“Take time
to listen to what is said without words, to obey the law too subtle to be
written, to worship the unnamable and to embrace the unformed.” ~ Lao Tzu
Authentic
listening is an art requiring the full utilization of all our senses, including
intuition. When you’re truly listening with all your senses, words comprise merely
a small aspect of communication. Think about the familiar greeting “how are
you?” How many times have you asked this question and, although the response is
“OK” or “doing well,” you know that “doing well” is far from the reality of the
moment. Authentic listening requires
time, intention, patience, focus and most of all caring; you need to want to
hear both the overt and covert message and are motivated to take the time to
hear what is and isn’t being said. Sometimes, the art of listening also
requires honoring the overt message, allowing the other person to maintain
his/her dignity in the moment. I have often found this last aspect of listening
to be challenging at times. How does one know when to go deeper in listening
and engaging in an honest dialog? I’ve found this takes utilizing our sixth
sense of intuition, as well as taking the risk to listen and communicate on a
deeper level.
How many of
your senses do you listen with? What one action can you take today to expand
your art of listening?
Janet
For
addition insights and observations, check out the following posts:
No comments:
Post a Comment