Listening to respond is commonplace
"Listening to hear" is a gift
Below is a guide to effective listening
Foundations for effective listening
1) Listening with intention:
The intention behind our listening is important
listen to help
listen in confidence
listen with patience
Setting the intention to help other is a compliment to who you are as a human and bodes well for quality interactions
By operating in strict confidence we provide a safe space for people to express freely.
By remaining no judgemental we enhance what is possible in conversation.
By all means keep the conversation flowing and direct it as needed. Allowing space for silence or pause is critical as it creates time to process thoughts and emotions - time for growth
2) Asking questions:
It is an effective method of better understanding as a listener: it requires no opinion or judgement, just your presence and attention
It also often improves understanding for the sharer, by distinguishing what happened from the story of what happened
What was that like for you?
A great question that focusses the conversation around specifics
How did that make you feel?
It is important to get people to understand the emotions at play during challenging circumstances.
Is there more than one emotion you are feeling?
quite often a circumstance will elicit more than one emotion, Understanding what emotions are at play is powerful
Did you get triggered?
How did you react ?
Have you learned something?
Was it too much in the moment - and - did you lose your shit?
Was this fresh tension or were you already carrying stress?
Did you bleed on somebody who didnt cut you?
Did you shrink?
Did you become superior / righteous?
Did you run away?
Time for reflection often allows us to see a situation from a different perspective.
This can lead to a powerful personal growth habit.
Effective listener courses
Listener training sessions
"Corporate listener" group training" - we can come to you
We offer 2 hour "effective listening" workshops
Held in our wellness space in Kewdale
Check out our calendar for upcoming workshops
For our corporate hero's we offer "onsite" effective listener workshops.
Currently restricted to the Perth metro area
Mental health first aid
We are advocates of Mental Health First Aid training
We highly recommend it to everyone, we believe it is as important as physical health first aid training.
If you would like to become an "advanced listener" - please seriously consider doing your mental health first aid training.
This training is widely available across Australia.