How to be a better listener and why it matters

I am a big fan of podcasts. 

Little nuggets of gold that I can play and listen to when I run errands, workout or when I am stuck somewhere and need a distraction (like my recent visit to the DMV). 

I ran across a podcast called “In the Arena with Leah Smart”. The article introducing the podcast was on listening and how each of us can be a better listener. 

Smart says that many people struggle to sit silently and just listen. It’s an art often taken for granted. But listening well can positively impact our relationships within, and of course, far beyond work. 

And while we understand that listening (and being listened to) helps us feel more connected to the people around us, Smart believes it has become a “forgettable practice”. 

So much so that she is using the levels of listening by the Co-Active Training Institute to help her audience show up better in conversations. 

The Levels of Listening in a Nutshell: 

1. Level 1 – Internal Listening which can be described as listening to what someone else is saying in the context of your own experience and responding only through that lens or allowing a busy mind to distract you. 
2. Level 2 – Focused Listening which can be described active listening, questioning to understand. 
3. Level 3 – Global Listening which is deep connection and listening to take in information, digest it and participate in the conversation. 

There is a book called, You’re Not Listening by author Kate Murphy. In the book, Murphy sums up what listening truly is and why it matters more than we may realize, “To listen well is to figure out what’s on someone’s mind and demonstrate that you care enough to want to know. It’s what we all crave; to be understood as a person with thoughts, emotions, and intentions that are unique and valuable, and deserving of attention. Listening is not about teaching, shaping, critiquing, appraising, or showing how it should be done. Listening is about the experience of being experienced." 

To read the article, How to be a better listener and why it matters Leah Smart | Aug 29, 2022 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-better-listener-why-matters-leah-smart 

To listen to the podcast, Podcast — Leah Smart | Modern Self-Discovery + Development Check out August 22 – The Simple Act of Breathing 

Happy Thursday all, 

 -srt