Listen to understand, not to react!
How Often when adults are conversing with each other we Listen to understand, not to react!, our brain starts working towards framing answers or reactions to what the other person is saying, consciously or sub-consciously.
We often omit what exactly the other person is saying & develop our own pre-conceived notions resulting in more of reactions & less of understanding!
Of course, it’s great to have a well-thought-out reply, but if you’re thinking about what you want to say instead of hearing the other person, you aren’t really listening and communicating well. Hence most of us are not “active listeners”!
Just like children’s communication skills grow by leaps and bounds across the first few years of life, it is vital for us to enhance their listening skills too & ensure they become active listeners!
What can you do?
– Respect and recognize your child’s feelings
– Listen with your whole body and 5 senses!
– Pay complete attention. Put down your phone when you and your child are talking to each other
– Teach your child non-verbal communication like nodding, maintaining eye contact etc
– Narrate your daily routines & let them do it too while you “listen”
– Respond by repeating before commenting
Giving children a voice promotes self-esteem and self-worth. This will not only boost their listening skills but also improve their communication skills & problem-solving capabilities!
So next time your little one comes running to you, LISTEN to communicate, not to reply!
You may also want to read:
Is your child an ‘Attention Seeker’?
Lets make our children independent
Very well written blog.
As a parent we should try to be active listener and shown respect to our childs thoughts, these are powerful tools to boost their confidence and encourage further interactions.
Amazing blog. Being an active listener truly develops that trust factor and in turn results in that person or child trusting you completely.
Well written blog, it’s a must that parents and educators should be active listeners which helps the children to build a good trust and talk out whatever he/she has in their mind and heart
Very nicely drafted blog. Liked the phrase- Listen to Understand not to react. Sometimes we unknowingly skip this value. The above tips are helpful. Thank you for sharing.
Nice blog
It us very important to become an active listener, so that you understand other well & communicate more confidently.
In early age of child when they try to communicate something & we become an active listener & respond well they become more happy which helps to boost their confidence level and try to improve their communication skill which later on help them for problem solving capability
Wonderfully articulated blog. Listening is a lost art. Thank u for sharing such interesting tips to encourage healthy n effective communication which can be done only if we listen with an open mind.
Great blog. Very helpful tips shared. It will definitely help children become good listeners and boost their communication skills.
Nice blog…. thanks for sharing this wonderful blog
Very nicely drafted blog. Liked the phrase- Listen to Understand not to react. Sometimes we unknowingly skip this value. The above tips are helpful. Thank you for sharing.
Amazing blog. Truly said “Listen To Understand, Not To React!”. Great tips shared.
Thank you Jumpstart for sharing.