen relationships, increase understanding and improve communication.
To get started, follow these six steps:
1. Set an intention to listen more mindfully. Take some time to reflect on why it is important to focus on listening mindfully. What areas of your life will benefit from it?
2. Find your inner silence. Once you are ready to practice mindful listening, be sure to eliminate both internal and external distractions in order to absorb the full message. Put away physical distractions like cell phones, TVs and computers, and try to focus on the present moment.
3. Mind your judgments and advice. It is important to remember that mindful listening is not about providing advice or judging what the other person is saying. Instead, focus on understanding their feelings and perspective.
4. Listen for clues. Pay attention to the words, tone and body language of the speaker to gain insight into what they are thinking and how they are feeling. It is important to practice empathy when listening mindfully.
5. Use sound as an object of meditation. Take a moment to focus on the sound of the speaker’s voice and allow it to be an anchor for your mindfulness practice.
6. Turn down the volume of the world. It can be hard to focus on the conversation when there are numerous distractions around. To make sure that you are truly listening, be sure to turn down the volume of the world around you.
By following these steps, you can start to practice mindful listening and its benefits of improved communication, relationships and understanding.
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