Listening Week 2

W.A.I.T Why am I talking?

I am unsure where this acronym came from, after considerable research, but it remains a critical piece to mindful listening. We begin Week 2 thinking about how we currently listen and ways to improve our communication and learning. A question to ask yourself would be, am I politely waiting for an opening when someone else is speaking?  If the answer is yes, you are probably not mindfully listening. Truly listening means giving someone your full attention. Using more of your senses to listen, seeing their facial expressions, body language, and hearing the intonations of their voice, and their words.

This equates to being fully present and focused on the other person. Active listening may not come easily, most of us do not listen with full attention to everyone or to anyone. This may be the reason you forget what was said by the other person as soon as they say it. Active listening means we pause, sit still, maybe take a breath, and tell ourselves, I will listen with my full attention. As always when we change a behavior, we give ourselves grace and time for the change to occur. Becoming more aware in each conversation you have of your attention is the first step.