Listening--An Act of Love

Did you know that most of us significantly overestimate our listening abilities? Many of us think that we are good listeners but research indicates that the average person only retains around 50% or less of what they hear in a conversation or lecture. One of my favorite quotes is by Dr. David W. Augsburger, "Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable."

Being present to those we love takes effort, especially in the fast-paced world that we live in where:

• we are overcommitted 
• all of us plugged into multiple types of technology
• and family dinners are occurring less often

​However, learning to listen with intention is a skill that we can all get better at. Listening to respond is the standard way that most of us communicate. What that means is that instead of really paying attention to what the other person is saying with their words and body language, we are already thinking about how we want to reply or what our rebuttal will be. The good news is that relationships skills and better ways to communicate can be learned. More on this in a previous blog--link below.
learning-better-ways-to-communicate.html

I challenge you to pay attention this week to ways that you can love through listening. Need some more ideas how to get started? Here are some:
questions-to-ask-your-child-or-grandchild.html
rethinking-family-dinners.html

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