As you may or may not know, I was not afforded (nor was prepared) the opportunity to attend college when I was younger. So, during Covid, I took the opportunity to accomplish that goal. I was on a mission to get my classes done as quickly and efficiently as possible. So when I saw the class Effective Listening, I thought it would be an easy class. After all, I was a pretty good listener. Boy was I wrong! This class was so hard, but yet so rewarding.
This class taught me several crucial aspects of effective listening. First, it emphasized the importance of being present in a conversation. Second, it highlighted the need to listen for a deep understanding of the speaker’s message, both verbally and non-verbally. Third, it stressed the significance of listening with compassion and empathy. Moreover, the class taught me to approach listening with intentionality. Demonstrating active listening through body language and short responses became a key takeaway.
So many times, we listen only to voice our opinions, come up with a rebuttal, or to pretend we are listening but really not interested (which is usually obvious to the speaker/talker). Sometimes we get angry or insulted by what we think is being said instead of listening for understanding the other person’s point of view.
But being an effective listener is so important that the brother of Jesus, James, talks about it in the book he penned when he said, “Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving];”James 1:19 AMP
Can you imagine if we as believers subscribe to this way of listening? Can you imagine how relationships can be mended, made, and strengthened if we used these techniques? Can you imagine how non-believers would open up to us and show their heart if they knew we cared enough to listen, REALLY LISTEN?
What kind of difference can you make today by taking James’ wisdom to heart and putting it into action? (By the way, if you want to respond to share your answer to this question, please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.)
Join me today by choosing to be an effective listener.
2 thoughts on “I Choose Today to be an Effective Listener”
Listening can be so hard! And yet, we want people to listen when we speak. So, today, I will do my best to be a good listener!
Listening is hard and it is a learned skill for many of us. Sometimes people just need us to listen. Sometimes they want us to agree with them. It is when we understand what someone is saying (and even why they are saying it), we can gain wisdom on how to respond appropriately.