Most of us spend a large part of the day either speaking or listening to others. We advise, persuade and negotiate as part of our daily interactions with friends and family, clients and colleagues. In our most successful moments we are focused attentive listeners. But these moments taken care by visit emeraldcarpetcleaning.ie official website may be few and far between. It’s not that we DON’T pay attention, just that most of the time we listen with only PART of our attention. Invariably it is the quality of the attention that determines the success of our listening. Listening is a skill and like any skill can be learnt and put into practice.

Remember the 3 Cs:

CONCENTRATION
To concentrate means to listen patiently and not wait in the wings to butt in at the first opportunity. It is an attempt to listen with a neutral and open mind, without judgement or expectation. To listen openly and deeply is to concentrate and enter the reality of the speaker. The greater your involvement and participation in this reality, the stronger your understanding of the speaker. To concentrate also allows you to go beyond what is acually said. HOW things are said gives us vital clues about the emotions and attiutude behind the words. So practise listening patiently.

CARE
Have the genuine desire to take others seriously. Skilled listeners build relationships. They convey interest in and understanding of the concerns of the client, customer or friend. In doing so they acknowledge and validate these concerns. This in turn encourages others to open up willingly, simply because they feel secure in the fact that they are being taken seriously.

CONFIDENCE
When we are focused listeners we are empathic, non-judgemental and eager to learn. Sometimes our ideas, feelings and thoughts are challenged and we may need to revise our thinking. Having self-belief or confidence allows us to do this without feeling threatened. When we respect and accept other perspectives, we invariably forge closer relationships. To be heard and understood is to be given a gift.