Is Listening an Art?

When listening to another person, don't just listen with your mind, listen with your whole body. Feel the energy field of your inner body as you listen. That takes attention away from thinking and creates a still space that enables you to truly listen without the mind interfering. You are giving the other person space - space to be. It is the most precious gift you can give. 

Most people don't know how to listen because the major part of their attention is taken up by thinking. They pay more attention to that than to what the other person is saying, and none at all to what really matters: the Being of the other person underneath the words and the mind. 

Of course, you cannot feel someone else's Being except through your own. This is the beginning of the realization of oneness, which is love. At the deepest level of Being, you are one with all that is.

Most human relationships consist mainly of minds interacting with each other, not of human beings communicating, being in communion. No relationship can thrive in that way, and that is why there is so much conflict in relationships. 

When the mind is running your life, conflict, strife and problems are inevitable. Being in touch with your inner body creates a clear space of no-mind within which the relationship can flower.

Deadly Communication Mistakes to Avoid - 5

here is skill #5 for today; (if you missed skill #4 yesterday, click here):

BEING RUDE – rudeness is perhaps at the root of many major in-house disasters. No matter how much you feel the other person deserves it, you should never be rude. Politeness goes a very long way in communication. Always be polite.

Deadly Communication Mistakes to Avoid - 4

Here is skill #4 for today; (if you missed skill #3 yesterday, click here):

TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION – so many times, you might be talking on a certain subject and thinking about it at the same time. With that background in mind you say something cryptic and expect the listener to understand exactly what you mean. When you say something you need to say it clearly, in complete sentences and ensure that the person whom you are addressing is on the same page with you. Talk clearly.

Deadly Communication Mistakes to Avoid - 3

Here is skill #3 for today; (if you missed skill #2 yesterday, click here):

ASSUMING YOU KNOW IT ALL – everyone would have come across a know-it-all and everyone knows how deeply annoying it is to keep hearing, ‘Oh! I know that!’ When someone else is talking empty your mind of bias and prejudice, which by the way includes assuming you know what the person is talking about. Try to catch the talker’s point of view; you will be often surprised how different the subject is from what you thought it is. Good communication skills demand that you never assume anything. Stay unbiased.

Deadly Communication Mistakes to Avoid - 2

Here is skill #2 for today (if you missed skill #1 yesterday, click here):

REACTING WITH ANGER – no matter what the other person says; do not react with anger or insults. This cuts off the communication. The person or persons will stop communicating with you fearing your reaction and you will become the loser in the end. When you are angered by what others say, learn to control your feelings and steer the conversation to neutral grounds. Emotional outbursts kill good communication. Control your emotions.