Listening Awareness Month

It is Listening Awareness Month! Listening Awareness Month is about learning how to listen better. This essential sense is needed to socialize and understand others. There are many types of listening skills and each one has a purpose. Listening is therapeutic and listening in this objective makes it easier to give support to someone. 

Therapeutic listening occurs when you speak to a friend or a relative about your problems. Although he or she may not have the solutions to your problems; They give you empathy, and consolation, and leave you feeling peaceful. It also happens when you speak to a professional counselor, psychologist, or therapist. Additionally, they give you their full attention and listen actively. Therapeutic listening can also be called empathetic listening. 

Another type of listening is listening on a deeper level. Deep listening is listening attentively to understand someone's point of view. It takes skill, patience, and making your mind a blank canvas. Listening to someone without being distracted. Deep listening can also be called comprehensive listening.

The third type is to listen critically. Critical listening makes you analyze what you are hearing without making assumptions. It is getting the information and evaluating the information that is gathered.  Analytical listening is useful for finding a solution to your problems. Evaluating every detail is like putting a puzzle together. 

The fourth type of listening is to listen in full. Full listening is to get all the information. Focusing on what is being said and storing the information. This process is done every day without thinking about all the information the brain is capable of storing it. Nonetheless, learn to listen in a healthy positive manner. The wrong way to listen is by doing selective listening. 

Selective listening lets you get certain information without grasping the entire concept of what is being said. Although selective listening might be acceptable for a busy job, it is not the best way to handle situations. Often it is necessary to get as many details as possible to solve the issue. However, selective listening can be done to get the main facts, but it is not useful to do it all the time. Missing information makes you question items more. 

Some people see selective listening as harmful and worsening relationships. It lacks a connection with someone. Moreover, it is considered toxic because you only hear what you want to hear. Also, you can make bad conclusions about what is heard. While some people view selective listening as part of informational listening because you gather the information for making your written notes. 

Active listening is what you need to accomplish to have better relationships and friendships. Listen to someone without paying attention to your distractions. Notice a person's tone of voice and body language. Active listening is not being confrontational. Listen with an open mindset.

Let your mind go blank while you hear what the other person is telling you. Set your thoughts aside while being attentive. Listen carefully without tuning out. Remove your headphones and do not look at your cell phone while you listen. Here are more resources about listening. 

 

Active Listening:

https://www.coursera.org/articles/active-listening

Want to Listen Better Turn Down Your Thoughts and Tune in to Others:

https://www.npr.org/2021/03/08/974786825/want-to-listen-better-turn-down-your-thoughts-and-tune-in-to-others

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