Listening isn’t an easy task for many of us. It comes more naturally for some than others. One thing I recently noticed is that the word “listen” has the letters “s-i-l-e-n-t “in it.
Borrowing from an article titled “How to be a Better Listener,” by Erika Kleinman which appeared in the Lenny Newsletter, there is a therapeutic exercise of timing conversations which will help balance dialogue and enhance dyadic communication.
This is how it works; two people take turns having a conversation with equal time for each speaker. When the time is up, the listener mirrors what they think they heard. This is not only an opportunity to get the facts straight, but a chance to reflect on the emotional content of what was said.
Thanks for reading this and listening!